|
 You don’t have to imagine a slice of Pinehurst and the North Carolina sandhills halfway between Orlando and Daytona Beach, just a mile off I-4. It really exists, at Victoria Hills (yes, Hills, as in 50-foot elevation changes). In the tradition of nams like Pinehurst, Mid Pines and Pine Needles, Florida’s most prolific native architect, Ron Garl, has gone Carolina with his layout of Victoria Hills.
Carved out of the stately pines and the rolling, sandy topography is a course recognized as one of the “Top 10 You Can Play” by Golf Magazine when it opened in 2002 and is currently one of Golf Digest’s few Florida 4-1/2-Star Places to Play. That he was able to accomplish this within 30 minutes of Orlando or Daytona, and within the beautiful St. Joe community of Victoria Park are just two other reasons why this eclectic treasure should be on any avid golfer’s must-play list.
Though only 6,989 yards from the back tees, the course record on this par-72 layout is just 65, fired by frequent visitor and renowned PGA TOUR star Chris DiMarco. That’s the kind of test you can find at Victoria Hills. Yet among the five sets of tees is a distance, and challenge, that’s right for your game, and recommended right on the on-cart GPS units, along with hole descriptions and even a pro’s tip on how to navigate the 106 bunkers, waste areas and elevation changes that make Victoria Hills so unique. You’ll give the Uplink GPS system on every cart a real workout, with all the landmark bunkers, trees and rock outcroppings on each hole (you can also use it to order food to be picked up at the “Turn Window” or even to be delivered to you on the course).
 But you’ll quickly realize this is not a golf course to play by-the-numbers, but by the senses, when you step onto the first tee and are overcome with the raw beauty of what lies ahead. At the same time, you’ll come to the realization that this is not the typical short-par-4 opening hole designed to get you off to a confident start. Driving it over the waste bunker that surrounds the tee is the easiest task on this 400-plus yard hole that’s handicapped as the third toughest on the entire course. Threading the needle between two of Garl’s fairway bunkers to set up an approach to an elevated green with a false front is the challenge on this hole, which some feel is the signature hole at Victoria Hills. They were likely the few who birdied it!
Everyone who plays Victoria Hills has a different idea of what should be considered the “signature hole,” playing right into a couple of the themes you’ll come back to as you tour the course, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that every hole is a very different type of picture postcard. The elevated tee at the par-3 second might be the highest point at Victoria Hills. Look back off the tee and you’ll feel like you can see Orlando in the distance. Turn around and look down at the green and you’ll see an enormous, deep bunker on the left, and another classic Carolina feature, a runoff area short/right that might prove the easiest up-and-down if you don’t hit the green.
Garl’s bunkering pattern and green design could be considered eclectic, but they really make perfect sense for this tough-but-fair design. By-and-large, though not exclusively, the longer the shot from those bunkers, the shallower they are (though you might still have to negotiate some of the mounding around those bunkers), and the longer the approach, the larger the green. And those greens range from fairly flat to extremely undulating, yet the TifEagle surfaces always roll very true.
 Besides the variety in bunkering and green depths, each group of holes is delectably different. After the mid-range, downhill par-3 second there’s a long, uphill par-3 at the fifth. The two single-shot holes on the back side also vary in distance by 40 yards, offering different places to miss, and not to miss.
The toughest of the par-5s is actually the shortest one. But the dogleg left sixth requires a decision on the tee to either play left or right of big oak trees in the fairway. Left is the shortcut, but to reach the green in two, the aggressive player must flirt with water on both shots. The 14th requires a blind tee shot that either stays short, or left, of an elevated bunker complex that looks more like the dunes you’d see on the Outer Banks, then a layup to 110 yards before a huge swale that protects an elevated green framed by deep bunkers on all four sides. The finishing holes on each nine are longer-than-they-look par 5s with uphill drives and diabolical fairway bunkers, making positioning off the tee, and with the second shots, critical.
But it is the variety of the par 4s that’ll have you talking afterward (and possibly muttering about missed opportunities). For mid-handicappers, only one par-4 on each side is over 400 yards, yet all of them offer different challenges and decisions. In fact, the smart way to play the other front side par-4s might be to play them “backwards”, basing your choice off the tee on where you want the ball to be to approach the greens, two of them (the fourth and eighth) only about 25 yards deep. The 10th and 11th holes are another great combination of par 4s, the former forcing you to carry a false front and the latter inviting you to layup short rather than miss left or right. The other three par-4s on the back nine again require smart plays rather than long plays off the tees to avoid water or bunkers and set up the right approach shots to greens guarded by deep bunkers or severe grass mounding. The more you play Victoria Hills, the better you’ll feel your way around it.
 You might not come to Victoria Hills just to practice, but the double-ended driving range, separate chipping and putting greens, the quality of Stetson University players using the facility, and its excellent instructional staff, may inspire you to spend a little extra time before or after your round honing your game. And, in the first-class heritage of the course and the practice facility, the intimacy and casual elegance of the Irish pub-style Mulligan’s Tavern and Grille proves to be so much more than just a golf course sandwich shop. Chef Choquette rotates nearly 150 signature dishes through a menu that’ll entice you to come out to dine even if you’re not playing golf.
The Victoria Park community from the award-winning St. Joe development team that borders the course on two sides, without intruding on play, offers a wonderful mixture of young families and active adults. Surprisingly affordable homes and homesites are available with amenities including fitness centers with pools, nature trails and tennis courts.
Take the shortest trip from Orlando to the Carolinas for a wonderful nature tour of this Audubon Sanctuary Program member that boasts deer, Florida black bears, turkey, sandhill cranes, hawks and other birdies (even if there aren’t enough of them on the scorecard). Victoria Hills has hosted numerous USGA and FSGA events and is challenging enough to have been chosen for a 2007 U.S. Open qualifier. But it wants to share its unique design with all golfers who appreciate a challenge.
For tee times or more information, call (386) 738-6000 or (866)295-4385 toll free within Florida, or visit them online at www.stjoegolf.com. This Victoria’s no secret anymore!
|
