LAKE JOVITA GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB (352-588-9200)
Florida Golf Course Review 11/20/06
General information
The Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club is an award winning 36-hole resort complex featuring championship
courses designed by Tom Lehman and Kurt Sandness. The golf facilities are part of a resort complex that
features privately owned 3-bedroom/2-bath villas overlooking the green of the north course (available to the
public for stay and play packages), fine dining, state of the art Har-Tru clay tennis courts, a fitness center and a
junior Olympic sized swimming pool. For more info on the resort and stay & play packages, visit the properties' website by clicking here.
The property is located in Dade City near Zephyrhills, a 30-minute drive north of Tampa and 70 miles from the
Orlando attraction area. The golf facilities/courses have earned many acclaims including Top Ten New Upscale
Courses in the US (upon opening - by Golf Digest), and Best Overall Course in Florida by Florida Golf Central. Lake Jovita recently hosted the 2nd stage of Q school for the PGA Tour!
On property is a beautiful 32,000 square foot Mediterranean themed clubhouse, perched on a hill with a
verandah that overlooks the ninth and eighteenth greens. Facilities include wonderfully appointed locker rooms
with showers for men and women, a beautiful pro shop, and full service restaurant with lounge area. Golfers can
enjoy the 15 acre practice facility that features a targeted grass range, short game area with sand bunkers, and a one acre putting green, with separate facilities for private lessons.
Both courses have 100, 150 and 200 markers on cart paths plus sprinkler heads that are measured to the center
of the green. There also are white 150 yard markers on the fairways of all par furs and fives. Scorecards provide
info on the rotating pin placements, and each golfer receives a complimentary course diagram booklet, with
valuable information and tips on how best to approach each hole. Rear covers are standard on all carts, providing protection for clubs during inclement weather.
NORTH COURSE
The photos in this review are of the resort facilities and of the North Course, which was closed for over
-seeding/maintenance on our mid-November visit. This limited our number of photo opportunities, but the
images included here provide a good overview of the course design. The South Course has five sets of tee
boxes, playing to distances and slopes 7226 yards/134 slope, 6863 yards/131 slope, 6299 yards/124 slope,
5489 yards/115 slope for men and 112 for women, and 5184 yards with a slope rating of 117 for ladies playing from the forward tees.
The front nine of the North Course is fairly wide open, with some significant elevation changes along fairways
that are usually defined by mounding on one or both sides. The par three fourth is a particularly stunning golf hole,
playing downhill to an undulating green protected by water to the left and front. The back side is more wooded,
especially on the first 4 holes. Number 17 is another beautiful par three that plays from an elevated tee, with a
pond and three sand traps highlighting the green complex. There are 89 soft sand bunkers on this layout,
situated greenside or along the landing zones off the tee. Water comes into play on 13 holes in the form of lakes
and ponds or marsh areas. Many of these hazards are located along the perimeters, or present reasonable carries off the tees.
The North Course is a bit longer, but is probably the easier of the two layouts. Golfers will generally find level lies
on the wide fairways. There is enough challenge with the plentiful bunkers and water hazards, plus elevation
changes - to challenge the skills of top level players. Both courses are open for public play, but we encourage
you to take advantage of the luxurious accommodations and enjoy the other amenities Lake Jovita has to offer in
their stay and play packages. This is a first class golfing experience! For more info, visit our page fore the course, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
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