Orlando Golf Trip Oct 2016

highbomb32 · December 1, 2015

Hey guys, was looking for some feedback on what you guys thought about the courses we are looking at playing while we're down there. Looking at booking this through teetimesusa.com. Take a look and let me know what you think, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Day 1

- Celebration - 7:30 am

- Falcon Fire - 2:00 pm

Day 2

- The Golden Bear Club - 7:30 am

- Tranquilo Golf Club - 2:00 pm

Day 3

- Shingle Creek

Day 4

- OCN - Crooked Cat 7:30 am

- OCN - Panther Lake 2:00 pm

Day 5

- Waldorf Astoria Course

Day 6

- Grand Cypress New - 7:30 am

- Grand Cypress N/S/E - 2:00 pm

Staying at the Best Western Premier Saratoga Resorts as of now. There's four of us. Wondering if anyone has stayed there and what their thoughts are on the place. Curious if there would be somewhere better to stay in the same area.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

RichieHunt · December 2, 2015

[quote name='highbomb32' timestamp='1449001070' post='12668202']
Hey guys, was looking for some feedback on what you guys thought about the courses we are looking at playing while we're down there. Looking at booking this through teetimesusa.com. Take a look and let me know what you think, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Day 1
- Celebration - 7:30 am
- Falcon Fire - 2:00 pm

Day 2
- The Golden Bear Club - 7:30 am
- Tranquilo Golf Club - 2:00 pm

Day 3
- Shingle Creek

Day 4
- OCN - Crooked Cat 7:30 am
- OCN - Panther Lake 2:00 pm

Day 5
- Waldorf Astoria Course

Day 6
- Grand Cypress New - 7:30 am
- Grand Cypress N/S/E - 2:00 pm

Staying at the Best Western Premier Saratoga Resorts as of now. There's four of us. Wondering if anyone has stayed there and what their thoughts are on the place. Curious if there would be somewhere better to stay in the same area.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
[/quote]

I don't know about the Best Western since I live here and don't use hotels. I have used TeeTimesUSA and generally they've been very good and helpful. If you are booked now, I'm sure things will run smoothly.

October is generally the best month of weather here. It was a little hot this October, but I would still say it is good weather nonetheless.

[b]Celebration - [/b]Robert Trent Jones inspired design. At this time of year it should be in excellent condition. I'm not a big fan of the front nine, but I like the back nine more. If it rains, even a little, expect to be cart path only. I've had issues in the past with the service and I'm the least pickiest person and most accommodating to employees you will find having worked on golf courses for years. But sometimes, Celebration is just very bad with customer service.

[b]Falcons Fire[/b] - Rees Jones course right down the road from Celebration. Generally in very good shape and I like the course. Overall, I like the layout a little more than Celebration because of the quirky front 9 at Celebration. However, if you book this on a Friday or weekend, you're going to hear helicopter rides going off...literally...every 5-10 minutes. Makes me want to get into the helicopter ride business. Pace of play can be pathetically slow here as well. I would try to book this on Monday-Thursday if you can. And stop over to downtown Celebration afterwards for drinks and food. I think you'll like it.

[b]Golden Bear Club and Tranquilo -[/b] Never played either. Heard good things about both.

[b]Shingle Creek -[/b] I had heard a rumor that they were shutting down and doing a re-design. Don't know if the rumor was true. This is part of the Rosen Hotel resort and you'll see hotel guests walking or jogging thru. They don't bother any golfers though. You will also have to do valet parking, so be prepared for it.

I like the course. To me, it's a pretty easy course. To others, they tell me it's hard. I think it just fits my eye. Don't pull out driver on #9.

Course should be in fantastic shape. Sometimes they have the best greens in the area. I think it's a bit overpriced, but if you want to be treated well on a nice design that is in great condition, then this is the course for you.

[b]OCN - [/b]You might be hard pressed to get in 36 holes here. The courses are usually packed because they have a ton of outings going on. You will probably like Panther Lake more than Crooked Cat, but I like both courses. You will probably get lost on Panther Lake on the 3rd hole because everybody does trying to figure out what tee to hit from.

It's not a stretch to say that in the winter, this could very well be the best conditioned public course in Orlando. It's out in the middle of nowhere as well. And take a gander over to the largest driving range in North America.

