ChampionsGate Golf Club – National Course

1400 Masters Blvd
Davenport, FL 33896
http://www.championsgategolf.com
888-558-9301

ChampionsGate Golf Course - International Course

An impressive American style course in the best traditions of modern U.S. golf course design.
Golfers will long remember the memorable par 3 holes, awesome bunkering, and daunting tee shots.
Definitely a treat for golfers who enjoy the opportunity to use every club in their bag and play every type of shot.

With four sets of tees, Golfers of all abilities will be able to play from a distance that suits their game.  The Par 72 ChampionsGate National Golf Course measures 7,128 yards from the blacks, with a demanding rating of 75.1 and a slope of 133. The remaining pin placements are blues at 6427/126 slope, the whites at 5937 /124, and the golds at 5150/111.  (Interactive course tour at the bottom of this page)

Besides the complimentary GPS on all carts, The National course also provides yardage blocks at 100/150/200, marked sprinkler heads and tees, and daily pin placement information.

The classic American parkland course design has 18 contiguous holes that wind through 200 acres of secluded woodlands, wetlands, and former orange groves. With its lush fairways and greens, and the stunning natural beauty integrated into the design by Greg Norman, playing the National Golf Course is truly an Orlando golf adventure.

The National Course at ChampionsGate features gently sweeping fairways, 80 sculpted bunkers, greens maintained in tour condition, clever doglegs and scenic water hazards. Water comes into play on many holes, but few forced carries means that this layout can be maneuvered by all levels of players. The sharply framed golf holes end up on smaller greens, making it a shot maker’s delight. Wayward shots will quickly unravel your round.

The par-4 fifth hole is typical of challenges facing the golfer. At just 323 yards from the black tees (311 from the blues) long hitters are tempted to take a shot at the green. However, there is trouble everywhere – wetlands that you have to carry and that run down the entire left side of this dogleg left; large bunkers on the right with ball-gobbling trees right of the bunkers. If you are playing in a scramble, hit a safe hybrid or long iron, then have your big hitter go for it.

The National Course has one of the best finishing stretches in the Orlando area. The par-3 14 is a short, but intimidating shot over wetlands – and is known to “eat” over 15,000 balls annually.

While 16 is short, 17 is a long par 5. This difficult dogleg-left measures 636 yards from the back tees and follows a lake all the way to the green. Scoring a par requires hitting three very good long iron shots.

The finishing hole is a 451-yard par 4 dogleg around a lake. Bunkers to the left, and water right of the green make the long approach visually intimidating – a real test to finish the round.

The consensus is that the National Course is the easier of the two Greg Norman designed layouts – we think that’s debatable.  Both ChampionsGate National and International Golf courses have received high honors from Golf Digest, Golf Week and the Zagat Golf Guide.  We know you will remember the National Golf Course for its secluded setting, testing par 3 holes, and impeccably maintained fairways and greens

ChampionsGate Golf Club – International

1400 Masters Blvd
Davenport, FL 33896
http://www.championsgategolf.com
888-558-9301

ChampionsGate Golf Course - International Course

The style of this unique course will be familiar to those who have played the great old courses of Scotland and Ireland. The International Course offers hard, fast fairways and bunkers that could have been shaped by the winds off the North Sea.

Truly one of America’s most distinctive golf challenges. It also boasts the highest course rating in the state of Florida at 76.8.

Measuring a lengthy 7,363 yards from the blacks, ChampionsGate International has the highest course rating in Florida, boasting a challenging 76.3 and a slope of 143. The remaining pin placements are blues at 6793/137 slope, the whites at 6239/132 and the golds at 5618/118. (Interactive course tour at bottom of page)

The golf course follows a classical pattern of two out-and-back loops of nine holes, has the look and feel of a links-style layout in the British Isles – except for the addition of water hazards. The International was designed, constructed and seeded to offer a hard, fast playing surface similar to those found on true links courses.

The golf course features high-side dunes, planted with swirling grasses that grow down literally into the banks of the hazards and to just paces off the fairway. Scattered throughout the course are randomly placed pot bunkers – over 160 in all. Miss hit shots can frequently lead to difficult lies in thick grass in the wind swept dunes, or out of tricky pot bunkers. The Greg Norman designed course rolls its way through Central Florida Wetlands, adding both beauty and challenges to the round. Welcome to Orlando Links Golf.

