Southern Dunes in Florida an unexpected work of golf art
Released on = June 24, 2007, 11:52 am
Press Release Author = GolfPublisher Syndications
Industry = Media
Press Release Summary = Southern Dunes in Florida a lesson in golf course design. Course reviews at WorldGolf.com
Press Release Body = By Tim McDonald, National Golf Editor, Golf Publisher Syndications
An easy drive from Orlando, Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club in Haines City is like finding the Mona Lisa in a trailer park: It\'s a strikingly imaginative Steve Smyers-designed golf course that ranks among the best in Florida golf.
HAINES CITY, Fla. - The incongruity is striking. Smack-dab in the middle of yet another cookie-cutter Florida development lies one of the most imaginative golf courses in the Sunshine State, if not the country.
Playing Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club is like coming upon the Mona Lisa in a trailer park. Try to ignore the identical screened porches and swimming pools yards from the course; they\'ll only suck the authenticity out of this work of art.
In contrast to the Modern Bland surroundings, the course terrain is classic circa-\'50s Central Florida, and Steve Smyers\' design reflects the influence of the legendary golf architects of the 1920s and \'30s, who emphasized risk/reward strategy, creative shot-making and bold visual flourishes
Take the eye-catching bunkers - all 180 of them. Filled with red sand, they come in every imaginable shape and size yet never seem overstated. Smyers didn\'t just put them off to the side, or at the corners of doglegs; they\'re an integral part of the course\'s feel.
\"I\'ve seen a lot of courses built within the last 10 years that probably have more square footage of bunkers . but they are off to the side, and don\'t have the visual or psychological appeal that our bunkers have,\" Smyers told course-architecture Web site GolfClubAtlas.com.
\"Everything has to be in context with one another, the shapes and patterns all have to relate to the topography and the vegetation and the wind and the sunlight.\"
Of course, not everyone appreciates all this high art. I mean, a bunker is a bunker.
\"We had a guy this morning quit after four holes,\" Southern Dunes cart attendant Kyle Crosthwaite said. \"He was really frustrated. Didn\'t even wait for his ride. He just walked off.\"
Southern Dunes has plenty of bunkers, but you\'ll notice no water. Smyers is a big fan of the recovery shot, so you will find no man-made lakes or ponds to artificially pretty up the layout.
There are tall grasses and ornamentals marking the borders of fairways and growing out of many of the bunkers, though, which give the course a bit of a Scottish-golf feel
For more details visit - http://www.worldgolf.com/course-reviews/florida/inside-southern-dunes-in-central-florida-great-design-5421.htm
June 22, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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