ORANGE COUNTY NATIONAL
Golf Center and Lodge (407-656-2626)
Florida Golf Course Review 10/05/03
Overview
Orange County National is the creation of Phil Ritson, a guru and mentor to countless top golf instructors and
professionals and Disney's Director of Golf for several years in the 1980s. The sprawling complex covers 911
acres and includes two 18-hole championship golf courses, and 9-hole short course, a 46-room lodge, and a
clubhouse the features locker rooms with showers, a 5,000 square foot pro shop, Whiskers Restaurant and
lounge (open 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM), and outing/special events facilities. The 43-acre practice facility includes a
360 degree grass range with 600 total spaces and 8 chipping greens, and houses the Phil Ritson Golf Studio. Two large putting greens are also on property.
Panther Lake was opened for public play in 1997, and Crooked Cat in late 1998, with the clubhouse becoming
part of the complex in 1999. Tooth, the 9-hole short layout, is a great addition as it provides a place for
beginners to hone their skills, and is frequented by many parent-sibling couplings - with juniors 17 and under
playing for free when accompanied by a paying adult (the fee is inexpensive and walking is complimentary with
range/practice programs).One of Orange County's claims to fame is that Tiger Woods performed his famous
balancing act (Nike commercial in which he bounced a ball off his iron several times then crushed it 200 yards in
mid-air) on the practice range. Additionally, the late Payne Stewart once called Orange County National "the best public golf course I've ever seen in the U.S."
What draws top golfers to this facility? Well for one thing there is plenty of length. Crooked Cat measures 7277
yards and Panther Lake 7295. Each course has its notable features, with formidable challenges in the form of
marsh lands and water hazards, plentiful fairway and green-side bunkering and mounding, and not-so-subtle
elevation changes that create many uphill and downhill tee shots. Mostly however - it is the beauty of the layouts.
Just as importantly, OCN provides a range of tees on each course, that provides a significant challenge from the
tour tees and back sets, while also stroking the comfort zone for mid to high handicappers (and women) from the
two forward sets. Average golfers will find the green tees to their liking (Crooked Cat 6035, Panther Lake 6298).
The courses are extremely well marked, with 100,150 and 200 yards blocks on the cart paths, as well as in the
middle of the fairways. There are 150-yard stakes on the par fours and fives, strategically located to double as
directional aids. Each tee area also provides measurement information to the center of the green. The GPS that
is standard on all carts provides accurate yardage information from tee to pin. The course conditions were
extremely enjoyable on our early October visit. Fairways, tees and sand bunkers are finely sculpted, and the
sloping greens were large and true rolling. When dry, these putting surfaces (tifdwarf) were quite quick.
REVIEW - PANTHER LAKE
Panther Lake is the initial design at Orange County National, and was chosen as "Top 10 You Can Play" in the U
.S. by Golf Magazine in 1998. Like its sister course Crooked Cat, it has also garnered 4 1/2 stars out of 5 from
Golf Digest Places to Play. The course was features 18 signature holes inspired by worldwide designs, and is
routed through oak hammocks, pines and wetlands with up to 60 feet of elevation changes - not your usual
Florida layout. Numerous strategic options over and around glistening lakes make this a thinker's course -
though at 7,350 yards with a 134 slope rating from the tips, length is just as important. As with the Crooked Cat -
the "member/guest tees at Panther Lake provide average golfers with a nice opportunity to play at their level (6
,298 yards/ 128 slope). The championship tees are a challenge from 6816/132 slope and the forward tees avoid much of the trouble off the tee from 5173 yards/119 slope.
One is struck immediately by the large green complexes, often featuring double tiers - as evidenced in this photo
. Pay attention to the pin placements, or 3 putts may become frequent. Water comes into play on 13 holes, and
wetlands/marsh areas are also scattered about the layout. The diversity of this design is stunning, with abundant
native vegetation featured throughout. The front nine is somewhat flat - while the back is considerably more up
and down in nature. Generous mounds and bunkers can be found all along the layout, and especially near the
often undulating greens. Dave Harman and Isoa Aoki did a great job of incorporating the natural Florida environment into this challenging design.
The opening hole is a long par four, but quite playable - with a shot aimed at the 150-yard stake providing the
best spot from which to approach the double-tiered putting surface. Anywhere on the fairway is good on two. The
approach narrows with water in play on the right about 100 yards out. The par four third is the # 1 handicap. A
stream runs the length of the hole on the left, and crosses in front of the green about 20 yards away. At 414 yards
from the guest/member tees - many golfers will be laying up and hitting a wedge for a possible up and down par.
From the 2 back tees, players must carry a swamp off the tee on the par 3 fourth. Players from the green and red
tees will have the hazard located to their left - there is room for error to the right and also long. The fairway is
ample off the tee on five, but narrows with Cypress trees protecting entrance to the long, narrow putting surface.
Better long than short on six - another par three demanding a carry over swampland. Water hazards come into
play twice on seven. The first must be carried off the tee, and a lake is situated to the left of the fairway and in
front of the green creating a couple of shot options. Hugging the water line shorten the hole but brings the water
more into play. A tee shot hit long right must navigate only the edge of the hazard on the approach. The green
bends 90 degrees left about 50 yards out. A score-able par four with a generous fairway dotted with numerous
bunkers on 8 is followed by a challenging banana shaped finishing hole - a tough four par that bends to the right
around a lake. The fairway narrows considerably near past the 150, creating the likelihood of a mid iron approach over the hazard.
Number ten also bends right, and presents an abundant fairway leading to a well bunkered green complex. It is
short for a par five, but its uphill nature will make it play longer. The eleventh is a challenging par three (number
two handicap - how often do you see that?) that plays over a natural area with a huge bunker guarding the front of
the green. There is some room left of the putting surface, but this hole demands a pretty accurate shot off the tee.
The 12th is a score-able par four that bends left around a tree line, and precedes a hole with a similar shot
shape but with a very undulating putting surface - pay attention to the pin placement here. Fourteen is a gorgeous
par five that reminds me of a similar hole on the "White Witch" golf course in Montego Bay Jamaica. A large
sand trap defines the bend in the fairway off the tee, with a considerable carry needed to reach the top shelf.
From there this long hole (622 from the tips) turns right and leads to a tight green complex guarded by bunkers
on each side and water long. The 15th is a long par three to a raised green with water on the left and bail out
room to the right. There is plenty of fairway on the par four 16th, which also plays to a raised putting surface with
bunkers short and left. Seventeen is the shortest par three of the layout and is the 18th handicap.The tee shot
here is almost all carry over a pond, with room for error long past the double-tiered green. Number 18 is a score
-able par five and a good closing hole that is possible to reach in two from all but the Tour tees.
Panther Lake is a wonderful course with great variety, and will demand your best effort to succeed. With 36 holes
of top quality championship golf at Orange County National, a 9-hole executive layout, 42 acre practice facility,
Phil Ritson Golf Institute, 22,000 square foot clubhouse, 200 seat restaurant and 46 room lodge - this is a golfers
paradise. Corporate outings, meetings, banquets and receptions can be comfortably facilitated here. Orange County National is conveniently located on Highway 545, just northwest of the Disney complex.
Click here to visit the Two Guys Who Golf Detailed Information page with a link to this course's web page (if available).
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