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Golf Games at Dubsdread Golf Course

11/17/2014

My husband Bob and I played with the Central Florida Golf Club at Dubsdread Golf Course and found that despite their reputation as the oldest golf club in Orlando, that they offered plenty of the modern conveniences.

Their golf carts feature a GPS system that was very accurate. Every time Bob measured the distance to the flag, he was within 1 or 2 yards of what the Dubsdread GPS system showed. Often we find that GPS systems aren't accurate to the flag, only to the front and/or back of the green. This system also allowed you to enter golfers and track their score so you didn't need to fumble around with your phone or worry about charges or having it short out on you on the distant holes.

Also, in honor of the upcoming Veteran's Day recognition, they offered the chance to win a package of balls and get a discount at the pro shop with charity proceeds dedicated to Wounded Warriors. Bob thought he'd never hit the green so skipped, while I, with only 90 yards to go took the chance. Unfortunately, I had a great drive but hit the apron which was very wet and stopped. I was sure I'd bounce at least a foot forward, but not even an inch was gained.

Dubsdread is in great condition especially the greens. Many homes front the fairways but were set back enough they never came into play.

There is plenty of challenge on the course, especially slopes along water hazards that dump you in. Luckily, the GPS system shows most hazards.
Dining was especially good and popular at the Taproom at Dubsdread. We both had salads--me, fried chicken, Bob a Cobb salad. At first we were told it would be 20 minutes for food service but we were helped quite soon.

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Golf in Baden-Baden, Germany

6/26/2014

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On our recent trip to Germany, we reached the lovely spa town of Baden-Baden and it was incredibly hot, so hot you didn't want to move unless you were perhaps a true German and wouldn't even mind wearing leathers to ride your motorcycle on a 90F+ day.

As I flipped through the hotel's guide to where to find the wonderful parts of town, I spotted an ad for golf. So I said, "Why not?"

My husband agreed, somewhat hesitantly. The price turned out to be about 200 Euros at the local golf course, the Baden-Baden Golf Club but because it was a holiday, and there was a tournament, we would start about 10:00 on the first come first serve schedule.

The hotel got us a taxi who dropped us off at the Pro Shop/Sekretariat, the later served since the Pro Shop was closed due to the holiday. The woman in the office very kindly found us rental golf clubs, sold us golf balls, found us some tees, checked us into a golf cart (most people were walking but it was hilly and extremely hot), and rang us up for it all along with 18 hole fees.

The good news is all those trees offered welcome relief from the heat. The course is rather short and our main challenge from the narrow spots in the course and from rental equipment and from creative use of the hilly terrain.

Many times the hole was out of sight, around a hill, over a creek or below a drop. We had fun and I can say that the small golf club restaurant served good food--Bob had a cold salad, me a Cornish hen.

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How to Play the Lakes Course Designed by P. D. Dye, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

12/16/2013

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Well, for me it was easy because I had a husband who made all the arrangements for staying at the Barcelo Bravo Palace Deluxe Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic including all of our tee times online the internet (the link takes you to their webpage where you can arrange a room and a tee time). That was the first step.

The second step involved getting our golf clubs to the golf course. We took the resort train from the pick up stop at the end of our hotel building (the place is very large) but I think perhaps getting the golf cart first and picking the clubs up in the same spot would have been much easier.

The third step is checking in with the pro shop--lunch is available in the dining room right next door and since our first tee time was late in the afternoon, this mean lunch first was a great choice. The restaurant here has a dubious reputation for being really slow with some of the people we met, but for us it worked out fine. The restaurant didn't open until 12:30 so we had drinks first until they opened. Barcelo Bravo Palace Deluxe is an all inclusive so the beer (Presidente), Coca Cola light, hamburger, roast beef sandwich, and a dessert had we wanted it were provided without charge. The tee time cost us a charge for use of the golf cart. Had we played 5 times instead of three, the cost would have been less but as it was ended up at $40 per person.

Afterwards, we were able to store our golf clubs at the Lakes Golf Course.

The fourth step is choosing the appropriate tee. My husband thought the blue tee distance was about his pace for his first game, the next two were played at the more typical white tee. The reason is on a couple of holes over the water, the distance can be pretty long. My husband had a much happier, less stressful time on the white tees. For women, the red tees play within a usual handicap.

Other hints about playing the course involve the challenges. One of the hallmarks (see photo above) of the Lakes Course at Barcelo Bravo Palace Deluxe are the scenic golf shot lakes especially the number 9 and number 18 hole with their wood braced raised greens.

Play it with the exact right club (the holes play long when faced with wind) with a high arching chip shot.

Another is the hidden greens (see photo to the left). Place your approach shot so that a high, arching chip shot that lands and stops is your best bet.

Another hint is to stay in the center of the course, choose the right distance club to stay out of the lake with any additional roll.

A last warning is to stay out of the sand traps. Many are hidden. You get over one sand trap only to fall in the smaller one hidden behind.

