Top 10 Public Courses You've Played in the State of Florida

[Bill_McBride]

Capital City in Tallahassee is now public and if anyone has played there, I would like to know if it would make your top 10 public list in FL.

It's a Tillinghast that was going to be restored, but apparently no one was willing to spend the money. 

[Mark Pritchett]

Thoughts on TPC Sawgrass?   I know it's expensive but take that factor out. 

I honestly think it's better than both Streamsong Red & Blue.  It's just really unique and I think its a strong representation of the best of Dye.

I love Sawgrass and think that it is underrated with the GCA crowd. 

[jeffwarne]

Rees,

   I'm excited to play Lake Wales, Deltona, and Lekarica next winter!  This thread is great, but I don't want to think about winter for a long long time.  

Jeff,

    Is Lekarica the Goat Hill of Florida?  The course that isn't maint. well and has much of the minimalism that is valued on GCA?  Is it the acid test for a maint buff?  

No Lekarica's maintenance detracts from the playing as the fairways are often meadows and or soft sand.
With some improved maintenance it would be praised by many here. it's just nearly too far gone, but it's a real 18 hole course.

The Goat maintenance (lack of) meld enhances the course. Greens are true despie minimal maintenance and the right pace for the slopes (severe) Minimal grass in the fairways allows it to play fiery, in fact the only time the Goat isn't a blast is when spring rains and no mowing (or an attempt to actually grow seed) prevent the runups that are so much fun at The Goat.
Not sure improved maintenance would create more fans at the Goat-you either get it or you don't and frequent plays simply reveal more fun.

I am always amazed at the gems that the Treehouse reveals , but I'm sure the Goat is not for everyone.

[Eric Smith]

Nice thread, JNC. I've got a hankering for Florida golf, especially after this winter.

Deltona intrigues me. Mike Sweeney often extolled its virtues here on GCA and with looks like this it is easy to understand why:



[I'm not sure how old this photo is...plucked from a GCA thread a few years back I believe.]

Edit:

My top 10

Streamsong Blue
Streamsong Red
TPC Sawgrass
World Woods Pine Barrens

Dunes
Biltmore Coral Gables
World Woods Rolling Oaks
Brooksville

Bay Hill
Miccosukee

[Bill Brightly]

Any of you guys ever play Sara Bay in Sarasota? Donald Ross course retored by Brian Silva. I'm playing in an event there next Monday. Kind of curious to check it out since I've never heard of it before.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Bill

Never played there when I visited Sarasota but found this:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50073.msg1135356/topicseen.html#msg1135356

I think JNC Lyon played there recently. Can't find his thread.

[James Brown]

Streamsong Red (Haven't played Blue yet)
TPC Sawgrass Stadium
World Woods Pine Barrens
World Woods Rolling Oaks
Grande Pines (Soon to be NLE)
New Course Grand Cypress
Orange County National Crooked Cat
Harmony Preserve
TPC Sawgrass Valley Course
TPC Tampa Bay.

[Brian Finn]

I'm planning to play either WPB or North PB tomorrow (3/19) afternoon, if anyone is in the area and interested in meeting up.

[Mark Saltzman]

I'm planning to play either WPB or North PB tomorrow (3/19) afternoon, if anyone is in the area and interested in meeting up.

play both!

[Ed Kenny]

Abacoa in Jupiter is fantastic. The conditions and design/layout are much better than West Palm.  North Palm Beach Country Club is fun and a should see. The greens at Abacoa are exceptional, giving Abacoa the nod over North Palm Beach.

[Jerry Kluger]

Osprey Point down in Boca Raton is a really solid 27 hole facility with a nice driving range and practice area.  Plenty of width and some good elevation change and well priced at around $50 in season.

WPB muni is OK but they put groups out at 7 minute intervals so most of the time pace of play is an issue. They did a nice job of cleaning out the overgrowth and put in sandy waste areas but used the wrong type of sand so carts cannot drive in it which also slows things down.

Links at Madison Green was pretty good although it was pricey at times. 

[jeffwarne]

They did a nice job of cleaning out the overgrowth and put in sandy waste areas but used the wrong type of sand so carts cannot drive in it which also slows things down.

. 

The wrong type of sand?
Isn't that sand simply sand with the native vegetation cleaned out?

[Rees Milikin]

They did a nice job of cleaning out the overgrowth and put in sandy waste areas but used the wrong type of sand so carts cannot drive in it which also slows things down.

. 

The wrong type of sand?
Isn't that sand simply sand with the native vegetation cleaned out?

Was wondering the exact same thing.

[Tim Gavrich]

I really enjoyed NPBCC's kooky greens; need to get back down there at some point. Unfortunately cannot make tomorrow, Brian.

[Bryan Izatt]

These courses vary wildly in price and that affects my desire and ability to play them again.  Some are residential community courses that aren't really public but it has been relatively easy to get to play them.

Streamsong Blue
World Woods – Pine Barrens
TPC Sawgrass
Streamsong Red
TwinEagles - Eagle
Ocean Hammock - Conservatory
World Woods – Rolling Oaks
Old Corkscrew
Mission Inn - El Campeon
Verandah - Whispering Oaks
Deltona
Victoria Hills
Bella Collina
Southern Dunes
Juliette Falls
Sugarloaf Mountain


..........................................


