Florida is a Golfer’s haven and has been one of the top spots to hit the greens. Frankly, I think it’s a bore and the humidity doesn’t support my goal of looking hot on the links. My hair goes flat, make-up runs down my face and I suffer from what the locals refer to as Swamp Ass. You can figure it out. I drunkenly golfed many of Orlando’s renowned courses but none caught my affection more than that of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Hidden back in Orlando’s seemingly out-of-place hills, this course makes the bad traffic, big bugs and eclectic dumping of transient residents all go away. Florida is a pancake that generally leave you wishing for just a small speed bump to hike up but somehow the Big JC managed to grace this particular area of Florida with some breathtaking views from the haphazardly place medium sized mountains. Bill Core and Ben Crenshaw are masters of creating greens that golf aficionados pine for. Since 1986, they’ve built some of the most respected courses all over the world. I have only played Sugarloaf and did so before they even had the paths completed.
It was almost 2 years ago that I got to play in an exclusive invitational for folks in the travel industry. At the time I was on company #3 that I owned and had taken up the game of golf so that I could run with the big boys of business. Little did I know that I’d fall in love with it and play just for myself instead of a business deal. Getting the invite to play at a course that was still in the process of construction seemed like the ultimate VIP line infiltration and I quickly ran out to buy a pair of pink golf shoes to match my clubs.
The ambiance of being a penetrator to this virgin course was incredible but the feeling couldn’t compare to the immaculate beauty that enveloped this course. Often I found myself lost in the embracing vision of the mountains, the quiet of nature and the unique layout that was a challenge for such a novice player. To say it’s my favorite course as of yet, isn’t too farfetched. I really enjoyed the mastery in the design, the placement of the holes and the strategic planning that went into this property. My only regret is that I haven’t made it back to see it completed and give this golf beauty the respect of playing it in its full capacity. If you’re curious and want to add a difficult yet optical pleasure to your golf course bed notch, I encourage you to book a trip to the bug infested, pea soup air Orlando course that is SugarLoaf Moutain. http:www.themountain.cc
