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Back Nine Uphill Challenge on Sweetwater Golf & Country Club, Apopka, FL

11/25/2013

I thought Sweetwater Golf & Country Club's golf course was going to be easy to play until I reached hole 10. This is not to say that the front nine holes lack challenge.

The Sweetwater Golf & Country Club in Apopka, FL is friendly to visitors. The golf clubhouse is split between several buildings--the snack shop for instance shares quarters with the pool crowd. Dining at the snack shop is very good, I liked the turkey sandwich just fine. There's a separate place for the pro shop and another place for dinner dining. We didn't get golf cart service but they provide drinks vending machines at the bathrooms halfway along each nine.

The golf photograph above is about half of hole number ten. The hole travels uphill through the trees and when you get to the top, you find the lake and the hole curving around it to the left. This hole is pretty tricky since the side hill lie tends to want to put your golf ball in the water as does any roll.

The golf photograph to the left shows one of the tricky par 3's on Sweetwater Golf & Country Club. Three of the par three's require a drive over 150 yards, including this one that has a deep gully and pond. Other challenges on the golf course include a sand trap hidden in front of one green, another long sandtrap beyond a tree that allows golfers to shorten the distance to the green.

This golf club is pretty lively with many events, an upcoming Thanksgiving Day buffet, and a long time on the golf course--5+ hours for our round.

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Deltona Club Offers Golf without Water Hazards

11/13/2013

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The Deltona Club in Deltona, Florida, offers an unexpected golf course in Florida, one that has no water hazards.

So will you find a golf course with enough challenge?

The answer is of course, it's a golf course.
The best part of the Deltona Club golf course was starting off on the number ten tee and ending up on the number nine green. Why? Because after a tough round, I got to play an easy par 4 followed by this par three in the golf photograph.

The hole shown above shows the sense of humor that the golf course architect had in creating the Deltona Club golf course. Sand is used to save costs and to make it very difficult to do anything but land on the green.

Other golf course challenges at Deltona Club includes holes that climb uphill, downhill, very substantial doglegs including one surprise hole that wasn't right in front of us but off to the right.

The best way to handle Deltona Golf Club is to use plenty of sun protection, pick the right club for the distance to avoid trouble and to use a firm but dug in attack out of the sand trap if you do get into one. Check out Amateur Golfer Benefits to Phil Mickleson's Secrets of the Short game for more help.

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Deer Island Country Club Sits in the Middle of Lakes in Tavares, Florida

10/8/2013

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My husband and I played golf at Deer Island Country Club in Tavares, Florida, just after record winds had knocked many trees down on the course and the golf course staff were busy removing all the debris.

We still had a wonderfully pleasant golf outing, despite a few lurking clouds. The golf course is in supreme condition and is lovely for many, many reasons.

Deer Island Country Club has many bridges that golfers cross as they travel along the course since the course has water on both sides of the fairway in many places and is sitting in the midst of several lakes. Several holes require golfers to drive over a creek or pond.

Water is not the only hazards to watch out for on Deer Island Country Club. The many sculpted sand traps over additional hazards on the course. The lovely sand trap on the left of this golf photograph has a nice ridge making a chip onto the green much more difficult.

The toughest par three hole required you to land on the green or else. It takes a straight accurately selected golf club to make your shot. The course is one of the most fun I've played.

The food at the Deer Island Country Club is also really good and the staff is really friendly. Expect to find bathrooms halfway through each nine and at the clubhouse.

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Great Golf and Maybe a Condo near Disney at Eagle Creek Golf Club, Orlando, Florida

5/31/2013

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This photograph taken of the eighteenth hole at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida shows way a golf game here can be a delight and challenge. They are one of the nicest courses near to Disney that you can find. They even have condos--I'm not sure if they rent them or not.

The keyword about this golf course is sand trap. It's an easier course to play then many of this quality, 4.5 star rating from Golf Digest because of the wide fairways. But the sand traps can make it less easy since they are strategically placed around the greens and at the usual driving distance where a slice or hook can land you into trouble.

Here's a close up of one of the worst sort of sand traps--it's not really filled with sand, instead its just a deep pit on rocky soil. There are regular sand traps, some even this deep, these little pits will test anyone's chipping skill.

Homes are being built on the back nine of the golf course. I assume this course may go private eventually. Right now its open to the public.

The food at the Belfry Restaurant is really tasty--I had a bacon, turkey, apple sandwich that was unusual and tasty--it normally also comes with carmelized onions and cheese which I don't do, but I expect some would find it really wonderful. Eagle Creek currently (5/31/2013) have a golf and lunch special, click here to find out more.

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Water Hazards in the Game of Golf

5/2/2013

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There are a number of hazards in the game of golf that help to increase the challenge of the game. Some of these hazards are natural, some of them are constructed to look natural as in the photograph to the left taken at Walkabout Golf Course in Mims, Florida. This raised green sits in a place surrounded by water hazards. A water hazard is a hazard because it is very difficult to get your ball out of the water with a typical golf shot, pulling it out of the water requires the payment of a stroke. Sometimes the penalty is the loss of the ball entirely. The Top Rated Golf Courses with the Most Water Hazards is a handy guide to finding out how to challenge your golf skills playing courses with water hazards. Other hazards include man made obstacles, sand hazards, bunkers, moguls, rough grass, trees and woods.

