Off the Fringe, “Golf’s best short read.” The award winning newsletter, sent twice monthly, that provides an unconventional perspective on the golf world.
Fred Watson
Kissimmee
2011-03-17
$101 (cart included), played on Monday, March 2011 at 6am
Mystic Dunes is a poorly designed, tricked-out, gimmicky course that was in terrible condition when we played in March 2011.
Gary Koch should be embarrassed as the designer. The most problematic and annoying feature of the course is the greens. Most of the greens were either small and domed or large with ridiculously tiering. Some of the greens were of amusement park quality. As it relates to the second fundamental problem of the course--- maintenance--- such severely tiered and domed greens are difficult to maintain; cutting properly and watering (dome areas dry out rapidly and become bald).
The course has a number of holes designed for blind shots which seem more like a pain in the butt from a playability point of view. For a resort course that probably has a lot of one-visit golfers, the blind holes/shots just slow play and add little to the challenge--- neither clever or fair.
The course was in poor condition when we played. Grass on the greens on the front-nine was sparse-- bald and thin. Greens on the back-nine were all top-dressed (we were not informed of this situation when they took our money.) Putting on top-dressed greens takes the enjoyment out of any round. Crappy putting surfaces on what seems to be the course's signature feature---severe greens-- is not good. The fairways on the front-side were thin and loaded with small leaves.
Mystic Dunes does not deserve the high ratings we saw on other sites. If the other courses we played in the Orlando area--Eagle Creek, Waldorf Astoria, Orange County National(Panther) and Harmony Preserve--were "A's", Mystic Dunes would be a "C minus."
I am a fairly good golfer, (5 handicap), and don't mind a challenge. Mystic Dunes is not a difficult course, it is a tricked-out course that is not a good test of golf. With all the other course choices in the Orlando area I would not recommend Mystic Dunes; have some golfing fun somewhere else.
$101 (cart included), played on Monday, March 2011 at 6am
Mystic Dunes is a poorly designed, tricked-out, gimmicky course that was in terrible condition when we played in March 2011.
Gary Koch should be embarrassed as the designer. The most problematic and annoying feature of the course is the greens. Most of the greens were either small and domed or large with ridiculously tiering. Some of the greens were of amusement park quality. As it relates to the second fundamental problem of the course--- maintenance--- such severely tiered and domed greens are difficult to maintain; cutting properly and watering (dome areas dry out rapidly and become bald).
The course has a number of holes designed for blind shots which seem more like a pain in the butt from a playability point of view. For a resort course that probably has a lot of one-visit golfers, the blind holes/shots just slow play and add little to the challenge--- neither clever or fair.
The course was in poor condition when we played. Grass on the greens on the front-nine was sparse-- bald and thin. Greens on the back-nine were all top-dressed (we were not informed of this situation when they took our money.) Putting on top-dressed greens takes the enjoyment out of any round. Crappy putting surfaces on what seems to be the course's signature feature---severe greens-- is not good. The fairways on the front-side were thin and loaded with small leaves.
Mystic Dunes does not deserve the high ratings we saw on other sites. If the other courses we played in the Orlando area--Eagle Creek, Waldorf Astoria, Orange County National(Panther) and Harmony Preserve--were "A's", Mystic Dunes would be a "C minus."
I am a fairly good golfer, (5 handicap), and don't mind a challenge. Mystic Dunes is not a difficult course, it is a tricked-out course that is not a good test of golf. With all the other course choices in the Orlando area I would not recommend Mystic Dunes; have some golfing fun somewhere else.