I have enjoyed my public golf experience in the state of Florida. The typical image of Florida golf is a triple threat of cart paths, houses, and gratuitous use of water hazards. In my places, especially the swampy coastal areas like Sarasota and Naples, this is sadly true. But venture off the beaten path a bit where the concentration of out-of-state plates is a bit lighter, you will find a motley mix of fun golfing experiences.
My top 10 so far:
1. Streamsong Blue. It gets the Red by a nose in my book, mainly because of the greens. I wrote in another thread: "The beauty of the greens at SS Blue are that Doak always gives you enough rope to either climb out of a hole or hang yourself. It's up to the golfer how they want to use that rope." Also, I do not remember playing a better final four holes.
2. Streamsong Red. Also tremendous, obviously. I really dig the stretch from 7 to 11, and 14 is my favorite par three on the property.
3. World Woods Pine Barrens. Call me a Kool-Aid drinker, but I think it's a very cool golf course. The front nine in particular is a ton of fun, and the short four at 15 is a blast as well. I also prefer the rugged scruffy look of today to the blinding white sandy I see in course photos from the early 90s.
4. World Woods Rolling Oaks. This one came way up in my book on a second play, and for now it's only a notch below the PB. The grand par five 3rd is the highlight of the front nine, and the back nine is one solid hole after another with two great short par fours at 12 and 17. I even enjoy the controversial 18th hole, which I think has one of the best green settings on the property. The front nine at PB and the back nine at RO would make for a tremendous 18 holes.
5. Brooksville Country Club. A great set of par fives, unexpected elevation change, and a quarry make this one a treat. But don't tell anyone I told you about it.
6. Belleview Biltmore. My favorite Ross course I've played in Florida (strangely, I have not been invited to Seminole yet). The par threes are the highlight here, ranging from the low-lying third to the volcano 15th. It's also an intimate routing with a puzzling set of greens, and the two finishing holes make you pucker up at just the right moment in the round. I just hate the carts-only policy for non-members. Grrrr.
7. Dunes at Seville. Technically, it is just called Dunes, but I prefer the Seville suffix to distinguish it from a gaggle of courses with the same name. This would probably be higher on my list if it were not for the abysmal conditioning, which is a minor factor but a factor nonetheless. I've played several mediocre courses from Fart Hills but this one is top-notch. I especially like the back to back par fives to finish, both of which have absolutely wicked greens. Play it when you're in Brooksville, and suspend your disbelief about the conditioning to enjoy a fun architectural show.
8. Deltona. Lots of fun golf out here, especially because of the big action on the elevation changes and complete absence of water hazards.The short fours at 8, 15, and, yes, 18 are highlights. However, this is one of the worst public golf experiences I've ever had, period. It shouldn't factor into the discussion here, but it does. Get it together up there in Brevard County.
9. Fort Myers Country Club. I really dig the Steve Smyers re-do here, and his completely original par five 11th is great. You also some epic green complexes that test your short game with extreme prejudice. But the drawback here will always be that the course is shoehorned into 100 acres. This makes for some awkward moments. Also, the manmade ponds all over the property are just plain ugly.
10. Cleveland Heights Composite Course. Lakeland stand up! I debated a few courses for this spot, which I left open for the unloved but charming public course that reminds of that girl Jagger was talking about in "Far Away Eyes." Heights took it for me, but it did so with a bit of an asterisk: the general golfing public can't (usually) play the course I'm talking about it here. The A nine contains 7 of 9 original Flynn holes (the other two that originally went back and forth from the Yacht Club are long since buried), but the original second 9 is scattered among the B and C nines. But on an empty day, you can skip around and play the original 9-hole loop. What you get here is a course that forces all different types of shot shapes and contains some of those vexing Flynn greens. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
So what say you? What are your favorite publics (not Publix) in the state of Florida? Do you hate Florida golf, or, like me, do you think it has its bright spots?
P.S. Special thanks to Kyle Harris, who has guided me to 9 of the 10 courses on this list.