Great Golf Magazine Sep/Oct 2017 September October 2017 | Página 72

Florida.qxp_St Enodoc 28.09.2016 13.15 Side 7

Gasparilla Inn & Club

There’s time for golf on the resort’s nine-hole Captiva Course,
which skirts a white-sand beach and the clear, blue Gulf of Mexico
waters. It may only be a par 3 course, but it’s a stunner – and we
even spot manatees just offshore. The day is capped by an amazing
sunset from the beach and harbourside dinner.
Nature calls once more the next day. Driving to Sanibel Island,
we play The Dunes course. At just 5,500 yards, it is short. But
the ever-present water makes for tactical golf on the front nine
while the back nine plays through an Audubon-certified wildlife
preserve, with alligators, nesting bald eagles and hunting ospreys
among the resident wildlife.
A MUST PLAY COURSE. Our final golfing stop is another natural

wilderness – Old Corkscrew Golf Club, a signature Jack Nicklaus
course set in 275 acres of thickly-wooded natural preserve. I had
turned up to play the course on a previous visit, only to find it
flooded from torrential overnight rain. So I am excited about
finally playing it.
For 13 holes, Old Corkscrew lives up to its billing as one of
Florida’s must-play courses, with sculpted fairways, subtle greens
and challenging hazards. Until a storm that has been brewing
suddenly erupts with Armageddon-like fury. We shelter for almost
two hours as torrents of rain turn buggy paths into rivers and
forked lightning strikes nearby trees. After it passes, we return to
the clubhouse, the course now unplayable. One day I will play all
18 holes!
More drama unfolds after I take the wheel for the return
journey to Sanford Airport, when a front tyre punctures on
Interstate 4. We discover there is no jack for the spare wheel so
we are marooned, with trucks thundering past dangerously close.
Thankfully, a Road Ranger patrolman comes to our rescue after
an hour and we are soon on our way, making our flight home just
in time.
STREAMSONG. On our final leg, we pass agonisingly close to
Streamsong, a luxury golf resort carved out of a long-derelict
phosphate mine, but have no time to divert. R eturning to Florida
several months later, this time I fit in a visit. Ultra-modern hotel
and clubhouse buildings look out over two top-rated courses that
are like Scottish links draped over pock-marked dunes – but transplanted to Florida with lakes teeming with turtles and huge,
cruising alligators.
I play the Tom Doak-designed Blue Course (the Red Course is
72

GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE

by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw while a third, by Olympic course
architect Gil Hanse, opens in late 2017) and am having one of
the rounds of my life on a truly magnificent layout, when
ominous black clouds appear. After driving off on the 13th, the
lightning hooter sounds and my caddy tells me we have to return
to the clubhouse. Once again, a round is thwarted by the weather.
If planning my own Florida coast-to-coast golf trip, I would
include Streamsong, with time to play both courses. I would also
make it 10 days or longer, and I would tee off in the mornings to
avoid Florida’s frequent afternoon thunderstorms…
GGM
GOOD TO KNOW
GETTING THERE/GETTING AROUND
Direct daily flights are operated from London and regional UK airports to
Orlando International and Orlando Sanford airports by several airlines.
Rental cars from all the major companies are available at both airports.
WHERE TO STAY AND PLAY
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa www.sawgrassmarriott.com
Ponte Vedra Inn & Club www.pontevedra.com/inn_and_club
World Golf Village www.golfwgv.com
Reunion Resort www.reunionresort.com
Harmony Golf Preserve www.harmonygolfpreserve.com
ChampionsGate www.championsgategolf.com
Gasparilla Inn & Club www.gasparillainn.com
South Seas Island Resort www.southseas.com
The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club www.dunesgolfsanibel.com
Old Corkscrew Golf Club www.oldcorkscrew.com
Streamsong Resort www.streamsongresort.com
WHAT TO DO
Castillo de San Marcos, St Augustine www.nps.gov/casa
St Augustine Distillery www.staugustinedistillery.com
Wild Florida Airboat & Wildlife Park http://wildfloridairboats.com
Captiva Cruises www.captivacruises.com
Mucky Duck pub, Captiva www.muckyduck.com
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille www.docfordscaptiva.com
TOURIST INFORMATION
Visit Florida www.visitflorida.com
St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches VCB
www.floridashistoriccoast.com
Florida’s First Coast of Golf www.florida-golf.org
Experience Kissimmee www.experiencekissimmee.com
The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel www.fortmyers-sanibel.com
Visit Central Florida https://visitcentralflorida.org