Kyle,  I played with a local at WW last week and he mentioned that he had played the Dunes recently but that there wasn't much grass in some of the fairways.  Their web site is still active, so I presume they are still open.  The site  http://www.thedunesgolfclub.com/#!improvements/c16ri   has some interesting before and after pics from the previous closing.  I played there a couple of times some years ago, and I wouldn't go back with WW just around the corner and in much better condition and not much higher price.

[JNC Lyon]

Lekarica is a total hoot. Like Dunes at Seville (before it closed), you need to suspend your disbelief a bit on the conditioning to really enjoy it. But once you do, you find there are a ton of fun holes melded together in a bone-chilling routing over a totally radical piece of property for "flat" Florida. Try the triumvirate of short par fours at 5, 6, and 8 on for size. Stiles and Van Kleek are the Grand Funk Railroad of golf course architects: that group you totally forget about that, when you look back at them, you realize had some really good work. I felt like I was getting closer to my home when I played Lekarica, and I much preferred the overall golfing experience there to the one at Deltona. Play it if you ever find yourself in Lake Wales, but watch out for the crop dusters.

Bryan I, et al,

Do you have thoughts on Juliette Falls? It's a course in the middle of nowhere designed by a guy nobody has ever heard of, but it consistently ranks in the Top 20 for Florida publics. I'd love to know more before I make the drive to the Ocala area.

Also, I hear Old Corkscrew is absolutely brutal. Would you rather play that over a Deltona or a Southern Dunes?

[JNC Lyon]

Any of you guys ever play Sara Bay in Sarasota? Donald Ross course retored by Brian Silva. I'm playing in an event there next Monday. Kind of curious to check it out since I've never heard of it before.

Bill, this is a total thread-jack since we are talking about public courses here. But I recently played Sara Bay for the first time and posted these comments: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60545.0.html Shoot me a PM if you are in Sarasota for an extended period of time.

[Daniel Jones]

Do you have thoughts on Juliette Falls? It's a course in the middle of nowhere designed by a guy nobody has ever heard of, but it consistently ranks in the Top 20 for Florida publics. I'd love to know more before I make the drive to the Ocala area.

I live in Ocala and don't feel it's worth the drive even from here.. Granted, I haven't played it in a couple of years, but the couple times I made it out there I walked off thinking "meh." Perhaps I should make it back out there one of these days, but it's just so hard when OGC is less than a mile away..

[BCowan]

JNC,

   JF, is an okay course.  It has good land for FL and it is very well maint.  The greens are the best maint I've putted on in Florida and I've played some nice clubs.  There are some nice holes and some manufactured holes.  I sent some friends a couple winters ago to play Ocala Golf Club and JF, they were pissed that they didn't play a 2nd 18 at OGC.  I think much of the rankings are conditioning based too much.  The other positive for some is JF has an empty parking lot experience there. 

[jeffwarne]

Do you have thoughts on Juliette Falls? It's a course in the middle of nowhere designed by a guy nobody has ever heard of, but it consistently ranks in the Top 20 for Florida publics. I'd love to know more before I make the drive to the Ocala area.

I live in Ocala and don't feel it's worth the drive even from here.. Granted, I haven't played it in a couple of years, but the couple times I made it  I walked off thinking "meh." Perhaps I should make it back out there one of these days, but it's just so hard when OGC is less than a mile away..

agreed
well conditioned "meh"

[Joe Bausch]

Does either course at Lake Jovita make the list for anyone?!

[jeffwarne]

Does either course at Lake Jovita make the list for anyone?!

How public is lake Jovita?
definitely a moving target in Florida these days

[Rees Milikin]

Does either course at Lake Jovita make the list for anyone?!

How public is lake Jovita?
definitely a moving target in Florida these days

Jovita is public or at least I thought it was.

[Will Peterson]

Bill - are you playing in the USGA Fourball on Monday at Sara Bay?  It's a great course.  I've played a US Mid-Am and FL Open there, and they set it up tough.  Around the greens is tough, and I've not seen a Ross with so much front to back slope along with the turtle back.

JNC - Juliette Falls is worth playing.  There are some manufactured "falls" that are completely unnecessary and out of place, but otherwise a good track.  

Lake Jovita is pretty good, and public (there are members and stay and play guests, but public can play anytime).  There are 36 holes.  I have a friend who lives there, and play it frequently.  They like to have the greens fast, sometimes too fast for the slopes, and each courses have two or three holes that are not very good, but otherwise a great facility.  It's basically in the middle of nowhere, but worth the drive from Tampa or Orlando.

[Chris Luce]

Streamsong Blue
Streamsong Red
Camp Creek
World Woods Pine Barrens
TPC Sawgrass
Southern Dunes
Lagoon Legend NLE?
Sharks Tooth
Innisbrook Copperhead
Hammock Dunes Conservatory.
Eglin AFB Eagle

The big surprise here for me was the Watson Course at Hammock Dunes Zero expectations and we had a blast playing there. Eglin had a lot of elevation change for the Panhandle. Lagoon Legend was just so hard but appealed during a phase when I kind of liked that. Streamsong Blue, TPC Sawgrass, and WWPB would top the list if I were forced to rank.