With early signs of fall in the air, we begin to realize that
our New England golf season will soon be over, but not our desire
to seek climates more suited to our passion. And there's no better
place than Florida's Nature Coast and Citrus County.
Approximately 30 minutes southeast of Ocala, thoroughbred horse
country, and located in the middle of Citrus County, are the towns
of Lecanto and Crystal River, just about an hour and 15 minutes
north of Tampa. This area, known as Florida's Nature Coast, is
near the Homosassa and Crystal Rivers. Because of its warm waters
and direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, the Crystal River is
home to herds of manatee, the beloved sea elephants.
Tarpon, described as the world's best fighting fish, are abundant
here as well and attract anglers of all abilities.
Two Boston legends have made this area home, but for very different
reasons. The late Ted Williams retired here because of his love
for fishing and his business interest in Citrus Hills, a nearby
residential community. The Ted Williams Museum in Citrus County
is a shrine to the Splendid Splinter's accomplishments in baseball,
the military, and the outdoors. Here you will find many mementos
of his illustrious career, including art by Leroy Neiman and sculptures
by Armand LaMontagne. The museum is located at 2455 North Citrus
Hills Boulevard (County Road 486) and is open year-round Tuesday
through Sunday. For more information and directions visit www.twmuseum.com.
The other legend to call this area home is Stan Olsen, co-founder
with his brother Ken of the Digital Equipment Corporation. It
is here that they perfected the first interactive computer following
Ken's vision to give a PDP-1 computer to MIT for undergraduate
students to get hands-on experience.
So what does all this have to do with golf? Plenty! It's about
Black Diamond Ranch, Florida's premiere residential golf community,
home to 45 holes of golf that is the vision of Stan Olsen, who
was a friend of fellow member Ted Williams. "I discovered
that I'm a systems engineer," said Olsen. "And a golf
community is, in itself, a system. Everything interacts with one
another."
Olsen discovered Black Diamond Ranch (named after a premium grapefruit)
while on a sailing trip off the Florida coast. He had a vision
for using the 1,320 acres of rolling terrain with some elevation
changes nearing 100 feet to build a residential community with
golf as its centerpiece. (The land's previous owner was concerned
that the deal would fall through if Olsen became aware of the
100-acre abandoned quarry at its center and failed to mention
its existence through negotiations.) Olsen, however, not only
knew about the quarry but also had a plan for how to use it. He
hired one of the best course designers in the country, Tom Fazio.
"I told Tom, you build me the best golf course in the world,
and I will figure out the housing." Olsen said. The rest
is history.
The Quarry Course opened in 1987 and stunned the golf world with
its beauty and challenge. In 1988, Golf Digest named the Quarry
the best new private course in the country and it has remained
on Golf Digest's top 100 list ever since. Golfweek ranked the
Quarry #4 on the list of America's 100 Best Residential Courses,
and the course was ranked #29 in the United States by Golfweek.
The Ranch Course, another Fazio gem, opened in 1997 and again
Golf Digest rated it one of the top 10 new private courses. Since
then Fazio has added a nine-hole Highlands Course, bringing the
total number of holes to 45.
This past January, Golf on Cape Cod was invited to play the Quarry
Course and to experience Black Diamond Ranch first-hand. And what
an experience it was. My tee time was set for 8 a.m. My playing
partner was member Bob Hylen, a former resident of Eastham on
Cape Cod.
There was a chill in the air when we started. The first hole is
a slight dogleg left par 4 that we played at 386 yards - an easy
opener that I played in six shots while shaking off the winter's
rust. Number two was holed in bogey five after hitting my tee
shot into a huge waste area down the left side.
In 1998, Golf Digest named the Quarry the best new private course
in the country and it has remained on Golf Digest's top 100 list
ever since.
HOLE #13 ON THE RANCH COURSE
You stand on the elevated tee 183 yards from the green, catching
your breath, as you look over a huge abyss that crosses in front
of the green and drifts away to the right almost as far as you
can see.
This course requires accurate iron shots into well-guarded greens,
but Fazio gives you ample driving areas. The par 5 ninth hole
is a real test - even at a mere 507 yards. The drive must carry
water and the less water you choose to cross the more the left
side comes into play. Too far left and you have to lay-up on the
right side of the fairway, for trees block a shot at the green.
Your second shot is uphill and onto a very well guarded green
that requires you hit the green - or else! I chose to lay-up and
rely on the wedge. I hit the green, but then three-jacked it for
a six.
