COURSE
REVIEWS
Ponte Vedra Inn and Club: Going Back in Time with the Lagoon Course
by Derek Duncan, Senior Writer
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL -- It’s nowhere near as old as its sibling course, but the Lagoon Course at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club still predates any other golf courses in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Nine of its holes date back to 1961 when Robert Trent Jones added them just west of the sixth through ninth holes of the old Ocean Course, which he had revised in 1947. In 1977, Joe Lee was brought in to add another Lagoon nine, giving the resort 36 holes in two distinct courses.
The Lagoon and Ocean courses possess many differences, differences that were further delineated after Bobby Weed renovated the older course in 1998. Most evident is the Lagoon’s lack of length, playing at just under 5,600 yards from its longest tees. It also occupies the interior portion of the property, away from the Atlantic atmosphere and breezes.
The original Trent Jones nine shares common ground with the first
nine of the Ocean
Course and mirrors its interplay with the lakes and canals.
The complexion of the second nine, a tight and thrifty use of
land by Lee, is different, better utilizing the lush vegetation
and showing a greater variety in its holes.
At first glance the Lagoon seems like simply a reprieve to the challenges of the revamped Ocean Course. Most members head over here when not in the mood for the full test that the bigger, older course provides.
Head Professional Bruce Mohler puts it this way: “We’ve got an extremely difficult golf course depending on the tees you’re playing (the Ocean Course), and to compliment that we’ve got more of a ‘target golf’ golf course. You can go out there if you’re a beginner and not spend 10 minutes on one hole putting or chipping back and forth if you don’t have the skill or experience.”
“We’ve got a foursome of 90-year-old men that come out here three days a week to play golf,” Mohler continues. “They don’t hit the ball very far but they play fast and they enjoy it and they love the Lagoon Course. They won’t even mess with the Ocean Course.”
Yet Mohler cautions
that the little
course is not
quite the pushover
it may appear
to be. “Some
people look
on the card
and see that
it’s 5,600
yards and think
it’s a
pitch-and-putt
course. But
it’s position
golf. If you
get out of six,
seven, eight,
and nine near
par, you did
great.”
The Lagoon course will particularly test those with loose swings. Holes three through seven, eleven, thirteen, and fifteen threaten with water short of the tee or to the right, while the eighth and sixteenth show the same hazard on the left.
In contrast to the new, rambling greens of the Ocean Course, the putting surfaces on the Lagoon Course are dainty and slower. The green at the 15th, a go-for-broke dogleg right par four of 294 yards, is a mere 10 paces wide and 17 paces deep. These tiny targets are frequently fronted by steep bunkers, so less than the boldest of approaches must pick one side or the other to play to.
|
The interest really picks up on the second nine that starts with back-to-back par fives, followed by back-to-back par threes and then another five. The quick pace continues with two reachable par fours at 15 and 16. The only weak link from the sixth hole on is the typical 18th, a 335-yard dogleg left that lacks any real character.
Nevertheless, changes are on the horizon as the Ponte Vedra Inn plans to renovate the Lagoon Course in the next several years. Though an architect has yet to be named, the Inn would like to see the greens reshaped and the course lengthened to at least 6,000 yards. Additionally, the outdated grass (which is still wonderfully maintained) will also have to be replaced.
In the meantime
Mohler says
he’s happy
with the role
the Lagoon Course
plays. “It
offers the experience
of ‘I’m
out here to
enjoy the outdoors,
to relax, to
have fun with
my family or
friend or business
companion,’
versus the golfer
who says ‘I’m
here to play
a tough golf
course, I’m
here to focus
and concentrate.’”
Weed hopes to have a chance to do to the Lagoon what he did to the older course. “It might be able to compliment the Ocean Course,” he says, “which can be a lot of golf.”
Ponte Vedra Inn & Club: Lagoon Course
200 Ponte Vedra
Blvd.
Ponte Vedra
Beach, FL 32082
Phone: (904)285-1111
800-234-7842
www.pvresorts.com
Vitals
Opened: First
nine, 1961;
Second nine,
1977
Architects:
Robert Trent
Jones (1961);
Joe Lee (1977)
Length: 5,574;
5,239; 4,571
Par: 34-36-70
|
