Grande Pines GC (Smyers/Faldo) Orlando, FL

[Tom Huckaby]

Anyone played this course?  Any thoughts?

I spent a week next to it (last week, we stayed there as we paid homage to the mouse) but I never did get to play it.  I must say the holes I could see intrigued the hell out of me.  Our condo was right across from a shortish par three that had a fortress/volcano green that looked exceedingly cool... and then across the lake was what looked like a short par four, capish with the green jutting out into the lake...

Maybe I don't want to know much about it.  Regrets aren't a good thing.

TH

[Evan Fleisher]

TH,

For its target market I felt the couse a bit penal and over the top (that being a resort-type course)...mostly because of the forced carries off many tees, severely undulating greens, and steep and deep bunkering.

But...I do happen to like Smyers style overall and I believe they took a ho-hum course  and made it at least more memorable and something to talk about.

Not everything fit my eye there, and I'd certainly like to take another crack at it...but my overall impression is that there are probably many love/hate opinions on the place and littlebin between.  Kind of like some of Strantz's work.

[JeffTodd]

Is that the old International Golf Club?

[Joe Andriole]

It is the old International course.  I think that Smyers inherited a mundane routing on a crummy piece of land and created something quite interesting and enjoyable.  The green complexes are very good and the guts of the course.  Considering the relative short length of the course they are not severe.

[A_Clay_Man]

I can reiterate Joe's sentiments. However, there are still some blind water hazards, but Huck, you need not worry about them, they are nowhere near the center of the fairway.

The course was enjoyable and truely only due to the Smeyers work. I do recall a short par four, maybe around the 14th hole, that was a real head scratcher (a good thing). Multi-option personified.

[Brad Klein]

The idea of finding myself in agreement with Dr. Andriole is terrifying enough, but to be of similar opinion with Adam Clayman, as well: that's a lot to have to answer for.

Smyers worked wonders with a very mediocre, real-estate bound routing he inherited. If you play from the correct set of tees (attention, Adam Clayman) the water hazards aren't blind, and there is enough room on the fairways to play your drive away from the dominant hazards. It only gets cramped at the parallel, dogleg left par-4th 9th and 18th holes; and on the tee shot at the long par-5 11th, where wetlands intrude to the point of strangling the landing area. Otherwise, there's plenty of room, and the short, par-4 seventh, with bunkers scattered throughout the multiple landing areas, is about the coolest, most strategic  such nearly driveable hole you'll find in Florida.

[A_Clay_Man]

Brad, I musta played it backwards. And don't worry, you don't have to answer for IT, you just have to deal.

[JeffTodd]

Did Smyers do anything to try and differentiate #8 from #17, and #9 from #18? It's been about five years since I played the course, but I recall that the closing holes on each nine played parallel to each other, and they mirrored each other in a rather repetitive way.

[Pete Buczkowski]

I've played this course a few times since its so close to my house.  The first time I played with Evan and found the company to be much better than the course.  Now I keep going back to see what all the GolfWeek guys like so much.  I just can't see the allure...sure the greens are very undulating but does that make up for all of its shortcomings?  I play Southern Dunes 9-1 over Grande Pines, and that 1 is so I can get in a quick round close to home.

The start is too much for me to overcome: holes 1-3 are extremely tight with wetlands on both sides.  Pretty much typical FL golf but with severe greens.  Better hit the fairway on 3, which is very narrow at the ideal layup zone around 110-150 yards out.  There are some good holes out there (7&11 are very fun holes), but there is just too much that I don't like.  And, its hell on my wife with that deep bunkering around the elevated greens.  

8 & 17 are still pretty similar, except the greens are wildly different - back right pin on 17 requires a very demanding shot.  9 & 18 don't do much for me either, with the exception of the greens which may be the two most interesting on the course.  

I do like Smyers work but its not fair to give the course a pass b/c the land is awful.  I have no doubt that its much better than the original (I did not see it) - but let's be honest - Doak 4 at best due to the land and tight routing.  I could go on but its time to finish packing.

Pete

[Jfaspen]

I agree with Pete re: Southern Dunes.  

I spent a week there with my family last August and I agree that the holes visible from the condo properties are intriguing.  Amongst the holes I remember that you could not see from the property/road was a shortish left to right par 4 with a DEEP bunker guarding the left side of the fairway.  
The wind when I was there made the course very difficult given the  numerosity and depth of the bunkers.  It was decent for a resort course, but overall, I felt Southern Dunes was a better value and experience.

Tom, Was Paul still manning the poolside bar?

Jeff

[HamiltonBHearst]

Tom H

I thought you were a rater?  You spent a week next to a course that a lot of golfweek guys admire and you couldn't take the time to do better than a glance form a condo window?  Must not be one of those logoed courses we all admire.

[redanman]

First rate effort with a crap site and pre-existing corridors.  

If you don't like the short game, stay home, if you do you will be in pig heaven.  I've heard very wide opinions, universally related to the possesion of imagination and putting skills on the part of the opiner.  Personally, I thought it was very well done.

[Tom Huckaby]

Thanks for the info, guys.  Sounds like I kinda missed something, but I don't have any huge regrets.

Hamilton - I was with my family and my sister's family, going to theme parks and doing other family-related things every day.  Not that I have to answer to you, but that took priority over playing golf.

TH