I’m a big fan of the Deltona Club. IMHO it is worth the trek if you have not seen it. Especially if you have already played Sugarloaf Mt. It is very low key and friendly. There are several holes that I look forward to playing. The long par four 4th gets the round going. Both Par 5’s on the front (#5 and #7) are very solid, #8 the short 4 is interesting even after they removed the huge oak trees protecting the left angle approach. Hole #12 on is great golf on rolling terrain that you don’t get to experience too often in Florida. For me the routing utilizes the topo better than Sugarloaf Mt in that you get to experience large sweeping rolls, use slopes to work the ball further down the fairway or on to greens and in general the topo reveals the hole to you instead of hide it like Sugarloaf Mt does on several occasions. The bunker styles are different but at the Deltona Club they are more flashy, visible and make a larger statement. Don’t get me wrong I like Sugarloaf Mt. and can’t wait to play it again but I prefer Deltona Club.
Having said all that the course IS different now than when it first opened. They have removed A LOT of the native scrub vegetation bordering holes that, in my opinion, gave it a natural/wild edge. Unfortunately that is gone and they have replaced some of that scrub material with Palms.??
I played there in Feb during the cold spell and the course had taken a beating. Because they don’t have wall to wall cart paths the Bermuda is taking a beating and it got worse with it going completely dormant during our unusually cold snap. They did not over seed so it was certainly firm and fast. No contrast between fairways and greens so if you love the seamless look you will like it.
It has been slightly warmer and I noticed some Bermuda at another course starting to green up a bit but it certainly isn’t growing yet.
The Bahia roughs around bunkers and in the out of play areas have been hit hard by the cold. (Plus they started mowing them close and tight because of lost balls) Again, in my opinion, the loss of contrast between Bermuda fairways and the outer roughs doesn’t let the course shine with a unique natural character like it did after it first opened. I guess it is easier to play but I didn’t think it was too difficult to begin with. For me, the course is a great strategic challenge that allows well thought out and executed shots shots be rewarded with a good score.
The greens were VERY slick. Smooth too. Nothing like putting on dormant Bermuda!! My playing partner putted off a few greens. It was tough to control chip/pitch, and bump & run shots on those bare dormant lies too. You certainly experienced the “Rub of the green” and “play it as it lies" unpredictability.
I may even give the nod to the Deltona Club for having a better set of greens? Strange because I FEEL IN LOVE with Sugarloaf’s greens and really enjoy playing them with the various devilish pin locations. Maybe the verdict is still out for me on this one but I do think the greens and greens complexes at Deltona Club offer variety and excitement.
Others worth seeing might be Southern Dunes in Haines City. Victoria Hills that is really close to the Deltona Club. I like Bobby Weeds redo of New Smyrna Beach. (Even farther east!) An old DJ Ross course. It was 25 bones all you could play over the holidays. I played 29 holes! Good set of greens too. Hey…make it a day at the beach. New Smyrna has a nice boardwalk that takes you through some cool dunes. Would be perfect for a golf course.
You and your wife might enjoy a short walk around the ever player friendly 9 hole muni Winter Park CC in Winter Park. There are 4-5 greens there that I really like the contours on. Than you can take in a Winter Park boat tour on the lakes and end with a fancy dinner on Park Ave. with some window shopping.
