Golf
Getaways
ORLANDO: The quiet side.
by Ed Holbrook
Spending vacation time in Orlando is something my wife and I
haven't done since our kids got old enough to drive themselves to
Disney. Oh yes...we've been there since then...but not to spend any
time and take in the sights and play some golf and do the things
adults do in Orlando. Since our kids left home, we have abandoned
that frantic search for the wild, exciting things of life and now
crave steady doses of peace and quiet.
We found both, in and around Orlando.
The par-3 #7 hole at the
Eagle Pines golf course at Walt Disney World Resort sheds light on
the subtle contours of the low-lying course designed by Pete Dye. ©1997 The Walt Disney Co.
Since this is a golf publication, we'll start with golfing things.
You can take your golf as seriously as you want to in Orlando, with
lots of help from golf schools, golf professionals and the intriguing
camerawork offered by the Callaway Experience. A service of Callaway
Golf and located at Disney's Bonnet Creek Golf Club, the Callaway
Experience is unique in more than one aspect...it's FREE! You MUST,
however, have a reservation, and you get that by calling
1-888-B-BERTHA. During your hour-long session with Callaway's
specially-trained golf professionals, your swing will be analyzed by
a combination of video cameras and computers.
I was asked to hit my own clubs first and then the pro had me hit
the Callaway clubs he felt would be best for me. Granted, this is a
wonderful selling tool for Callaway, but it's performance-based
selling and I found the analysis to be accurate and helpful and the
sales pressure non-existent. I considered this a valuable stop on my
vacation tour.
Two Disney courses were on our itinerary and they offered
completely different scenarios. Disney has 99 holes of golf on six
courses and various vacation packages to allow you to enjoy as much
of those 99 holes as you can handle. These may be resort courses but
don't let that compute to "easy" in your mind. Each one gives every
level of golfer his money's worth.
Our very first Disney course was
Eagle Pines, a
Pete Dye layout over flat terrain dotted with lakes on sixteen of the
holes, and a lot of sand and traditional grass rough. Dye terms the
course "low-profile," meaning it's built on the same level as, or
lower than, the surrounding land.
While I enjoyed Eagle Pines, and especially appreciated the way
Pete Dye used course features to protect the surrounding wetlands and
natural areas, the older
Palm course
offers more variety of terrain, with elevated greens and tees and
plenty of water. The Palm is carved out of dense Florida woods so
it's tight and precise. Speaking of those dense Florida woods,
they're full of raccoons who will come right out and eat your
lunch...literally!
The Palm was one of the first courses built at Disney, opening in
1971. Designed by Joe Lee, it's home to the PGA Tour's Walt Disney
World/Oldsmobile Golf Classic won last year by - who else? - Tiger
Woods. Palm 18 has consistently ranked among the toughest 50 holes on
the PGA Tour.
There's no denying it...Disney is busy at all times of the year,
so in our search for quiet, we looked to the outskirts of Orlando's
busy-ness. We're happy to report that we found wondrous tranquility
both north and south of town in secluded resorts known for golf, good
food and gorgeous surroundings.
Mission Inn
Golf and Tennis Resort is tucked into the central Florida rolling
hills at Howey-in-the-Hills, about 45 minutes from the heart of
Orlando, up the Florida Turnpike. A divine getaway place for adults,
Mission Inn features lodge-type rooms in long wings that border the
fairways of its original course,
El Campeon.
This magnificent example of an old Florida course (complete with
mammoth oaks hung with Spanish moss) dates from 1924 and was designed
by Captain Charles E. Clarke of Troon, Scotland. The fairways follow
the land up and down...around picturesque lakes and leading finally
to the climactic number 17, where you must lay up short of the water
and hit across to the sloping green right in front of the dining room
windows.
Mission Inn is also home to Gary Koch's
Las Colinas
course, marked by Golf Digest as "Best New Resort Course" for 1992.
Golf For Women magazine gave Las Colinas its "Top FairWays" award,
recognizing the course as user-friendly for women.
Located almost the same distance south of Orlando is Grenelefe
Golf and Tennis Resort in Haines City. Grenelefe boasts three golf
courses and its condominium rentals are spread over acres and acres
of Florida woods. Grenelefe is more geared to the whole family,
offering a game room complete with pool tables and video games and an
on-site Pizza Hut, in addition to several restaurants. A fleet of
vans and buses shuttles patrons around spacious grounds.
Grenelefe's courses have hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying School
several times and are often a site for national USGA qualifying
events. Golfweek ranked the West course number one in Florida for six
straight years. The Ken Venturi Golf Academy is here and you may
schedule sessions of varying lengths - from one hour to three days.
The Waterfall is the mark of
the 18th at Diamondback.
Directly across the road from Grenelefe is a new treasure on the
central Florida golf scene and one I highly recommend to you -
Diamondback.
This course is just two and a half years old, but it's maturing
beautifully and will give you an enjoyable workout without being a
killer.
While golf consumed most of our time, we explored some non-golf
options in the Winter Park area - the quiet and genteel side of
Orlando. It's centerpiece is Park Avenue, a tree-shaded street of
quaint shops and restaurants bordered by a park. At the north end
you'll find The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.
The Museum is home to the most comprehensive Tiffany collection in
the world and it goes far beyond Tiffany lamps. Louis Comfort Tiffany
also designed church windows, furniture and jewelry, and viewing it
here provides a fascinating hour.
Treasures from The Imperial Tombs of China will be on exhibition
at the Orlando Museum of Art through September 15.
Designed with windowed alcoves to give the visitor frequent breaks
from the dim museum lighting, this facility offers one of the most
pleasant cultural experiences I've had. And I can't tell you what a
thrill it was to actually see the Terra Cotta Warriors I had read
about and to actually touch bricks from the Great Wall of China.
Winter Park is built around a group of lakes which long ago were
connected by a series of small canals. Winter Park Scenic Boat
Cruises gives you the view from the water and we loved it.
Magnificent homes with gorgeously landscaped lawns grace the water's
edge.
Florida's Citrus Pioneers
are honored with this bronze sculpture at Leu Gardens.
We closed our visit at Harry P. Leu Gardens. This collection of
southern plant life surrounding a palatial educational center is a
non-profit institution showcasing 2,000 plants including the largest
camellia collection in the country. Nestled in the heart of the
gardens is the restored home of Harry Leu which offers a look back at
a Florida homestead, vintage 1930's and 1940's. Don't miss the bronze
sculptures of early Florida citrus pickers in the gardens near the
home.
Leu Gardens certainly capped our quest for peaceful settings. What
could be more restful than to end the day watching the setting sun
from a garden that dips down to a lovely lake?
We have to face reality, though. While it's nice to enjoy "adult"
things, we'll soon be back on the "Themepark Trail"...our little
grandson is six months old and growing fast!
Ed Holbrook is a golf travel connoisseur in his spare time, as
well as by occupation. He is the South Florida Rep for SGH Golf Inc.,
providers of custom, worldwide golf travel packages. You can reach Ed
by calling 561-770-2222 or 800-785-7180.
edh@floridagolfing.com
