 LAKE JOVITA GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB (352-588-9200)
Florida Golf Course Review
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.
SOUTH COURSE
The photos in this review are of the South Course, which presents five sets of tee boxes, playing to distances and slopes measuring 7153 yards/136 slope, 6690 yards/133 slope,
6206 yards/123 slope, 5603 yards/114 slope for men and 130 for women, and 5145 yards with a slope of 121 for ladies hitting from the forward tees. This course is very
challenging from the two back tees, yet playable for mid to high handicappers from the three front tees.
There are some interesting doglegs framed by trees or ponds, and there are also some significant elevation changes from tee to green on several holes. The terrain is rolling, and
fairways are quite generous, though most are tree lined. The layout meanders through a very upscale residential community, with the homes far removed from the playing surfaces
. The putting surfaces are large and sloping, with bunkers and mounding often part of the green complexes. The ninth and eighteenth are two great finishing holes - with the 9th
bending to the right around a lake, while the 18th doglegs right to left around the same water hazard, leading to the clubhouse. A good sand game is required to score well here -
as 125 bunkers are situated about the course. Water comes into play in the form of ponds or natural areas (usually landscaped with pampas), on 12 of the holes.
This is a gorgeous golf course with unique topography and excellent conditioning, and is certainly worth the drive. Better yet, if you have a few days, 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 golf experience! For more info, visit our page fore the
course, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
For the Two Guys Who Golf pictorial review of the North Course - click here.
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