You must NOT leave Orlando without Playing....

[78Staff]

[quote name='Ghost_Orchid' timestamp='1359179166' post='6301159']
I'm heading to Orlando in a couple of weeks, Osprey Ridge is on my list. So if Panther Lakes and Crooked Cat and I'm currently trying to decide it TPC Sawgrass is worth it. Planning of at least 2 more courses.
[/quote]

TPC Sawgrass is one of those... "I played it..." courses. Everybody should play it once if they can. That being said, it's heavily overprices IMO. Being local I've played it about a doz times I guess, and really have no desire to play it at full price, which I think is north of $300. But, find a deal, a package, etc and it starts to look better. For me, $125 is about what I like to pay for it, no more.

Sawgrass CC across the street is a much nicer course I believe, just doesn't have the TV hype. You'll need a reciprocal to get on though. Plantation at Ponte Vedra as well, I'd pick either over TPC for course layout and condition. [size=4]If you just want to play a nice course "on the way down" to Orlando, I'd suggest Red Tail or Palenica, or the LPGA Intl courses.[/size]

Panther and CC... Panther is cool, CC is just ok. But if you are going/staying there might as well play both. Check out Sabram's info and site, he has a lot of good info I always read up on it before heading down to magic town... For something different you can try the New Course at Cypress, it was a blast to play. Or head down to Polk county and hit up Streamsong, for that matter...

[Darren A]

Very excited! Coming down to Orlando in March and playing osprey. Any suggestions for where to get proV's cheap in Orlando? Or online? And where are the best golf stores in Orlando? Thx

[FLGOLFJUNKIE]

Stop by edwin watts, good selection of clubs, clothes and balls. Dont' waste your time in any of the "Outlets" and I would definitely get your balls before you come. You'll love it!

[78Staff]

Yeah, Turkey Lake Edwin Watts is a nice store. The Edwin Watts "Outlet" is just across the expressway basically but don't waste your time there, just to to Turkey Lake. If you want to look at some older stuff, There's a store called "SpecialTee Golf" on Intl where you can find some diamonds in the rough as well...

[Darren A]

Cool, thanks guys. Are balls not well priced down there?

[TitleistJunky80]

[quote name='Darren A' timestamp='1360414643' post='6393413']
Cool, thanks guys. Are balls not well priced down there?
[/quote]

Really, about the same as anywhere else I would imagine. I was in Dick's Sporting Goods on Thursday morning. They have the 2013 ProV's for $47.99!!!!!! The week before they had the 2012's for $39.99, which is great price.

[golfnhack]

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. MUCH better options for the money if you are not a local. Here was the write up I posted yesterday.



I played this course for the first time in 5 years.  Back then, it was Disney's 2nd best course, behind the Eagle Pines course. Well, Disney decided to destroy Eagle Pines, and sold it to Four Season to turn into a hotel.

Well I *thought* Osprey would now become the best course. I was SHOCKED to see what Disney has done. The 4 Seasons hotel now consumes the old 18th finishing hole on Osprey. This means that Osprey now finishes with a 210 yard par 3. You then drive 700 yards down a dirt make shift path back to the clubhouse. So that is 17 holes. Rather than create a new hole, #1 is now the first hole on the old Eagle Pines course. I.e you drive left of the range, play #1, the drive about 1500 yards (once again on a sloppy dirt road hacked into the rough) back to the old Osprey #1 which is now #2.

Did I mention that #1 is a Pete Dye design with a tricked up green and Dye bunkers while the rest if the course is a typical FL course?

I am shocked that with all Disney's money they did such a hack job. The range runs parallel to #2 (old 1). They could have build a proper hole and changed the
#1 to be the range.

Not only that but the Fairways and greens were not overseeded. The rough was and so were the tees.

I live here, and won't be playing there again. I think for tourists it is close to $100 to play there. If you are going to Orlando there are soooooo many better options than this hack job. AVOID!

