Golf At Ridgewood Lakes

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Golf At Ridgewood Lakes

Ridgewood Lakes is located just 15 minutes south of Disney and represents exceptional value - lots of golf for the price you pay.

The course was rated by Golf Digest in 1994 as "Best New Course" and one of the "Top 30 Courses in Florida" by Florida Golf News in 2001. There is no doubt that this is a PGA Tour quality course.

I play this course every time I visit and I am never disappointed. With water on 16 holes it remains challenging, especially with a slope rating of 140 from the back tees.

The course, like much of the landscape in Florida, has changed following the 2004 Hurricane season. The great news is that it is now better than ever.

Charley took out 143 trees and closed the course for 10 days. After only a week of clean-up came Frances. Frances sat there for 3 days and whilst not as powerful as Charley, the amount of rain led to a further 17 day closure. 3 days after opening came Jeanne. The course didn't re-open for good until Thanksgiving Day.

So the course has been re-designed by Charley, Frances & Jeanne. I played it in December 2004 and also in May 2005. It has recovered wonderfully well. Many of the old trees have been replaced by canary palms. The crushed coquina and cord grass give the course a more tropical South Florida feel. You will be playing a different course to the pre-hurricane Ridgewood Lakes.

This Par 72 offers 4 sets of tees. The back tees, 7016 yards, are best suited to those with handicaps of 5 or less. The blue tees, 6547 yards, are best played by those with handicaps of between 6 and 15. The white tees, 6031 yards, are suitable for handicaps of 16 and more. I play off 18. Believe me, the whites are testing enough. The red tees measure 5217 yards.

There are many testing holes on the course. If you can play to your handicap on the first 2 holes of each nine, you will be well placed for a good score. Holes 1 and 10 are similar Par 4 dog-legs to the left. Whilst there are generous landing areas, accuracy is the key to your approach. Hole 2 is a Par 5, 514 yard dog-leg right, with a carry over water to the fairway and water to your right for the length of the hole. Hole 11 is stroke index 1. Only 368 yards from the white tees, but the narrow approach to the green, with water both sides means you need to fly the ball to the green, with little margin for error.

There is a lovely shape to this course. The greens are small, but well kept and with subtle undulations. Many of the holes are unencumbered by homes and where they are, they are attractively maintained in this upscale community.

Located 2.5 miles south of I-4 on the US 27. Prices start from $33, with twilight times from 1pm. Money off coupons can be found in Golfer's Guide. Further details can be found on www.ridgewoodlakesgolf.com or call the Pro-Shop on (863) 424-8688.

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