Water hazards are often marked with a red stake as in this golf picture to the left, taken at Providence Golf Club in Davenport, Florida. If your ball falls in a water hazard, you take a drop, one club's length from the marker line. If a water hazard is not marked with a red stake, or a red chalk or paint line, the rule is to take the drop from the top of the bunker where the ball went in. Many water hazards are sloped sharply to provide a deeper water catchment to keep water off the golf course. Some, like this particular spot, seem hidden to golfers during play, due to curvature of the slope or indentures near the green. It helps to check the golf card or the hole post to see a diagram of the hole so that you know what is coming.

Sometimes water hazards are constructed as barriers between the fairway stretches or the green as seen in the photograph to the left taken at Black Bear Golf Club in Eustis, Florida. The barrier here is formed by a lake.
If your ball falls into such a water hazard, the golf course typically has a ball drop marked on the far side, where you take your next stroke. Sometimes the distance needed to be covered exceeds the ability of the player--this is the main reason for the ball drops.

Water hazards can be made by lakes, streams, rivers, ocean, ponds, swamps. In areas in the Southeast United States, use a ball retriever to fetch a ball in the water due to American Alligators and Cottonmouth snakes.

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How to Play the Toughest Holes at Walkabout Golf Course, Mims, FL

3/31/2013

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Walkabout Golf & Country Club in Mims, FL is a fairly low key place--seating for the dining room is in a screened outdoor area with comfortable seats. The price is reasonable for a round and golf cart.

The Walkabout Golf Course is currently in excellent shape with green lush fairways. The mid-nine restrooms come awfully early after the third hole and thirteenth hole. It makes the last six a bit pressured. That's the information. It has two great to play holes that bring fear to the heart of first timers. Here's just a bit of advice to prepare you for playing here.

One thing you should plan on this course is to play your club that goes straight, otherwise you will likely end up in one of the lakes or woods. Even then, you might end up in a trap. The women's tees make for a short but tough round.

From the sixteenth tee, it looks like all there is is one giant sand trap right in front of your nose. It's night quite true.

Driving to a point just left of the monster trap shown here (about 140 yards for women, 180 for men), will set you up for a easy second shot to the green. After your drive, you can actually see the flag from either side of this mound. You aren't entirely safe, there's lots of water on the left and the green is quite small. I used a seven-wood for another 120 yards, then a small chip to the green. Play it safe but don't get scared by this monster trap.

The eighteenth hole has a creek that you can't see from the tee box, so make sure you have loft on your drive because a low ball ( worm burner ) that bounces down the course will get caught. You have over 150 yards from the women's tee and over 180 yards from the men's tee before running into the river, seen just before the tree. The river is quite wide (thirty feet) so your next hit needs to go up two clubs to the green and over at least 80 yards. I drove (140 yards) then chipped closer to the river (30 yards) before using a seven wood to go another (100+ yards). I still needed to chip onto the green. Near the river is quite wide, but from the tee, you're quite narrow. Choose your straightest, longest drive, the move as close as you can to the river, you'll need it. The 150-yard distance marker is back 50 yards from the river's edge so a five wood (140 yards for me) might not make the river. It's best to plan ahead otherwise you'll pay extra strokes for losing your ball.

If you play Walkabout Golf & Country Club golf course, plan on a good challenging round, average food, and a friendly crowd.

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Pros and Cons of Popular Golf Visors for Women

11/27/2012

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Golf visors are an impulse buy at the Country Club Pro Shop by women who discover their previous golf visor lost, dirtied, or broken. Pro shops and golf stores sell three main types of golf visors along with golf caps and hats. So which should you buy and why?

Low Weight Golf Visor with an Elastic Band

This golf visor tends to be my favorite since it messes up my hair less, is lightweight, and is often the least expensive. They often come in colorful designs and patterns. The downside of is that they are easily smashed out of shape and the white cushion fabric dirties easily.

Head Band Golf Visor

Headband golf visors are more durable and often are sold by the makers of famous golf apparel and golf equipment like Titleist and Ping. The heavy headband can be tight on your head and often heavy. They are more durable than those with an elastic band, but the headband can crack if you place something like golf clubs on top of it. Colors also tend to be more muted.

Cap Style Velcro Closed Golf Visor

Cap style Velcro closed golf visors have a Velcro cloth tab that fits through a loop and tightens to your head size. The upside of this style is it adjusts to your head size with ease and a few pulled hair strands that might catch and give you and ouch. The cloth often has a hole like a baseball cap where you can feed a ponytail through, allowing your hairdo to look neat. The downside is it can be difficult to fit perfectly and every time you put it on it has to be adjusted. Most men’s style golf visors are of this type.

How To Select the Best Visor?

Typically, this is a matter of buy the only type in stock at the pro shop because any visor is better than none at keeping the sun off of your face, helping to avoid skin cancer and aiding your concentration and ability to see.

Choose the visor that matches the majority of your golf outfits.

If you use a marker on your visor, the headband style and cap style tend to be more rigid.

If you have long hair, the cap style may allow you to pull the heavy hair off of your neck.

If you travel a lot, the elastic band style packs easiest.

P.S. Sunblock is still needed even if you where a golf visor to protect your eyes and face.

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Back Nine Uphill Challenge on Sweetwater Golf & Country Club, Apopka, FL

Deltona Club Offers Golf without Water Hazards

Deer Island Country Club Sits in the Middle of Lakes in Tavares, Florida

Great Golf and Maybe a Condo near Disney at Eagle Creek Golf Club, Orlando, Florida

Water Hazards in the Game of Golf

How to Play the Toughest Holes at Walkabout Golf Course, Mims, FL

Pros and Cons of Popular Golf Visors for Women

Sheri Fresonke Harper

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