When my youngest daughter turned five she held up her hand and said she was a “full hand”.  Minutes later she thought of a funnier line and said “I’m a handful!”  She was right.  She’s our family's writer/comedian/pot-stirrer.  That makes her an appropriate advisor on anything I write, so her fingerprints (or would it be handprints for this analogy?) are all over this website. 

Fittingly, I’ve titled this list of my favorites as High Fives! 

Here are the topics>>>>>>>>>

High Fives:

  1. Five Best Courses
  2. Five best stretches of holes
  3. Five best courses for Beginniners
  4. Five best opening and closing holes
  5. Five Tallest Tee Boxes

 

Five Best Courses

With over 40 executive courses in The Villages, choosing the top five isn’t easy - everyone has their own favorites. For me, it’s not about the toughest layouts, the prettiest views, or even where I tend to score best. My picks are the courses I’d take friends to if they were visiting - ones that show off the variety, beauty, and charm that make living here so cool.

These five highlight the range of what The Villages offers, from longtime favorites to newer gems, and from central spots to scenic outer edges. Some have lush, tree-lined fairways and cozy, shaded greens. Others bring bold elevation changes and tricky wetlands into play. Each course has its own personality - but all of them are a blast to play.

If I could string these five together over five straight days with good friends, it’d be golf heaven - and the perfect answer to “Why do you live here?”

Here are my top five, listed in alphabetical order >>>

    1. Amberwood – The classiest track with spectacular greens and oak lined holes.
    2. Gray Fox – (Holes #1,8 & 9 pictured in the aerial photo) Cut out of the Fenney Springs Wetland - the opening and closing holes feel like I'm back home in northern Minnesota.
    3. Longleaf - a great track with the most famous tree in town!  It's hard and gorgeous and always fun to play.
    4. Mira Mesa – Vintage course with narrow fairways, small greens and some of the best trees in the area.
    5. Roosevelt – Who says Florida is flat?  Every hole has elevation change and challenge.

    See pictures of them all by clicking here

    2024 Update - Pelican had been in the top five in previous years, but until the repairs ae completed Longleaf has been added into its place.

    Five Best Stretches 

    Every now and then, you hit a stretch of holes that’s so good, you’re tempted to circle back and play them all over again. What makes them stand out? For me, it’s a mix of creativity, character, and just the right amount of challenge. They’ve got to be visually striking, thoughtfully designed, and engaging from tee to green. And when you finish that final putt, the only thing you’re thinking is, “Let’s run that back.”

    Here are my favorite five>>>

      • Bacall 5-8 Two of the four are in my Hardest Holes list and the other two could be on the Postcard List - that's like a movie star stretch-limo!
      • Bogart 3-8 Not to be outdone by its sister Bacall, these 6 holes strung together are Key Largo perfect in difficulty and appearance. 
      • Churchill Greens 4-9 A remote setting with evergreens, horses, ravines, fences and fours (pars that is - two of them!) That's the 6th hole pictured.
      • Pelican 1-7 Two beginning blind shots, two fours with hazards galore, postcard perfection, surprise sand and a shot at Old Glory!  Now that's a stretch!
      • Sweetgum 5-8 One long, one marshy, one beautiful, one impossible.  That's diversity at its finest!

      Honorable Mention:

      • Amberwood 5-7 (the most difficult stretch in town)
      • Belmont 5-9
      • Heron 5-9
      • Briarwood 2-5
      • Mangrove 4-7
      • Pimlico 4-9
      • Saddlebrook 6-9
      • Laurel Oak 6-9

      What stretches are your favorites?

      Five Best Courses for Beginners

      There is no place better to be a beginner golfer than in The Villages.  There are three golf academies that offer beginner lessons. Three brand new putting courses have been built where you can start your love affair with golf on the shortest shots!  My favorite is the Clifton Cove Course in the Sawgrass area.  Then you can branch out to using a few more clubs by playing one of the Pitch and Putt courses.  The newest are Richmond and Mickeylee.  When you feel more comfortable, try one of my Top Five executive courses for beginners >>>>>>>>>>>

      Hope to see you out there!

      • Sarasota and El Santiago were designed just for beginner golfers - shorter holes with huge flat greens with oversized 8-inch cups to make putting easier.  And there's fewer sand and water hazards to navigate.
      • Chula Vista is a Level 1 course near Spanish Springs that's advertised as a "walk in the park".  I agree.  It's only missing the park bench and dogs running free!  When I've played it there's never "big-hitters" playing, so you won't feel pressure to play fast, or even good - just have fun! 
      • Turtle Mound is another Level 1, more in the center of town. It's perfect for new golfers or those who just want to enjoy the game without pressure.  Plus, it has the best-looking sand traps in town! 
      • Lowlands is a Level 2 course, and it does have two par fours for you to stretch out.  You may want to experiment with teeing up your shots on the fairway, not just on the tee box. It has some water but none where you have to hit directly over.   It's where I played my first game as a Villager! 

      Five Best Opening and Closing Holes

      There’s something special about standing on the first tee of the day - or pulling your ball from the final cup - that just feels right at a select few spots. We all love a good story, whether it’s a book or a movie, and the best ones hook you from the start and leave you smiling at the end. The same goes for great opening and closing holes. What makes them memorable? That depends on who you ask.

      For me, it’s less about difficulty and more about the vibe. Does the hole have a look that catches your eye? Does it reflect the designer’s creativity? Do the surroundings invite you to pause and take it all in? Amberwood #1 certainly does.  There is just something about it that feels good.  Same with the first holes at Mira Mesa, and Grey Fox, and Loblolly, and Tarpon.  I feel the same was about closing out at the 9th at Saddlebrook.  

      So, what are your favorite places to begin and end a round? I’ve got ten. Five openers. Five closers. Each one leaves me with a smile, a sense of gratitude, and a reminder of why I love playing here.

      Opening Holes:

      1. Amberwood 1 (pictured)
      2. Gray Fox 1
      3. Loblolly 1
      4. Mira Mesa 1
      5. Tarpon Boil 1

      Closing Holes:

      1. Gray Fox 9
      2. Heron 9
      3. Saddlebrook 9
      4. Sandhill 9
      5. Walnut Grove 9

      Gray Fox is the only course with a best opening AND closing hole! No wonder it's one of my top five courses!

      Five Tallest Tee Boxes

      I love views from highpoints looking across a sweeping vista of sights!  Why am I living in Florida then?  The tallest point in the state is 345 feet - that's just a little taller than a football field is long!  Expedition Everest in Disneyworld is 199 feet tall and it takes just a minute to be pulled up to the top of the ride.  Hardley the Andes.  So, it's no wonder that once in a while I come across a view worth an extra inhale.  Sometimes that happens on a tall tee box.  Here are my favorite five>>>>>>

      1. Hill Top 3 (pictured across)
      2. Volusia 3 (pictured below)
      3. Truman 2 (It's 2 with a view - and on the Postcard List)
      4. Roosevelt 3 (although the scene from the 2nd green is even better and taller!)
      5. Escambia 4 (from that height it's no wonder this hole is on the Hardest List)

      Honorable Mentions for great tee box views are El Diablo 9 and Sandhill 9