COURSE REVIEW
Diamondback Golf Club near Orlando: Stow the driver, use your noggin
By Tim McDonald,
Contributor
HAINES CITY, Fla. (March 27, 2007) — You might play Diamondback Golf Club the first time with your driver out. The next time you play the golf course, you'll leave it in the bag with the cover tightly sealed with duct tape.
Better yet, leave it in your car. Better yet, leave it at home. You might want to consider putting it in a safe deposit box.
Diamondback is a parkland course set out in the wide, empty spaces of rural Polk County, southwest of Orlando. But the course squeezes itself into these wide-open spaces, with its tight, narrow, tree-lined fairways with tiny, itty-bitty, shifting, hard-to-hit landing areas.
The first time you play it, you will lose many golf balls, unless you're Fred Funk or a laser-guided smart bomb.
"This is a course-management course," said Brian Whitaker, who has played it many times. "It's not a smack it as far as you can and go find it course."
If you do smack it, you will not find it, if you're a little wayward. The fairways are bordered by the sort of thick growth familiar in the undeveloped parts of central Florida. Then there is the matter of the course's namesake, the diamondback rattler. What I'm saying is bring plenty of golf balls if you plan to use the big stick.
That being said, it can be a very fun course, if you can manage to tone down your manhood and use the little sticks. You have to think, you have play smart and you have to plan for the future.
"You really have to know your pin placements," Whitaker said. "These holes really make you think — what club do I want to hit for my next shot?"
Designed by Joe Lee, the course was carved out of 240 acres of virgin Florida forest about 30 minutes from Disney World. It has interesting terrain, from naturally swampy area to sandy, rolling hills. Since it's set out in the sticks, there are few homes to mar the ambience, though there is talk the new owners may build houses or condos.
It's 6,805 yards from the back tees with a slope rating of 138, though the middle tees are 6,359 yards with a slope of 132. The shortest tees are 5,061 yards.
Lee put together an interesting layout, with a lot of risk-reward doglegs with intimidating obstacles at the corners.
The greens are average-sized and many are multi-tiered with some having up to three and even four different levels. They have some challenging undulation and slope.
Diamondback Golf Club: The verdict
Diamondback is a fun play if you're not the type who absolutely must use driver, though the back nine is more open than the front.
A number of holes will test your skills, particularly the last stretch. No. 14 is a mid-length par 4, uphill off the tee, and No. 15 is a 414-yard par 4 dogleg right; if you can carry the trees at the corner, you'll get a nice roll and easy wedge in. Your second shot is downhill with a collection area front of the two-tiered green.
No. 16 is a mid-length par 5 with an uncharacteristically wide fairway, No. 17 is a par 3 with a multi-level green and No. 18 is an excellent closing hole. It's a 441-yard par 4 with a waterfall off to the left, beyond a canal that runs the length of the hole, to another multi-level green.
Oddly, the course still has no permanent clubhouse.
Lakeland hotels
The Holiday Inn on Florida Ave. is a good place to base a visit to Lakeland, if you want to explore Polk County's golf courses. It's a central location, with easy access to I-4 and other main arteries.
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If you happen to come during spring training time, expect to see a lot of Michigan plates; Lakeland is the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers, and the motel isn't far from Joker Marchant Stadium.
It's a two-story hotel, with 171 rooms with a free continental breakfast and an Italian restaurant, La Dolce Vita.
There is a bar, fitness center, outdoor pool and whirlpool. With its central location, there are a variety of restaurants nearby, and downtown is located only a few blocks away.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
