As Florida golf courses go, Forest Lake is an anomaly. Oh sure, it has all the trappings of your typical Florida daily fee golf facility: pristine, natural lakes, a wide variety of Florida flora and fauna, gently rolling fairways and large undulating greens. But what sets Forest Lake apart from other courses in the Orlando area is the homes – or in this case, the lack thereof. It is a true Parkland golf experience. Forest Lake is located in Ocoee, FL, and sits on over 218 acres of Central Florida’s ridge area, which provided the golf course design firm of…
Author: David Theoret
David Theoret
The Golfin’ Guy aka David (or Dave, but never Davey) Theoret grew up in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, where it was naturally assumed he would play hockey. Beginning at the age of 3 and continuing into his late 30's, he did just that. However, after one too many pucks to the head, he realized that golf was a lot easier on the body and took the game up. Whoever said hockey players were slow? Since that time, golf has become his passion – just ask Belinda. From 2003 until 2009, David ran the sales and marketing department of TravelGolf Media and took his team to over $1M in annual advertising revenue. While at TravelGolf, an editor told him he had a flair for writing and the lightbulb came on. He started writing articles about anything golf related: courses, destinations, resorts, shoes, apparel, equipment and training aids and sending them to websites and magazines. At first, his articles were picked up by a few golf websites and magazines, but the number steadily grew – enough that he could call it a career. Most days he’s on a course somewhere, either working or playing. Actually, to him playing IS work. Occasionally you’ll find him on the practice range reinforcing bad habits. David plays to a 12 handicap - unless there is money involved in which case it goes considerably higher. He currently resides in Fairfield Glade, TN with his wife Belinda and their two "kids," Duncan and Paisley.
Should you, an avid golfer, find yourself in the Greensboro, NC area during golf season- which according to Bryan Park General Manager and Director of Golf Kyle Kolls is all year – you need to book a round on the Champions Course at Bryan Park Golf Club. Bryan Park Golf Club is a 36-hole facility. The Players Course opened in 1974 and was originally designed by George Cobb. Rees Jones did a major redesign of the course in 1988. The Champions Course opened in 1990 and is 100% Rees Jones; it has quickly become one of his best works. With seven holes…
Harbor Club on Lake Oconee opened over 25 years ago and is still receiving high praise from golfers, writers and magazines alike. In fact, Harbor Club has been given 4½ out of 5 stars by Golf Digest as a “Best Places to Play” for the past 3 years running. Earlier this year, Golfweek Magazine rated Harbor Club #3 on its State-by-State list of Best Courses You Can Play in the State of Georgia. With six sets of tees, Harbor Club offers a suitable distance for every caliber of golfer. The course measures 7,048 yards from the tips with a course rating of…
Brown Golf is a golf course management company on the rise and from what I can see, they do things right. I’ve encountered a number of companies that come in and take over respectable, well maintained facilities, syphon off all the cash, let the golf course and facilities slide down the tubes and leave them as barren as a caterpillar on a milkweed plant. One such company in Orlando, FL, recently closed their doors out of the blue, leaving several high-profile golf and country clubs in the lurch. Brown Golf manages 6 facilities in the Bluffton/Hilton Head area: Island West,…
Within the gates of University Park Country Club in Sarasota FL sits 27 holes of championship golf that will test even the best of players. Each layout was designed by Ron Garl and can be played in three different combinations, offering members a wide variety of golf holes. University Park opened in 1996 and has been rated 4-stars by Golf Digest in their Places to Play. This semi-private facility offers both memberships and daily fee rates, so it is accessible to anyone who wants to accept the challenge. A community that was once referred to by the Association of Home…
The Waccamaw Golf Trail is located at the south end of The Myrtle Beach Grand Strand and includes a dozen of the area’s very best courses. In fact, this collection of courses has garnered more awards than any other comparable golf trail in America. Most of the courses are built on 18th Century rice and indigo plantations, and their routing is often dictated by centuries-old moss-draped oak trees and gently flowing tidal rivers. Here you’ll find courses designed by some of the top names in the game, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Dan Maples, Ron Garl, and the late Mike…
When it comes to planning a vacation, Alabama isn’t usually at the top of the list. Golfers however may have a slightly different point of view. After all, the state is home to several high quality golf courses managed by Honours Golf as well as The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the Holy Grail of golf to many a golfer in the US. I recently had the opportunity to travel to Alabama and visit some of their top golf courses. Being from Florida, I’m used to flat terrain, and lots of palm trees, sand and water. What I found in…
If you didn’t know better, you’d swear that The Golf Club at Wescott Plantation was a private club. Look around the property as you drive in – nothing is out of place. The southern plantation-style clubhouse with its wrap-around verandah is always immaculate. The pro shop stocks all the latest equipment and apparel from such names as Titleist, Under Armour and FootJoy and the Wescott Bar and grill offers up some exceptional menu items in a town noted for its culinary prowess; dishes you would expect to find at a private facility. The truth is that this Michael Hurdzan-designed facility…
Tucked away about 35 minutes north of Orlando, FL is a spectacular Central Florida resort that features an outstanding full-service spa, 4 restaurants and 2 top-notch golf courses. It’s the perfect location for a guy’s golf vacation, a girls’ spa weekend or a romantic getaway with that special someone. Mission Inn features distinctive Spanish Colonial architecture and luxurious amenities. There are 176 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom accommodations housed in three separate – but connected – buildings: “San Miguel”, “San Diego” and “San Angel”. All rooms are tastefully appointed with large, flat screen TVs, coffeemakers and well equipped work areas. As…
The Beau Rivage Golf & Resort is like no other golf course – or resort for that matter – in the Carolinas. Sure, you can find plenty of courses in the state with fairways framed by towering Carolina pine trees. And there are several resorts that feature lush, Bermuda fairways leading to TifEagle greens. Or maybe it’s that the course drains better than any other course in the area. It has never been closed due to rain, in fact their motto is “Never Cart Path Only.” I think it’s the way the resort is run. Resort Beau Rivage is a…