We decided the time had come for another game of golf; we had begun to experience withdrawal symptoms since our last game at Naples and after hitting the ball extremely well in our previous round we would strike whilst the iron is hot (so to speak).
we headed south on the highway 27 turned left into Ronald Regan Parkway for about 3 miles and left again and you find yourself driving parallel to the 8th hole which in my opinion is the signature hole on the course finally you turn left into Champion Gate Drive and drive alongside the 9th hole until you arrive at the clubhouse by this time you will have seen a small part of this golf course ,and the way it is manicured and constructed you cannot and help being full of anticipation and eager to get started.
It is always advisable to book in advance especially if you require an early tee time to avoid the heat another word of warning is to use soft spike golf shoes, try and sneak on in spikes will just not work, most of the assistants have radar type hearing and they can detect a spiked shoe on a carpet from 100 yards away and will insist on you having them changed before you play which may cause you to miss your tee time or any preparation you intended to do before you played. Speaking of preparation there are ample facilities to help improve your game from the driving range chipping areas and 2 generous putting greens all as you would expect from the David Leadbetter academy in excellent condition.
As you arrive at the tee we were given instructions from the starter who with a good sense of humor detailed what was expected of you, and what you could expect from the course in a manner that was pleasant and most helpful and not in the least dictatorial.
Finally the 1st balls are struck and we made our way along a fairly strong but bland par 4 after pars safely secured on this hole we moved along to the 2nd a par 3 the drive from the green to the tee is enormous across swamp land teeming with wildlife and spectacular colored birds, it is the feature of this course the long rides between green and tee and the wildlife.
Surrounding you gives you a few minutes to forget the golf and enjoy nature.
If I referred to the first hole as bland the rest of the course is full of interesting golf holes the construction of the course is links style and the bunkers and the banks humps and hollows give it a traditional fell of links and with the American love of water on the course stray of the fairways and you can find yourself unable to make the green in regulation. The only difference to a links course at home and Champions gate is the superb way this course is manicured the fairways are lush the cut of the rough is well defined and all the surrounds are like a green carpet.
This is far from a holiday course although there are 3 or four different tees to give everyone a chance to enjoy their golf. With a good mix of holes long par fours and shorter par fours not overly long par fives and long par threes, greens that are true but quick this is a strong test of golf for most handicappers if you get back to back pars on the 7th and 8th reward yourself with a beer at the ninth stopover. The back nine is as strong as the 1st nine but equally enjoyable and weather you have played well or not I am sure most golfers will enjoy the experience and feel richer for having played there.
The clubhouse is well appointed with a restaurant and well stocked club shop either side of a sunken circular bar and of course a terrace were meals and drinks are served by very pleasant staff. Joined now by some friends we ordered or meal I had ordered a fish course of tilapia with vegetables the tilapia is similar to halibut and my friends ordered steak both dishes could not be faulted the tilapia a fish I was not familiar with was without doubt one of best fish dishes I have tasted and my friends reliable informed me the steak was of the highest quality taken with a few glasses of wine it had been a perfect days golf with excellent food and with a bill of $120 for all of us I consider that excellent value cannot wait to return if only for the tilapia.
we headed south on the highway 27 turned left into Ronald Regan Parkway for about 3 miles and left again and you find yourself driving parallel to the 8th hole which in my opinion is the signature hole on the course finally you turn left into Champion Gate Drive and drive alongside the 9th hole until you arrive at the clubhouse by this time you will have seen a small part of this golf course ,and the way it is manicured and constructed you cannot and help being full of anticipation and eager to get started.
It is always advisable to book in advance especially if you require an early tee time to avoid the heat another word of warning is to use soft spike golf shoes, try and sneak on in spikes will just not work, most of the assistants have radar type hearing and they can detect a spiked shoe on a carpet from 100 yards away and will insist on you having them changed before you play which may cause you to miss your tee time or any preparation you intended to do before you played. Speaking of preparation there are ample facilities to help improve your game from the driving range chipping areas and 2 generous putting greens all as you would expect from the David Leadbetter academy in excellent condition.
As you arrive at the tee we were given instructions from the starter who with a good sense of humor detailed what was expected of you, and what you could expect from the course in a manner that was pleasant and most helpful and not in the least dictatorial.
Finally the 1st balls are struck and we made our way along a fairly strong but bland par 4 after pars safely secured on this hole we moved along to the 2nd a par 3 the drive from the green to the tee is enormous across swamp land teeming with wildlife and spectacular colored birds, it is the feature of this course the long rides between green and tee and the wildlife.
Surrounding you gives you a few minutes to forget the golf and enjoy nature.
If I referred to the first hole as bland the rest of the course is full of interesting golf holes the construction of the course is links style and the bunkers and the banks humps and hollows give it a traditional fell of links and with the American love of water on the course stray of the fairways and you can find yourself unable to make the green in regulation. The only difference to a links course at home and Champions gate is the superb way this course is manicured the fairways are lush the cut of the rough is well defined and all the surrounds are like a green carpet.
This is far from a holiday course although there are 3 or four different tees to give everyone a chance to enjoy their golf. With a good mix of holes long par fours and shorter par fours not overly long par fives and long par threes, greens that are true but quick this is a strong test of golf for most handicappers if you get back to back pars on the 7th and 8th reward yourself with a beer at the ninth stopover. The back nine is as strong as the 1st nine but equally enjoyable and weather you have played well or not I am sure most golfers will enjoy the experience and feel richer for having played there.
The clubhouse is well appointed with a restaurant and well stocked club shop either side of a sunken circular bar and of course a terrace were meals and drinks are served by very pleasant staff. Joined now by some friends we ordered or meal I had ordered a fish course of tilapia with vegetables the tilapia is similar to halibut and my friends ordered steak both dishes could not be faulted the tilapia a fish I was not familiar with was without doubt one of best fish dishes I have tasted and my friends reliable informed me the steak was of the highest quality taken with a few glasses of wine it had been a perfect days golf with excellent food and with a bill of $120 for all of us I consider that excellent value cannot wait to return if only for the tilapia.