It’s getting to be that time of year again, the time of year when all eyes in the golfing world stare directly at Augusta, GA and the PGA Tour’s first major of the season. Augusta, GA is certainly a well-known golf destination. Outside of that course that very few will ever have the privilege of playing, there are a number of great local tracks that the public does have access to. One of these courses is Forest Hills Golf Course, an 18-hole Donald Ross masterpiece that has been repeatedly named “Best Public Course” by Augusta Magazine. Ross designed Forest Hills…
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.
If you’re looking for some of the best golf between Ocala and Daytona, there is no better choice than Black Bear in Eustis. Black Bear is a P.B. Dye design and from the looks of it, his father would be proud. What it lacks in Pete Dye trademark railroad tie bunkers and risk reward carry-the-water holes, it makes up for in fairway bunkers and difficult greenside bunkers many of them nestled into the surrounding mounds. In all, there are over 120 bunkers throughout the layout. Over the years, Black Bear has served as a qualifier for the Florida USGA Publinks…
The Southwest Florida area – specifically Ft. Myers to Naples – is chock full of great golf courses. Many of them are open to the public – some only by means of a “stay and play” package, others you simply pat a daily fee. But the best conditioned courses seem to be the ones that are often behind privacy fences and security gates. I’m talking about “bundled” communities, the type of community where belonging to the club – or at least purchasing a membership – is required by all homeowners. Naples is rife with them; they seem to make up…
Red, Black and Blue. It could describe an MMA fighter after a title bout, or it could be used to illustrate the most appealing triumvirate of golf courses in the state of Florida. This color combination can only be found at Streamsong Resort. For golfers not familiar with the property – if there is such a person – Streamsong opened its doors in December 2012, with two non-traditional Florida golf courses. I say non-traditional because you won’t find many palm trees here; water, another staple to Florida golf, is minimalized. Streamsong Red, designed by Coore & Crenshaw and Streamsong Blue,…
River Club is a Tom Jackson creation that has been delighting – and frustrating – golfers in the Myrtle Beach area since it opened in 1985. Over the years, it has received numerous accolades, including 4.5 Stars from Golf Digest’s “Places to Play”, and having two holes named to the Myrtle Beach Sun News’ 100 Greatest Golf Holes Along the Grand Strand; the 14th and 18th. More on those two holes later. River Club is located in Pawleys Island, about 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach and exemplifies everything Lowcountry golf is about. Built on the site of a former…
Over the past several years, the Panama City Beach area has really cleaned up its act. No longer is it college’s spring destination for uninhibited college kids. The real estate market is booming, area businesses are rebounding nicely, and the hotel industry is once again beginning to flourish. All is good in Florida’s panhandle. And all is good at the Sheraton Bay Point Resort – Panama City Beach’s premier golf destination. The resort is situated on historic St. Andrews Bay and is a perfect getaway destination for couples, families and golfers. Yes, golfers. The property, which is home to 36…
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…
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,…