[b]Waldorf Astoria - [/b]Rees Jones design that is one of my favorites in the area. Located next to Disney. They roll out the red carpet for you and the course should be in immaculate shape. Not an easy course by any means, but more than fair. Again, one of my faves.

[b]Grand Cypress - [/b]Great facility and they treat you well. I like the New Course, but many don't. The new course is a links style design. If it's not windy, then the course is a piece of cake. I just think it's a nice change of pace and even though it's not a true links style design, I don't get in a fit over it. It's just fun to play.

I've played 2 of the N/S/E courses, but I can't remember which ones. I actually liked it, but the play was slow and it was hot out and I was getting severely dehydrated.

I think in all of this, I would worry about playing 6 days straight of golf with 4 of the days being 36 holes. It can still get hot out in October and it can also rain (which delays or cancels your rounds). Other than that, I think you've picked some excellent courses and that amount of play is certain do-able.

If I were to rank these courses based on all of the factors, I would go:

1. Waldorf Astoria

2. OCN (Panther Lake)

3. Shingle Creek

4. Grand Cypress (new course)

5. Grand Cypress (N/S/E)

6. Falcon's Fire (if played Monday - Thursday)

7. OCN (Crooked Cat)

8. Celebration

Again, I've never played Golden Bear or Tranquilo.

RH

highbomb32 · December 2, 2015

Thanks for all the info, very helpful. I've only played golf in Florida a couple times and it was more than 10 years ago. The guys I'm playing with wanted to play a lot so I tossed in a bunch of 36 hole days. Where would be some good spots to grab some bar food after we finish? How close is the nearest sporting goods store for golf balls?

RichieHunt · December 2, 2015

[quote name='highbomb32' timestamp='1449078770' post='12672036']
Thanks for all the info, very helpful. I've only played golf in Florida a couple times and it was more than 10 years ago. The guys I'm playing with wanted to play a lot so I tossed in a bunch of 36 hole days. Where would be some good spots to grab some bar food after we finish? How close is the nearest sporting goods store for golf balls?
[/quote]

Downtown Celebration is a good place to go for food and drinks if you play Celebration and Falcon's Fire. If you play those courses on say a Tuesday along with downtown Celebration afterwards, I think that's a good day of golf and food/drinks. We often go to the Old Town Tavern in Celebration. It's a New England type of bar with good food and an indoor/outdoor bar.

OCN is out in the middle of nowhere. It's all orange groves. Better off heading into town.

Shingle Creek is out by Universal. Not too far from International Drive where there are plenty of bars and restaurants to be had.

Grand Cypress and Waldorf are more towards Disney where I don't hang out too often. Downtown Celebration is not too far away from those places.

As far as equipment, hit up Turkey Lake Road (right next to International Drive) and you can go to either the PGA Tour Superstore or Golf Galaxy. There's also a Whole Foods there if you want to grab food from there as well. There's also a Graffiti Junktion right next to the PGA Tour Superstore. That's a sports bar. It's a bit hipster-ish for my tastes, but the food there is excellent and that's why I go there. Plenty of TV's as well.

The PGA Tour Superstore there is the best I've seen since the original at Lindbergh station in Atlanta (they shut it down since). Very well organized with a ton of new equipment.

RH

highbomb32 · December 2, 2015

Awesome, thanks for all help. I appreciate the assistance. I like to have an idea of where to go when I head somewhere unfamiliar.

pearls24 · December 3, 2015

We've been doing Orlando through teetimesusa.com for over 5 years. We always stay at the Melia Mona Lisa in Celebration. 2 bedroom suites with 2 king beds and 2 baths, kitchenette and living room area. In Oct with the package I think the hotel is only around $100/night. Has a pool and a restaurant on site. It is within 20 min of almost all of the courses you've listed. We often go to Sand Lake for restaurants such as Rocco's Tacos, Eddie V's if you want to splurge, etc. We've never had any pace of play issues at OCN and both courses are usually in great shape. Greens are never that fast but very true. The Ritz and Tranquillo are both amazing and I also really like Waldorf. I like Grand Cypress as well. Shingle Creek is nice but pace of play is brutal there. Has always been at least a 5+ hr round. I didn't love Celebration but it was in good shape. If you are playing 36 in a day I would try to find the facilities that have them on site as it doesn't leave you a lot of time to eat lunch and then drive to the next course.