My Florida golf trip with my dad kicked off at the posh Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, located in the Bonnet Creek Ranch property that houses the Waldorf Astoria and Hilton. The Bonnett Creek Ranch was a long time hold out of the Disney Empire that moved into Orlando in the 70s. A dispute between the Bonnet Creek owners and Disney meant that it was at one time a bastion of non Disney in the mega-park that has become the Disney resorts.
The golf course was built in 2009 and designed by Rees Jones and Steve Weisser. Named for the adjoining 500 room Waldorf Astoria, there is also a 1000 room Hilton just next door. Apprently Mr Jones is somewhat of a sadist as he built this course as a tight test of strategic golf, capped of by elevated greens on every hole. Both the cart attendants and starter, after finding out it was my first time playing the course both said the same thing: "don't go long". Sage advice as I would come to find out through the round. Nothing good would be found behind the greens, or for that matter most any area near the greens.
The course offers 5 tee options. From the tips it is a brute. Thanks to the length (7100 yards) and the overall tight design.
Here are the specifics of the tee offerings:
Black 74.6/139 - 7,108 yards
Blue 72.5/132 - 6,657 yards
White 70.9/127 - 6,307 yards
Green 69.2/120 - 5,998 yards
Silver 65.4/107 - 5,179 yards
We started off our round on the tenth hole but I will recap the course from the beginning.
Hole 1 Par 4
388 | 364 | 342 | 336 | 306 yards
The first hole sets the theme for the rest of the round. A tight tee shot offers trees down the right side and a large bunker to the left of the fairway in the landing zone. The fairway also narrows as you travel towards the green. Not a long hole, strategy should come into play before grabbing your driver.
Typical of a lot of holes, you may want to consider the best spot to land your tee shot while also taking into account your second shot. In this case, the hole offers the most generous landing area at around 150 yards out. Any closer and you start to bring the left bunker into play.
As you approach the raised green, another large green side bunker protects front and left..
Hole 2 Par 3
174 | 160 | 142 | 135 | 106 yards
A shorter par 3, this hole offers a safer miss to the left. Anything right will likely find the elevated slope and run down into the water that frames the right side on this hole.
A single bunker also protects the front right of this triangular shaped green, which is around 30 yards deep.
Hole 3 Par 4
427 | 404 | 387 | 371 | 319 yards
A second consecutive hole featuring water down the length of the right side. A well placed bunker down the right divides this hole and forces another decision: lay up short of the bunker and have a longer shot (170 yards in) or take on the bunker and try to hit to the left of it or carry it for a short iron or wedge in.
Down the entire left side is lined with trees and dense vegetation for a no-go zone.
A green side bunker guards the front right of this green.
Hole 4 Par 5
557 | 531 | 511 | 505 | 428 yards
The first par 5 again challenges your tee shot with a pair of large bunkers encroaching into the fairway from the left. Trees line the entire right of the hole.
After your tee shot you are left with another decision. A sentry line of bunkers bisects the fairway around 150 yards out. Your choice here is to layup short of them on your second, or clear them which will leave less than 100 yards into the green.
The green is elevated with water behind, and bunkers lining the entire left side.
This was a very fun hole to play and exemplifies the thinking approach to this course design.
Hole 5 Par 4
396 | 370 | 346 | 329 | 293 yards
A shorter par 4 which encourages an iron off the tee, except for the most adventurous. Two sentry bunkers pinch the fairway down around 130 yards from the green. The entire left side of this hole is framed by water.
A well driven ball down the center right can carry all of the trouble with enough carry.
Your approach into the green must avoid a central bunker short of the green. This green is almost a peninsula with water surrounding the back and left sides.
Hole 6 Par 4
476 | 447 | 416 | 384 | 349 yards
A longer par 4, it finally offers some semblance of relief off the tee with only an enormous bunker off to the far left of the fairway in the landing area. The fairway is not the widest, however, so an accurate tee ball is still required.
As you approach the green a pair of bunkers flank the fairway at about 70 yards out. The green is otherwise unprotected.
Hole 7 Par 3
207 | 180 | 163 | 145 | 128 yards
An elevated tee requires accuracy with a longer iron. Three bunkers protect the font, left, and right side. Behind the green waits a watery death. Hitting into the green side bunkers here will require a high lofted shot to escape onto the elevated surface.
Hole 8 Par 5
510 | 474 | 443 | 417 | 413 yards
Another thinking par 5. Off the tee you have a decision to layup with an iron. This requires carrying the water and missing the bunker to the left. The other option is a longer play down the fairway. This brings that same left bunker, and an additional bunker on the right into play.
On your second shot you are again faced with another decision due to another large bunker nearly bisecting the width of the fairway from the left. If you hit iron off the tee you will have between 190-130 yards to the bunker.
For those that hit a longer club, they have an opportunity for the green in two.
The green is guarded by a large bunker short right. Like all the rest, the green also falls off on all sides.
Hole 9 Par 4
415 | 387 | 369 | 351 | 297 yards
The front nine finishes up with a straightforward par 4. A single bunker down the right comes into play on the tee shot, otherwise the trees framing the hole are the only obstacle off the tee.
On your second shot you will need to carry a bunker crossing the fairway at around 70 yards out.
The green has no bunkers. It is canted diagonal so a shot into it from the right side of the hole offers the best angle to its entirety. Water is in play long and left.