There are consequences for missing the fairways, but there’s also plenty of room to drive the ball with wide, reachable fairways. Players able to shape shots will be rewarded, but shaping is not a priority – club selection is. The proper way to approach the course is where is the best located to miss?

The green complexes are always in excellent tournament playing conditions. Green sizes and shapes vary greatly and most golfers will continually find themselves off the putting surface wondering how to navigate the bumps and steep slopes to get the ball back on.

The par-5 third hole is recognized as one of Orlando’s best. The hole calls for a long diagonal drive across wetlands and between hazard-laced dunes. The next two shots require tricky position shots to dodge high dunes, pot bunkers, and more water hazards protecting the front of the green. A par is considered a good score on this tricky hole.

After a long and broad four-par at Thirteen comes one of the most difficult par-3’s in the region. Downhill, but tipping out at over 230 yards from the black tees, the shallow but raised green in the middle befuddles golfers with tricky undulations. A deep solo pot bunker protects the green’s front, and grabs most short hits.

The 455-yard par-4 Fifteenth might be the strongest hole on the course, with two fairway bunkers as lateral hazards along the left to content with off the tee box. The approach must carry the water hazard short and left of a shallow, raised green that falls away on all sides.

During the first weekend of December, the greatest collection of Major winners ever assembled competes in the Father Son Challenge. During that weekend you could catch Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, VJ Singh, Bernard Langer, Larry Nelson and other Major winners compete with there sons to win the prestigious for the Willie Park Trophy. The ChampionsGate International Golf Course is truly where the champions play.

The International, with 18 of the most dramatic and challenging holes in Florida, is destined to rank among the top resort courses in the country, and has been honorably mentioned in Golf Magazine’s ’10 Most Distinctive Places to Play’

Ridgewood Lakes Golf Country Club

Ridgewood Lakes Golf Country Club

200 Eagle Ridge Dr
Davenport, FL 33837-4515
http://www.ridgewoodlakesgolf.com
863 424 8688

Our Ted McAnlis-designed layout has a well-deserved top reputation among golfers, many of who return to play time after time. Find what other golfers have been enjoying since 1994.

Both nines at Ridgewood Lakes feature strategically placed hazards and fairways framed by sparkling white sand bunkers. Par-4 and par-5 holes have generous landing areas, each of which are plainly visible form the tee.

Golfers appreciate Ridgewood is not one of those courses with “gimmicks” or hidden trouble; just a great layout made for an enjoyable golfing experience.

Ridgewood Lakes’ greens are among the finest of any Orlando-area golf course meticulously maintained by the grounds crew staff which each year goes to the time and expense of over-seeding the entire course to ensure peak playing conditions during the entire winter season.

The Ridgewood Lakes course is “user-friendly” for ladies and seniors too. Only one hole a forced carry over water in front of the green with every other allowing players room to run the ball onto the putting surface from the fairway.

Perhaps the best way to describe the high regard that Ridgewood Lakes is held is in addition to the numerous golfers who have come back many times to play, Ridgewood is a host venue for several of the Orlando area professional golf mini-tours achieving consistent rave reviews from these budding tour players.

Among the many memorable holes at Ridgewood Lakes, golfers often talk about the par-3 fifteenth, Ridgewood’s signature hole playing to 185-yards from the back tees and 122-yards from the most forward tees. The view from the elevated tee is striking; a sloped green situated between greenside bunkers with a large pond to the left. Depending on the pin location and direction of the wind the club needed to “hit it close” may vary from a mid-iron to a wood and three is always a good score on the fifteenth.

Visitors may also take advantage of Ridgewood Lakes superlative practice facility. Many golfers use it  for both pre-round warmup and longer sessions improving their swing. The range area also has a large bunker and chipping area reserved especially to hone your short game in addition to a practice putting green.

Events for groups of up to 150 players are a Ridgewood Lakes specialty with outings packages tailored for every need. Should you like information on the many outing options available or for tee times call 863-424-8688.