[FLGOLFJUNKIE]

golfnhack...You obviously were so turned off by the fact that, yes there are only 17 holes of the original OR course, and #1 is now an old Eagle Pines course, that you didn't get to enjoy the rest of the course. This course is FAR from a hack job in my opinion and it's in better shape than many other courses around the area (I play 2-3 times a week). There is an inconvenience there with having to drive 1500ish yards to the "2nd" hole and 700 yards to the clubhouse, but that is just personal preference, it didn't bother me one bit.

[sabram]

[quote name='FLGOLFJUNKIE' timestamp='1360521191' post='6400333']
golfnhack...You obviously were so turned off by the fact that, yes there are only 17 holes of the original OR course, and #1 is now an old Eagle Pines course, that you didn't get to enjoy the rest of the course. This course is FAR from a hack job in my opinion and it's in better shape than many other courses around the area (I play 2-3 times a week). There is an inconvenience there with having to drive 1500ish yards to the "2nd" hole and 700 yards to the clubhouse, but that is just personal preference, it didn't bother me one bit.
[/quote]

+1

[golfnhack]

It's $165 to play or a nonresident on Saturdays. $165!!!! Waldorf Astoria. Ritz Carlton, champions Gate (both courses) , orange county national (both courses). Southern Dunes. falcons fire. Grand Cypress. All great tracks in that area that are in WAY better shape, and cheaper than $165 on Golfnow for prime tee times

[cbehan]

[quote name='golfnhack' timestamp='1360530875' post='6401205']
It's $165 to play or a nonresident on Saturdays. $165!!!! Waldorf Astoria. Ritz Carlton, champions Gate (both courses) , orange county national (both courses). Southern Dunes. falcons fire. Grand Cypress. All great tracks in that area that are in WAY better shape, and cheaper than $165 on Golfnow for prime tee times
[/quote]

I, for one, find it shocking that something Disney-related would cost more money.





Don't like the price? OK. That's fine. There will almost always be better values if you take the "Disney" away from it.

It's still a solid track, even with the temp hole.



As far as the original purpose of this thread: Play Streamsong.

[FLGOLFJUNKIE]

Or you could PM me, and get in for $45 bucks LOL

[golfnhack]

I paid $45. Looks like we both know someone who works at Disney. Trust me, if I had paid $165 to play that course I would have demanded my money back.

[MizunoMan37]

[quote name='FLGOLFJUNKIE' timestamp='1360642047' post='6411281']
Or you could PM me, and get in for $45 bucks LOL
[/quote]

I'm in Orlando at least 2 weekends a month with the wifey. We have annual passes to all the theme parks/water parks...though I haven't played a Disney course in a few years. I'd definitely like to take you up on this offer at some point! How do Sundays look for you?!

[FLGOLFJUNKIE]

Yes, but again I wouldn't pay $165 for any course in the Orlando area. It would have to be a Pebble Beach any of the TPC courses, bandon dunes, etc.

MizunoMan Sundays are a no go for me. PM me if you can do a weekday.

[jnier75]

[quote name='FLGOLFJUNKIE' timestamp='1360674995' post='6412233']
Yes, but again I wouldn't pay $165 for any course in the Orlando area. It would have to be a Pebble Beach any of the TPC courses, bandon dunes, etc.
[/quote]

Agree with this 100%. If you're paying over $100 at ANY Orlando course, you're getting ripped off big time. Disney offers good discounts to annual passholders, resort guests and twilight rates so no one has to pay that ridiculous rack rate. Quite frankly, I've never played with someone who has.

[golfnhack]

[quote name='FLGOLFJUNKIE' timestamp='1360674995' post='6412233']
Yes, but again I wouldn't pay $165 for any course in the Orlando area. It would have to be a Pebble Beach any of the TPC courses, bandon dunes, etc.

