Orlando Area Golf

Choosing between Championsgate, Shingle Creek, and Eagles Creek.

Any recommendations?

thanks

Orlando Area Golf

I assume you%26#39;ve already done some research into the golf offerings of Orlando. If not, or if you want to check another source, I refer you to my Go-List ';Nice Golf Courses in the Greater Disney Area';, where I list about 30 golf courses.

Haven%26#39;t played ChampionsGate, either the National or International course, though I%26#39;ve heard some good things. I think the International course goes near the actual Omni Resort; drove around there a couple of years ago, and the holes I saw looked kind of neo-Scottish, with few trees back then; if that%26#39;s representative of the International course, then its a layout which is more windswept with fewer trees. I%26#39;ve seen a promotional picture of what I think is the National course, which has some trees in the picture; if this is representative, then the National course has more trees, and may be more ';American'; styled.

I played Shingle Creek in July 2004. The Shingle Creek Resort hadn%26#39;t been built yet. but the course does play around it, particularly the holes on the back nine, though at the time there was little resort to play around. Was not all that impressed with it at the time, as it looked a little barren, but with the trees that were planted, I felt in years it would look better as they grew. There were a few parallel fairways at the start of the course; none of the holes were particularly memorable. A couple of posters have had better opinions of the course on here, though; perhaps the completing of the resort has made a difference in the course ambience; I played around ';nothing';, today, the course plays around the hotel. The 18th hole was kind of short for an 18th hole, though it was a par 4; but the 17th hole was a pretty long hole, a par 5, I think. Some courses climax at 18; others climax at 17 and the 18th hole is a decent hole though not the best, I guess this course fits the latter category; but even by that standard I found 18 a little short. I did like Hawk%26#39;s Landing GC, which, like Shingle Creek, plays around a hotel (the Marriott World Center), and in some ways is comparable. The difference is that Hawk%26#39;s Landing had bigger trees, even though it was a more open layout, and was layed out nicer, IMO. Of course, Hawk%26#39;s Landing is more expensive than Shingle Creek, I assume (I played Hawk%26#39;s Landing for $25 in 2002 through a sweetheart deal that I doubt I%26#39;ll ever find again; I played it 3 times, 2x in the early morning).

Don%26#39;t know much about Eagle Creek; in one of his posts, ads had a link to some pictures. Its definitely the newest of the three.

Orlando Area Golf

BTW, you%26#39;re probably aware that ChampionsGate is two Greg Norman courses. Shingle Creek is by a guy named David Harmon who I have not heard of in a national sense; the other course I played by him was ';Magnolia Plantation'; in north Orlando, which was one of the worst courses I ever played, because it was a torture track, plain and simple; Shingle Creek is miles ahead of that one. Can%26#39;t remember who the designer is for Eagle Creek. I understand Eagle Creek is near the airport generally; another one near the airport is NorthShore GC; I%26#39;ve heard good things about it.