As you play along, your mind races ahead in anticipation of the
Quarry holes. What are they really like? Is the hype just that
- only hype? The Quarry holes start at number 13, but there is
no way to explain the feeling when you arrive at the 13th tee.
You stand on the elevated tee 183 yards from the green, catching
your breath, as you look over a huge abyss that crosses in front
of the green and drifts away to the right almost as far as you
can see. The tee shot is eerily similar to the second shot on
number 8 at Pebble Beach. (No surf noise, however.) The hole is
well guarded with bunkers front, right, middle left and back left,
designed to further constrict your swing. As if the abyss alone
wasn't enough. Death to the right is death to a fader, and therefore
my ball landed between the two bunkers on the left. Good chip,
bad putt means bogey.
Number 14, playing around the outer rim of the quarry, is a short
but dangerous par five. Anything left is in the quarry. Two good
shots put me on the fringe putting for eagle. Hooray! Tap-in birdie.
Number 15 is probably the most photographed of the quarry holes
and for good reason. The tee sits about eighty feet above the
fairway. Water runs down the entire left side to a green that
is tucked around the water to the left. It's such a pretty hole
that it is hard to focus on the task at hand. Thus, I hit a driver
deep and left into the lateral water hazard, took a drop, and
fired an eight iron into the lip of a small bunker directly in
front of the flag. I hacked it out and made a double bogey six.
Next time I'll hit a five wood.
The finish to these five magnificent holes is the par three 17th,
204 yards of rugged beauty that demand accuracy. Lateral hazards
parallel both sides of this hole, with yawning grass bunkers on
the right side of the green and quarry walls on the left. Many
a match must turn on this hole. Mercifully, a short uphill par
5, which I birdied, takes you home, thus relieving the sting of
a bogey at #17.
Time would not allow me to play the Ranch Course but, if the conversation
at lunch was any indicator, it too is a pure test of golf at its
finest. If you are thinking at all about buying a fine home in
Florida, make sure you visit and play Black Diamond first (www.blackdiamondranch.com).
Bob Hylen did and never looked back.
After a little exploring, I was pleased to learn that Citrus County
was home to several other public and semi-private golf courses.
One terrific place for visitors to relax and unwind is at the
Plantation Inn and Golf Resort (www.plantationinn.com), located
directly on the Crystal River. This all-inclusive resort offers
scuba diving and snorkeling, boat rentals to explore the Crystal
River and fishing charters. Lighted tennis courts are available
along with 27 holes of championship golf. The inn has 144 rooms
and has seven meeting rooms providing over 8,000 square feet of
meeting space.
The Plantation Inn Golf Club's course was designed in 1957 by
Mark Mahannah, who is better known for his design of Jackaranda
in Fort Lauderdale. Jimmy Brothers, Director of Golf, explained
that the course was designed to be the center of a residential
community, but the development never happened. "This course
has matured as have the trees which make the short opening holes
demanding of accuracy, and the back nine opens up where both accuracy
and length are required," said Brothers. "Our greens
are outstanding, probably the best in the area" he added.
With that in mind, I started my round at 8 a.m., joining two brothers
from South Carolina who were also staying at the inn. Jimmy Brothers'
assessment of the course was right on the money. The front nine
was indeed narrow but not very long, and the greens were excellent,
rolling true and fast. They are also well bunkered, demanding
accurate shots to make par. Typical of Florida resort courses,
there are 14 holes where water is present on this relatively flat
track. What makes it different is the size of the trees lining
the course. They provide you with a feeling that you are playing
a much bigger course, one cut through a forest preserve. My playing
partners and I all agreed that the course was well worth the time
and, at the price of $45, a real deal.
The Plantation Inn is ideally located near several other golf
courses built over the past 10 years, most notably World Woods
Golf Club (www.worldwoods.com) located in Brooksville, just 20
minutes from the inn. This facility boasts two outstanding courses
designed by Tom Fazio. The Pine Barrens course, recently named
Number 1 in Florida, is reminiscent of famed Pine Valley, while
the Rolling Oaks Course is more traditional. The Plantation Inn
offers golf packages with World Woods, El Diablo Golf Club and
The Dunes Golf Club, all located within 30 minutes of the Plantation
Inn.
Florida's Nature Coast, accessible within one hour and 15 minutes
from either Tampa or Orlando airports, continues to provide its
visitors and residents with an abundance of beauty and nature
unspoiled by overdevelopment. With 144 holes of traditional and
modern designed golf, this region will be receiving much more
attention as a golf destination. And most deservedly so.
