Disneyworld correctly claims to be the happiest place on earth.  A close second for me is Edna's on the Green!  It's got live music every afternoon, food trucks and a great selection of beer and wine, all under a canopy of Spanish moss draped oaks and edison lightbulbs, with a view to the Marshview Pitch and Putt course.  Can it get any better than that?  

Actually, yes it can!  Each course story includes a suggestion for something nearby to extend or even enhance your experience beyond that day's golf game.  Below are some of my favorite "nearby" things tied back to a nearby golf course.  

"Nearby" is Everywhere!  

When you click on any link, it will take you to the executive course it's nearby.  Just scroll through the story about the course to the section titled Nearby to learn more. 

 

Fitness experts recommend that each day you have three square meals.  What about three meals at a square instead!  (Spanish Springs; Sumter Landing; Brownwood Paddock).  And the Squares are only a fraction of the food choices. (Glenview Country Club; Nancy Lopez Country Club; The Fenney Grill; Restaurants on 466 and 466A and at Colony Plaza).  Or maybe you just need a cool drink after your hot game (Palmer County Club; Ednas).  Of course, another way to stay cool is a dip in a pool.  There’s about a hundred of them! (Fenney Rec Center or Seabreeze).

 

You can also extend your golf game by practicing more golf!  Here's some nearby options: Fenney Putting; Loblolly Chipping Green; Richmond Pitch and Putt; Sand Trap Practice; loosen up at a Driving Range or two or play a round with just a sainted 7!  And it never hurts to be a multi-sport athlete (softball; bowling or "playing" the ponies.)

 

Of course, all this golf could be the source of stress.  That happens.  So, perhaps it's just some calming time you need. Try a scenic cart drive (Canopy Covered Trail, Beuna Vista Cart Path or a 54-mile Rec Trek) or a nice walk (Fenney Springs; Black Lake Path), some time with nature (Pelicans, Preserves and National Parks) or maybe just some star-gazing tranquility.  And for a complete distraction, you could venture off to some local entertainment venues (Music at the Squares or Sawgrass; Theatre at The Sharon, The Savannah Center or The Studio). Sometimes, just being away from golf is how I improve the most!

 

Most importantly, the connections I've made nearby are what impress me the most.  In one of my favorite speeches, Coach Jim Valvano, at the 1993 Espy Awards, just before his passing from cancer, said a good day was when you could laugh, think and cry.  You can certainly do all three here.  Start with a laugh - there's plenty of fodder with your fellow golfers!  Or see a movie with friends at the Old Mill Theatre at Sumter Landing.  Then fill yourself up with new learning (The Enrichment Academy; Mark Twain Library; Social Clubs or some history at Eisenhower Rec) and let yourself be filled with emotions at the First Responder Rec Center, or our Veterans Memorial Park, and with our greatest generation at the Sumter Senior Center.  

 

It’s all Nearby!  All next to a golf course.  Put down the clubs and go! 

Every blue hyperlink goes back to the course where that place was referenced.  So this is a way for you to pick a golf course based on it's proximity to something equally fun!