The Barcelo Bravo Palace Deluxe golf course is in excellent condition. We played after heavy rain and found you had to punch the ball hard to get it in the hole on the green and we also had to walk (most of the course was closed via cart path only rules due to soggy turf). Two days later, the greens were fast and driving on the course was allowed. Rain drizzled and was a relief from heat, the heavy rains came at night. Be prepared with sun protection.

Note: WiFi from the Barcelo Bravo Palace Deluxe resort isn't available on the golf course.

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

11/25/2013

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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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Orlando Beach Hopping Visitors Might Like Golf at The Preserve at Turnbull Bay, New Smyrna Beach, FL

11/18/2013

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The clubhouse at the Preserve at Turnbull Bay in New Smyrna Beach, FL is not intimidating. This photo shows the clubhouse from the first tee. Coming into the club, you're met by staff members who help you load your golf clubs into a cart right away.

This photograph shows the challenging second hole, a par 3 across water that isn't as difficult as it may seem. The houses, also, sit well back from the golf course on most holes, so golfers don't need to worry about accidents or a big audience. There are many water hazards on this golf course.

The way to handle the narrow starts on some of the holes is to use a shorter club, anyone that golfers find are easy to hit straight.

The drives over water seldom result in lost balls, unless they roll off from the side.

We found play on this course was crowded so we were glad we had a tee time, especially since we started at about 9:00. Although we often followed the foursome in front of us, play moved well and we easily managed our round in under four hours.

The clubhouse has a small snack bar in the pro shop and we did have cart service. The bathrooms were available about halfway and at the clubhouse. Afterwards, there was plenty of time for lunch at BlackBeards in New Smyrna Beach and a stroll along the beach, too.

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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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Good Price at Older Rolling Hills Golf Club, Longwood, FL

6/26/2013

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The Pro Shop at the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Longwood, Florida looks like it was set up so the pro could take a quick dip after a hot summer round. I think it's rather picturesque. The price right now for a round of golf makes Rolling Hills a good choice for a break from the same-old, same-old round you play weekly at your golf club.

One thing about having a golf course with lots of uphill and downhill like Rolling Hill Golf Club is you're likely to find some surprises, like this hole that drops out below where you can't quite see what is coming. Nice city views make this hole a winner.

And having a creek as well as lakes makes the golfer have to pay attention to how they will make their shots. The bunkers that raise the greens on some of the holes at Rolling Hills Golf Club make landing on the green tough. This hole hops a creek, then doglegs to the side on a raised bunker. If you hit the bunker edge, you fall straight down on the beach or into the lake. Fun course, worth the challenge of playing it. Nice neighborhood.

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Shade is a Welcome Asset at Bay Point Resort Golf Club, Panama City, Florida

5/22/2013

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Bay Point Resort Golf Club Pro Shop

When my husband and I visited Panama City, Florida, we found it quite warm and beautiful and of course had to play golf. Our first game was played at the Bay Point Resort Golf Club (seen in the photograph to the left), the only time available was in the afternoon. Since we moved to Florida, we try to play in the morning because it is cooler. Luckily, Bay Point Resort Golf Club had two advantages that made it wonderful to play.

The pro shop is a small place, but very welcoming and they have pretty nice items for sale. On one hole during our golf game, they offered us a golf deal, bet you'll land on the green and if you win, you get double your money at the pro shop, if you lose, keep 1/2. So my husband and I each bet $5 and we both lost, but we managed to pick up a nice palm tree pineapple marker clip for me and then my husband found a Nike Golf shirt with a pocket so he picked that up.

Shaded Tees on Bay Point Resort Golf Course

But the two advantages I mentioned Bay Point Golf Club had, what are they?

The first is they managed to keep old large live oaks near the tee, so even if you do wait to tee off, you do so in the comfort of considerable shade.

The second advantage that Bay Point Golf Club has is the cool refreshing breeze coming from the ocean. The golf course is along the coast, but except for the parking lot beside the marina, golfers rarely see the ocean.

Favorite Water Hazard Hole at Bay Point Golf Course

This golf photograph shows my favorite hole--it has this lovely lake and bridge (only to leave). The Bay Point Golf course has many water hazards, but most don't interfere with your game as long as you hit the ball straight. Many of the holes are quite narrow.

Luckily, most of the golf carts have a GPS device that explains how far from the hole you are and show a map of the hole so you have advance warning. The Best Golf Courses with the Most Water Hazards may have you traveling all around the US in order to try them out.

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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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Golf Games at Dubsdread Golf Course

Golf in Baden-Baden, Germany

How to Play the Lakes Course Designed by P. D. Dye, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

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

Orlando Beach Hopping Visitors Might Like Golf at The Preserve at Turnbull Bay, New Smyrna Beach, FL

Deltona Club Offers Golf without Water Hazards

Good Price at Older Rolling Hills Golf Club, Longwood, FL

Shade is a Welcome Asset at Bay Point Resort Golf Club, Panama City, Florida

Pros and Cons of Popular Golf Visors for Women

Sheri Fresonke Harper

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