VALENCIA GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB (239-352-0777)
Florida Golf Course Review 10/21/06
Valencia Golf Course in Naples is a wonderfully groomed 18-hole championship facility designed by Gordon
Lewis. The properties' unique natural beauty encompasses lush strands of palms, pines and cypress hammock preserves, with abundant lakes helping to provide aesthetics and challenge.
The course is a player friendly design, featuring a front nine that plays through a residential community, along
generous fairways sprinkled with bunkers and gentle mounding. The green complexes on the initial nine are
quite open, affording ample opportunities for low running pitches and chips leading to up & down recoveries. The well conditioned Tif Dwarf putting surfaces are medium in size and very mild in slope.
The back side is more secluded, with thick strands of trees framing nearly every hole. The playing surfaces are more undulating and challenge is greater.
In total, there are 57 soft sand bunkers located greenside or along the landing zones on the fairways, and lakes
or ponds come into play on 10 holes. There are few forced caries however, and all are reasonable in length.
Five sets of tees are provided, affording golfers of all skill levels with an opportunity to choose a set that matches
their game. The tips play to 7145 yards with a 130 slope, with alternate sets measuring in distance and slope
6692 yards/125slope, 6175 yards/119 slope, 5478 yards with a 110 slope for men and 114 for women, and4786 yards with a slope rating of 111 for aldies hitting from the forward tees.
On course yardages are marked on the cart paths and fairways at 100, 150 and 200 yards and 150 yard stakes
are also situated on all par fours and fives. Color coded flags indicate front, middle and back hole locations, and
the tees also have yardage indicators. Practice facilities include a grass range, short game area with sand
bunker plus putting green. There is a pro shop and snack bar with hot/cold sandwiches and beverages on property.
Valencia is a very playable design, though the the numerous water hazards provide enough challenge for scratch
golfers. It starts out with some wide open holes, but changes face on the middle holes. For more info, visit our page for the course, with direct link to their website, by clicking here.
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