Loblolly

Par 27

Level 3 playing from 793-1,452 yards

Play from the gold tees and you can leave your driver at home. You can probably do without your 6, 5 or 4 iron too.  It's all par threes. Last time out I used just five clubs.  But you may need a map to find the starter shack.  It shares a parking lot with the Longleaf course, but the entrance to Loblolly is down a hidden path in the back right of the parking lot.  Once found, you get a nice little drive down to the starter and a view of the best-looking hole on the course! Loblolly is set up as a large clockwise circle.  With the prevailing wind, you’ll likely start by hitting into it, then from left to right and finally with it behind you.  It’s like bad dream that follows you all game!  At first look there’s not a lot of diversity in the holes, but after you’ve played it a few times you’ll find some interesting nuances that’ll raise your appreciation. So, let’s begin the admiration! 

#1 gets your immediate attention with a beautiful tee box and view of water and oaks along the left – it’s one of my favorite openers!  A challenging first shot onto a raised rolling green playing longer than it looks means you should club up to make sure you get there.  #2 is long and narrow and by far the hardest hole on the course.  On my first time here, I hit a roof on the right, so I still get the yips teeing off!  From #3 to 8, the course's circle set up becomes very obvious with all the holes favoring a left to right approach shot.  This suits my friend Steve's power fade drive to a tee!  He was under par the last time out - and we all advised he buy a lottery ticket at Publix across the street.  But it's not luck.  It's a perfect set up for him. And a perfect swing for the set up!  For the rest of us, know that #3 is the easiest hole so get your par there - it gets harder as you round the circle.  The 4th hole, pictured above, has everything - water in front, a wall to hit over, bunkers on both sides, a slightly upraised green with a swale in the center, and if the wind is right, the smell of French Fries from McDonalds across the street!  With all those distractions, your happy meal may just come with a bogey!  The 5th hole has water on the right that wraps around the back with a little round bunker that sits in front of the green to mess with you.  But the green is flat, so keep your head down and don’t think about any of that!  #6 is Loblolly’s shortest shot, but toughest green.  It’s a two-tiered magic carpet ride sloping back toward the tees.  Depending on the pin placement this can easily be a three putt.  It's one of the nine hardest greens in the Villages - click here to see the other eight.

Now comes the longest cart ride in all The Villages.  A veteran Villager told me it was 800 steps.   The ride takes you south along Marsh Bend near a long pond where gator sight-seekers line up in the grass to take pictures for their grandkids.  Or the grandkids are in the carts with them!  It reminds me of tourists in Yellowstone getting just a little too close to the Buffalo.  Ok it’s Quiz time: If Loblolly has the longest “between-holes” cart ride, what courses have the next five? (Quiz Question 10) 

Be conscious of the new wind direction as you prepare to strike your 7th drive of the day.  Put your best Kung Fu face on and “Choose Wisely Grasshopper” when making your club selection on this hole.  Oh, and the elevated green means if you miss it, you’ll be chipping up off the squeaky thin fringe surface.  After all that, maybe you wish the ride to 7 was a bit longer!  Now you make another slight turn around the Loblolly circle.  If you’re playing in the late afternoon, you get an amazing Florida sunset view over the 8^th green.  This is the easier of the two closing holes, so work to get your par here.  #9 is longer with a troublesome bunker to the front left and a back ridge fringe shot if you go long. 

The circle is now closed and thanks to the wind and pin placement, the Loblolly round plays different every time!  So come back tomorrow!  Steve will!

Toughest to Easiest:

2, 5, 4, 9, 1, 7, 6, 8, 3 – hardest green #6