Orange County National - Crooked Cat

[Eracer]

Orange County National, in Winter Garden, FL, is home to the Phil Ritson Institute, and hosts Q-school qualifiers every other year. Great facility, with one of the world's largest practice facilities, and 54 holes of golf.

Crooked Cat - the course I played today with ualtim, Sandwedge, and my friend Dan, is a fairly open links-style course, with wide fairways and strategic bunkering. Not an especially difficult course from the tees we played (70.8/126, 6326) but it does present enough of a challenge to be interesting. I can only imagine the challenge from the back tees (76.5/140, 7493). The greens were quite nice, rolling true and not too fast. Not a ton of undulations, but tricky enough with several shelfs on most greens, and some wicked tifdwarf bermuda grain.

It's a nice looking course, out in middle of nowhere. No houses, cars, or roads disrupt your game, and there are several quite picturesque holes, particulalry on the back nine.

We all had a good time, although teeing off at 9:30am did present us with a bit of a problem; it was hot as Hades by about the 10th hole! This is Florida summer golf, and you had better be prepared to sweat. I drank a ton of water, and a towel soaked in the complimentary on-cart cooler was a godsend.

I really wanted to break 90 today, but my usual set of "doh!" shots around the green prevented it. My 91 could have been better, and I did shoot a 43 on the back, with 3 pars, a birdie, and a (cough, cough....) 8. All in all, I was pretty happy with the way I was striking the ball. I hit 9 GIR, which is a definite step up from my usual 2 or 3. The new swing is taking shape. I just need to stay patient and keep practicing from 50 yards in.

(Oh, and my new HiBore XL? Money!)

Sandwedge put on a putting clinic with the Circa 62 I sold him. He was rolling the ball VERY nicely. The last thing he said to me was "it's staying in the bag." No kidding! This was the first time I'd teed it up with him, and I hope to do it again soon. It was a pleasure.

I enjoyed my third get-together with ualtim. He hit some really good shots today, especially with "Jesse!"

"Rodney was a JSD." I'll let him explain that one...

All in all, a fun time was had by all. I hope to get together with these guys soon and take on Panther Lake, which is a tougher course - much tighter fairways, and deep rough. I played that course late last year with Crossfire, and it humbled me a bit. Crooked Cat is much more forgiving. Crooked Cat is a pretty course. But Panther Lake is quite stunning. Anyway, here's a few pics for you:
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Sandwedge on the tee.

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My friend Dan on the same tee.

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Come on Rodney!

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Coming home. The 18th green and the clubhouse.

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Rivalry? What rivalry?

[Wi-Golfer]

Everything is so nice & green down there, the course looks very nice. Mind if I ask how much a course like that costs to play? Around here a crappy course will set you back $15 for 9 holes & nice course will be $60+ with cart for 18. Sorry for the tangental topic shift.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by Wi-Golfer

Everything is so nice & green down there, the course looks very nice. Mind if I ask how much a course like that costs to play? Around here a crappy course will set you back $15 for 9 holes & nice course will be $60+ with cart for 18. Sorry for the tangental topic shift.

Summer rate is $60 for Florida residents, and $47 for Orange County residents. Includes all the range balls you care to hit, along with a cooler filled with ice and bottled water. Rates go up in the fall. They have great stay-and-play packages. Right now they have specials like these:

One Night / Two Rounds of Golf for Only $99pp plus tax /double occupancy

Lodge Package Pricing Includes:
> 1 night lodging
> 2 Rounds of golf on award winning Panther Lake or Crooked Cat
> Pre-Round range balls
> Hot breakfast buffet (in OCN restaurant)
> Daily newspaper
> Use of the OCN practice facilities including 9-hole short course

[zaphod]

Thanks for the review Eracer. Have not golfed in Florida yet but it's on my "to do" list. I here "Bermuda greens break the laws of Physics. The borrow is uphill.

Golf when its -30* here sounds sooooo good.

[ualtim]

I thought I was going to die by the seventh hole. Heat, humidy, and no shade. Nice combo. We started getting a few clouds on the back nine and it did not seem as hot, but the front side was a furnace.

I did come to one conclusion during the round, the R5 TP aka "Rodney" is a driving range driver. While I did have a few good drives with it during the round, once I started to break down I could have really used some more forgiveness. After finding some lateral hazards, I started to use some reverse psychology yelling out for the ball to go into the junk and it appeard to work. I avoided the lateral hazards on the last few holes, but not by much. Somehow, Eracer decided to call it my JSD, "Junk Seeking Driver."

Rodney? I tried to intimidate the R5 TP on the 18th by pulling it aside and giving the old Miller Lite, "All we need is one fairway, Rodney". That did not work either.

The course was great, and amazingly dry considering how wet it has been around here with all the afternoon thunderstorms we have been getting the last monrth and a half. The greens really sped up through out the day as they started to dry out, but they were in good shape and rolled true.

It was a great round with some great shottalkers. I look forward to doing it again.

[Nikonut]

thanks for the post and pics, enjoyed the read!

[sandwedge]

I had a great time out there yesterday. I loved the course and it really was in good shape. It was nice to have a little shottalk get together with you guys. We definitely need to do it again soon.

It really was hot as hell out there. I drank a ton of water and gatorade on the course but still felt pretty dehydrated.

The Circa 62 is staying in the bag as my new gamer. I had one of my better putting days yesterday and felt like I was going to make every putt. Confidence is a great thing on the golf course. I can only find 13 other clubs that I have as much confidence in as the flatstick.

[Crossfire]

Wish I coulda stuck around a few more days to play with you guys. I shall be back in fall, when I can actually make some money in FL.

Looks like a fun time was had, maybe we should get a little trip again sometime?

[ualtim]

I was hoping to get a round in with you, Crossfire, before you left, but I guess we just missed you. If you make your way down here in the fall, I am sure that we can get another outing set up.

[mddubya]

Great review, and it sounds like ya'll had a great time.