Hole 10 Par 4
371 | 355 | 340 | 315 | 282 yards
The back nine starts out similar to the first with a short par 4 whose design makes hitting iron off the tee the prudent choice. The widest landing area off the tee is to about 150 yards out. Beyond this two flanking bunkers on either side of the fairway squeeze down the landing zone. Trying to carry the bunkers is not really needed off the tee.
The green complex is raised above the fairway and features a pair of bunkers short right, as well as slopes falling away from the elevated green.
Hole 11 Par 3
238 | 213 | 189 | 160 | 144 yards
The 11th is a long par 3 that is open in the front. The green is surrounded on the other three sides by an enormous continuous bunker. The green is some 30 yards deep, making a back pin location an even further required distance.
Hole 12 Par 5
623 | 588 | 566 | 549 | 449 yards
This par 5 offers a relatively generous landing zone for your tee shot. It had better, as from the tips this hole plays over 620 yards! There is a large bunker to the left (shared by the 6th hole) but this would only come into play on really poorly hit shots.
The challenge comes on your second shot- when a pair of bunkers require a precise shot to avoid from 200-120 yards out. If you can clear these bunkers you will be inside of 120 to the green.
The green is protected on the left by a single bunker, and behind by water that can be reached if you hit the slope long of the green.
I hit a remarkable bunker shot from the left fairway bunker. From around 160 yards I hit a beautiful iron out of the sand and stuck my shot about 6 feet from the pin. Unfortunately I missed my birdie with a lip-out but I will remember this hole for that sand save.
Hole 13 Par 4
324 | 306 | 291 | 271 | 224 yards
A stand-out par 4, was my favorite hole on the course. A dogleg left around water, you can decide how to play this hole and how much of the dogleg you want to take on.
Played conservatively you can hit a mid iron off the tee to the large landing area straight ahead off the tee. A longer club played in this same direction will likely find one of the four bunkers skirting the right side of the hole.
A bolder approach can attack the green from the tee. A tee shot struck towards the green will need to carry the length of the water and thread a pair of bunkers situated to protect from longer hitters.
From the conservative approach of the fairway, one of these long-hitter's bunkers becomes a central guardian short of the green.
A very fun hole.
Hole 14 Par 4
432 | 394 | 372 | 346 | 320 yards
A straight ahead par 4 with a generous landing zone off the tee until about 150 yards out. At that point the fairway squeezes down and a right sided bunker comes into play.
A long skinny green is protected on the left by another large bunker.
Hole 15 Par 4
392 | 375 | 357 | 342 | 249 yards
With the fairway cantered across from the tees, this hole plays effectively as a dogleg left. Water runs down the entire left side of the hole. From the tee the prudent move is another iron play. A generous landing zone sits at about 150-130 yards out. Hit to the right of the closest bunker for the optimal spot. Using a longer club off the tee is foolish as even missing the first bunker and avoiding the water will likely only cause you to find the second bunker situated on the right of the fairway and right behind the first bunker off the tee.
The green is turned almost 90 degrees from your approach so the target is wide but relatively shallow. A single bunker skirts most of the left side.
Hole 16 Par 3
169 | 153 | 137 | 132 | 114 yards
A tough par 3 made more challenging for my by a strong head wind. The green on this par 3 is elevated with a dramatic fall-off to the left into the water running down that side of the hole. Bailing to the right will cause you to discover a pair of bunkers both short and long of the green.
Take a look to your left and check out all the Rockefeller's sitting out on the Waldorf's patio.
Hole 17 Par 4
482 | 451 | 430 | 430 | 340 yards
Once again, a pair of bunkers sit on either side of the fairway in the typical driving zone, Laying up here is not a viable option as it leaves along way into the raised green on this long par 4. A shot to the left edge of the right bunker offers the best play. If you can clear that bunker the landing area there is pretty generous.
A large green protected on the left awaits your second shot.
Hole 18 Par 5
527 | 505 | 500 | 480 | 418 yards
Not to change the theme, the last hole sports 2 bunkers again to contend with on your tee shot. Hitting over the right bunker is the best play to avoid the left sand which is a little further down the fairway.
On your second shot you need to avoid another bunker complex placed on the left of the fairway. These three bunkers are the last obstacle before a generous landing zone about 100 yards for the hole.
The approach in is to an elevated green with bunkers flanking both sides and another drop off long to water.
The back I heated up a bit more. The irons started to get more consistent and I think the putting started to get more comfortable. I bogeyed 3 and 6 and doubled the 7th after hitting into the bunker 3 times. Other than that, all pars for a closing 40.
After the round we had a drink on the patio of the clubhouse overlooking the driving range. My brother, who was working at the Hilton, came down and had a cocktail with us.
Sunshine, the first round of 2015, and a mid-80 score. Not a bad way to start the trip!
My overall thoughts on the course are a bit mixed. The conditions were top notch. The sand was powdery soft (though some rain had crusted them up a bit), the fairways nearly blemish free, and the greens rolled true and fast. I enjoyed the challenge of having to think my way around the course, I just wish that there had been a bit more of variety. It would have been nice to have a few more bombs-away holes mixed in. Overall I felt a bit confined with the course. I played from the blues and felt like driver was kept out of my hands on a lot of holes because of the bunker placements. Because of this I ended up hitting a lot of long irons, hybrids, and my 4 wood off the tees. Not that that was a bad thing, but I have to admit, I like my driver!
All that being said, I would not hesitate to play the course again. My dad actually said this was his favorite course of the trip!
