COURSE REVIEW
The Cypress golf course at the Grand Club shows off Palm Coast scenery near Jacksonville
By Tim McDonald,
Contributor
PALM COAST, Fla. - The Grand Club's Cypress course, one of three new Landmar and Hampton Golf courses, is curiously light on the cypress. I saw plenty of pine and other hardwoods, but precious little cypress - though there is plenty of swamp.
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Excuse me, I meant to say "protected wetlands." We don't say "swamp" any more.
In any case, the companies bought the courses formerly known as Cypress Knoll, Matanzas Woods and Pine Lakes. They dropped the last names and are now all under the Grand Club umbrella, located in the Belle Terre subdivision in Palm Coast. They're all semiprivate and open to the public.
Hampton now has 11 golf courses in the area, including the three at the Grand Club.
Since the terrain down this way is west of Interstate-95, you won't see any sunny Florida beaches. What you'll get is the low, wet hinterlands of northeast Florida, which is beautiful in its own right.
Elevated tees set you up nicely above the wetlands of the Cypress course, and the Gary Player design takes you through tight, tree-lined fairways, with some love grass and pot bunkers thrown in to please Scottish enthusiasts. Some nice, grass-topped bunkers guard the approaches to some of the greens.
The course plays through a neighborhood, and some of the homes could be considered too close for comfort, but there are large areas of undisturbed, north Florida flora and fauna. A large osprey swooped down on the middle tees 20 yards in front of me to eat some large flying insect, for example.
Some of the long cart rides through the dense growth are lovely, and the natural cart paths are a nice touch.
The Cypress course isn't long, at 6,674 yards from the back tees, and can be easily played from back there. The fairways and landing areas are narrow compared to Matanzas, which is forgiving for big hitters, but if you can subdue your driver reasonably, you can score well here.
Be advised: If you can't reign in your driver, the thick woods can eat up your expensive golf balls.
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The course is relatively flat, though some of the fairways try to show a little movement, and lakes and ponds are scattered throughout. The greens, floradwarf Bermuda grass, are in good shape, and most of them have some subtle and not-so-subtle undulation.
I'm thinking here of No. 6, which slopes to the middle and has a deep declivity on the right side. You'll need a radio and miner's light to get out of there.
The Cypress course throws its roundhouse at you early, with the tougher holes coming at you first, on both nines.
"Numbers one, two and three are your most demanding holes, coming out of the chute," said Head Professional Charles Bisignano.
The Verdict: Cypress course at Grand Club
Don't let the tight fairways fool you. This is a scenic course you can score on if you can stay consistently accurate.
"The course is very picturesque with soft, undulating fairways and greens," Bisignano said. "It calls for placement shots."
That it does, though the large, closely-mown collection areas around the greens give excellent chances at recovery shots if you miss the greens.
The three courses have about 150 members, and they are the only ones allowed to walk, which is a shame because the Cypress, at least, is conducive to walking, if you can avoid the alligators and rattlesnakes.
In late June, the course, which recently re-opened, was in excellent condition.
The Pines course, designed by Arnold Palmer, also recently re-opened after a Palmer re-design. Palmer also did Matanzas, with its rolling fairways and large greens.
The Grand Club has big plans, including a pilots club, equestrian center and river club.
Jacksonville hotels
The Hilton Garden Inn is a good, centrally located place in Jacksonville, the largest city, geographically, in the country. It's right off Butler Blvd., which will whisk you to the beaches or downtown. It has a business center, free in-room high-speed Internet, whirlpool and a fitness center. The rooms have microwaves and small refrigerators.
September 5, 2007
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