MizunoMan Sundays are a no go for me. PM me if you can do a weekday.
[/quote]

+1

[mckennwa]

I'm an out of towner coming to Orlando Saturday, are there any tips or tricks for getting a good rate other than knowing a Disney employee? We want to play 36 some days, so that hampers its. All I have so far is one day of unlimited golf at Grand Pines for $90. Thanks.

[golfnhack]

[quote name='mckennwa' timestamp='1360680670' post='6412773']
I'm an out of towner coming to Orlando Saturday, are there any tips or tricks for getting a good rate other than knowing a Disney employee? We want to play 36 some days, so that hampers its. All I have so far is one day of unlimited golf at Grand Pines for $90. Thanks.
[/quote]

Well... that depends. Do you have transport, or are you relying on the hotel to transport you? Do you use golfnow? Are you willing to travel an hour?

[mckennwa]

I have a car, am willing to travel up to an hour, and also am a frequent user of GolfNow, EzLinks, etc.

[golfnhack]

[quote name='mckennwa' timestamp='1360686362' post='6413509']
I have a car, am willing to travel up to an hour, and also am a frequent user of GolfNow, EzLinks, etc.
[/quote]

Well that makes things easy then.

#1 Rule... avoid all the attraction course, i.e. anything listed under "FL-Orlando Attractions" section on GolfNow. You will not find a morning tee time for under $100, and the course are not worth it. Since you are willing to travel an hour, you have MUCH better options

1) Eagle Creek. You can play for about $55 including range balls and lunch. Good deal.
2) Redtail Golf Club. A drive I know (about 1hr), but a great track. Once again. $39 will get you golf and lunch. Replay rate is about $16.... A BARGAIN for that course.
3) Victoria Hills. A NON-typical FL course. Will take about 1 1/4 hours. More like a Carolinas course with pine trees, elevation etc. You can get on for $29 during the week. While you are down there, you may as well play the Deltona Club for $19 in the afternoon. They did not overseed their fairways, but the greens and tees are. One of the best layouts in all of FL. Voted #12 in the state for layout. It is only 1 exit from Victoria Hills
4) Mission Inn (Las Colinas/El Campion) 2 courses. You can play either for $49 (I have see $35 for hot deals). Not sure what the replay is, but call them.
5) Mystic dunes. I know I am going against rule #1, but you can find a hotdeal for about $79. You either love of hate this course. They have buried some elephants under some greens
6) Stoneybrook West. Ok, against rule #1 again, but you can play there for $36, and I bet the replay rate is cheap too. They overseed, so conditions should be good.
7) Falcons Fire. Ok, against rule #1 again. Only play it if you can find a Hot Deal for under $70.

Those are my choices.




Normally I would also suggest WorldWoods, but they are $148 for both courses, and at that price, I would not make the drive. It would be about 1 1/2-2 hours.

[Yosef]

I'm down in Orlando about once a year visiting family that doesn't play golf, so FLGOLFJUNKIE I will be in touch next time I head that way!

[jnier75]

[quote name='mckennwa' timestamp='1360680670' post='6412773']
I'm an out of towner coming to Orlando Saturday, are there any tips or tricks for getting a good rate other than knowing a Disney employee? We want to play 36 some days, so that hampers its. All I have so far is one day of unlimited golf at Grand Pines for $90. Thanks.
[/quote]

Check out Celebration Golf Club on Golfnow or call them. They have been running great all you can play deals for 80 or less. Course is always in great shape.

If you're specifically looking for Disney and do not have a pass or staying on property, Disney's golf website now offers last minute tee times on their reservations page that provides decent value, 90 for morning, 65 after 2. You can check that a few days out. Last year Disney was offering all you can play specials on certain holidays like July 4th. You could try calling them to see if they're doing anything for president's day.

[FLGOLFJUNKIE]

Play dumb, book as a resident, they NEVER ask for ID. Just ask what the best rate they have no matter what course you're playing. If they're not busy, they'll do whatever they can to get you out there.

