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Timacuan Golf & Country Club
2 Great Nines,1 Great Experience
By David Blondell
If you're looking to play a variety of golf layouts during your stay in Orlando, but don't have enough time to travel all over the area to do so, then Timacuan Golf & Country Club is the place for you.
An Orlando favorite since it opened in 1987, Timacuan's front and back nines offer as diverse a challenge as you will find anywhere in Central Florida. In the span of four hours, a golfer encounters holes ranging from the great Scottish links courses to the magnificent pines and hills of the Carolinas.
Tucked away in north Seminole County (15 minutes northeast of Orlando, just off I-4 @ exit 101-A), Timacuan's unique layout is a par 71, 6,915-yard test that receives high praise from both the competitive pro and the casual golfer.
A trip across the Atlantic to golf's birthplace awaits you as you tee off, as the Scottish links-flavored front nine is relatively open, but is defended with ample high mounds, some roller-coaster fairways, and looming sand traps, all woven in and around grassy moguls and bunkers. Especially when the wind blows, this is a wild ride. And that's even without discussing Timacuan's signature hole, #2. One of two water holes on the front, this double-dogleg par 4 features three real chances to get wet as you land your teeshot on a relatively narrow strip of land, only having to negotiate another all-carry approach to its heavily-guarded green. The toughest hole on the course, a par here is a gift.
Which only warms you up for the back.
"The back nine is definitely more demanding," says Tony Johnson, Timacuan's General Manager. "The front side probably favors length a little more, and the greens are bigger. On the back nine, there's a lot more water, the fairways are narrower and the greens are smaller. It demands more control from a player."
Indeed, the back nine has more of a Carolina presence, with tightened golf holes running like green ribbons among the tall pines and mature oaks. Six double-doglegs, lots of water, and heavily wooded, rolling terrain set the stage for some real golf enjoyment.
 Like number 12. A par-5 that requires one of the round's more demanding tee shots, your drive must be shaped right-to-left - or at least hugging the left side of the dogleg - to avoid running into water that follows the entire right side of the fairway. Pull off this shot and a player is rewarded with a chance to fire at the green in two, though the putting surface is one of the smallest on the course.
Timacuan offers a terrific finish, too, with the scenic par 3 16th requiring a carry of about 200 yards over a large lake from the back tee, and the 454-yard 18th, a par 4 which bends gently up the hill to the left, requiring a long, accurate drive - making par a solid finish.
"It's not the place where you want to be bailing out to the right and holding a 2-iron in your hands (for the approach) when all the bets are on the line," muses Johnson. "The finishing holes out here are great. People don't get tired of this place."
He's right. Timacuan satisfies and stimulates both the seasoned veteran and the golfing novice. Its beautiful 25,000 sq.-ft. clubhouse, state-of-the-art lighted practice facility and delicious restaurant selections only add to the great golf experience that is available to the public. Which is something that area visitors or residents can never get tired of.
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For more information, reservations or tee times, please call toll free, 866-342-4782
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