Mira Mesa

Par 29 

Level 3 playing from 1,130 – 1,675 yards

Mira Mesa is one of the oldest courses in The Villages.  It’s also one of the newest, having gone through a major renovation in early 2023.  It was a classy vintage course with tight fairways and small greens.  Now it’s a spectacular track with impeccable greens and landscaped fairways that still pose risks for wayward shooters.  Many tall palms were installed behind greens to provide attractive backdrops.  It was on my Top Five list before.  It’s cemented it’s position there now! 

My first time playing Mira Mesa I was paired up with three older gentlemen – the youngest was 84.  I asked where the fourth was and they told me he had passed away the year prior.  After expressing my condolences and talking about their fallen friend, I asked if they planned to replace him on their foursome.  They all shook their heads no, which at first I thought was out of respect for their friend.  But they were far more pragmatic – they’re keeping their team of three because they told me a random fourth is always added who’s usually much younger and can see where all their balls go!  I laughed, but after they each teed off, I quickly learned that I was indeed responsible for pointing out where they each had landed!    Mira Mesa is about seeing the ball!  And respecting the lost – balls and friends, both gone too soon.  It is with great honor that I play this wonderful course with those three vets in mind! 

The starting hole is one of my favorites.  You can’t stand on this tee box and be unhappy – especially now that the green and white sand contrast so perfectly with the new palms on the green’s back edge.  It simply a sight to see!  And it’s a simple 130 yard shot to a wide flat green, so your round should get off to a great start.  The 2^nd hole is the first of two tight tunnel tests with no room for error on either side. It’s so close I’ve often heard conversations on nearby lanais.  #2 is only 138 yards, but the 3rd is a 260-yard par four where you’ve got a decision to make - use an iron to lay up to near the white 100-yard stake or take a swing with your driver and risk spraying a shot into the trees or those homes.  Should you play it smart or fun?   My head says smart.  My heart says fun.  So the driver always comes out!  Regardless of the outcome of that decision, you’ll next exit the tunnel and turn your sights to the east for #4 and 5.  Both play pretty short.  The designers decided to put sand behind the 4^th green – thank you.  I’m equally grateful there’s none on the 5^th.  Get your pars now as the rest of the course gets tougher from here - four of the five hardest holes are coming.  And a return to the tunnel of trees.  But first, we've got to talk about Postcards.  Two in a row in fact.  Mira Mesa 6 (pictured above) is one of the 18 most picturesque holes in The Villages. The new look palms on the back make it even better.  #7 is a beauty too.  In the pictures below you can see how the lush treescape sets off the many shades of green.  Only two other courses have two consecutive holes that are on my Postcard List.  Can you name them? (Quiz Question 16) But like #6, this beauty is a challenge as well.  Your drive on this par four requires a precision shot.  It doglegs left and with the tight trees on either side, you’ll have to place your shot about 170-200 in the center in order to have a clear approach to the green.  There are trees everywhere - which is great for cameras - bad with my slice!  Finally on #8 you pop out of the tunnel with your first view of water as you face west and possibly squint into the sun for the first time.  The closing 9th hole is your only time you may need a water ball.  It plays longer than it looks so consider clubbing up to conclude your trek around the Mira Mesa square.

Back to my first time here with those three Village Vets, I spent a lot of time rummaging through brush and trees looking for all of our balls.  It’s far cleaner now so much easier to see your shots land.  But the renovation didn’t reduce the tightness, nor the challenges.  Mira Mesa is still about seeing the ball, but now it's not hunting for them in junk, it’s about easily spotting them sitting on perfect greens and fairways.  Come play this wonderful course.  I sure hope those Vets have too!

Toughest to Easiest:

7, 3, 9, 8, 6, 2, 5, 4 – toughest green 6