[TitleistJunky80]

[quote name='FLGOLFJUNKIE' timestamp='1360714251' post='6416529']
Play dumb, book as a resident, they NEVER ask for ID. Just ask what the best rate they have no matter what course you're playing. If they're not busy, they'll do whatever they can to get you out there.
[/quote]

^^This^^

Celebration has been running some good email club specials. $49.00 with lunch and $39 Gift Cert. to return. They are off and on, but really a great deal as Celebration is a great course.

If you are looking for a place to stay and play and get a good amount of golf in, check out Reunion. It can be really pricey, but if you go at the right time it can be a great value. Villas and Houses to rent with a group. Very nice hotel and there are 3 course, Palmer, Watson, and Nicklaus. Just so you know, they say Watson must have been pissed at his wife when he designed that course cause it's a b****.

Independence is usually a great value and a fun track. Greens run really true, but can sometimes be a little slow. There have been days the course plays fantastic and days that it's...eh. Either way it is usually between $35-$55 so you can't go wrong with that in the attractions area.

If you don'd mind taking a little drive, Harmony is a gem. Its way out east of Kissimmee/Orlando attractions, but has always been worth it. In the summer you can usually get on for $30-$40 and this course has always been immaculate when I have played there. Great customer service and great course.

[JMoss1980]

FLGolf, I live in Kissimmee and play Disney twice or 3x a week (after 2:00 cause it's cheapfor me)

I'm down to play anytime, PM me and I'll get you my contact info

[Arizonalefty59]

Bump

Got word I'm headed to Disney again from January 4th through the 14th, staying at our timeshare (Grande Vista). Would love to play a Disney course at least once, I know it's far out but let me know if anyone wants to join. Hopefully flgolfjunkie still has that connect

[golfnhack]

[quote name='FLGOLFJUNKIE' timestamp='1360714251' post='6416529']
Play dumb, book as a resident, they NEVER ask for ID. Just ask what the best rate they have no matter what course you're playing. If they're not busy, they'll do whatever they can to get you out there.
[/quote]

Orange County National will ask for it.

[HitTheStick]

Another big fan of Osprey Ridge. Definitely not worth $165, but one of my favorites nonetheless. Curious what will happen to the green fees when the [url="http://www.hotelintel.com/new-hotels-in-orlando/"]Four Seasons Orlando[/url] takes it over. I'm guessing they will have some golf packages that will still make it a pretty good value given how much good golf is in the area.

[jnier75]

As it has been mentioned before in this thread Osprey Ridge has been purchased by the 4 Seasons hotel being built next door to the property. Yesterday, August 11th, was the last day the course was owned by Disney and operated by APM. The course will now be shuttered for a reported 1.5 years for renovations and rebranding to the 4 Seasons and Golden Oak properties. I was lucky enough to grab a tee time in the morning to play it one last time under the current regime.

It was an interesting round and slow even by Disney standards at 6 hours. There was a 32 person outing ahead of my 4some that treated their round like the major championship being played 1200 miles north of us, grinding over putts and taking a long time on the greens. Eventually pace picked up by the 8th hole when a long par 5 starts and provides a natural spacer. On the first tee we were warned that people had been taking souvenirs, namely the tee markers, and that we can tee off wherever we would like on the tee box of our choosing. The starter was not joking after hole 2 there was not a single tee marker on the course. It became apparent throughout the round that the grounds crew were plenty aware the course would be closed for a while, there were ball marks everywhere on the greens and the rough was a lot longer then usual, but I still found myself saying this is better conditioned then my club at home. As for my aspirations to play really well in some vain attempt to commemorate the day, it was a mixed bag due to the slow pace throwing off my rhythm but I did card two birdies, tied my best score for the course and finally reached 17 in two(still bogeyed it though).

All in all it was a memorable day and I hope that 4 seasons has a great plan to restore the course. If they put half the money into conditions and upkeep as Waldorf Astoria I believe it'd be many golfers favorite track in Orlando.

A few pics I took before pace picked up and I forgot about my camera.
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Golden Oak mansions that are being built along #8:
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