While we were in Florida for the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show, we had the chance to play some golf. So on Saturday, after all of our meetings and all of our sales calls were complete, we headed to Harmony Golf Preserve to play some golf. The facility is managed by Troon Golf Management, and is located in Harmony, Florida, about an hour outside of Orlando. Since there were only two of us, we asked a couple AMF Golf Management guys if they wanted to play. That fell through, so we ended up just getting paired with another twosome at the golf course. It turned out to be a great day of golf, and an even better day of conversation.
The Golf Course
We got to the golf course a little late, so we didn’t have much time to warm up. We hit a few balls, made a few putts, and were on the course within minutes.
The front nine is much easier than the backside, and is built around a ton of homes as part of a Harmony realty project. There are houses everywhere, but thanks to typical wide-open Florida fairways, it wasn’t a big deal. The homes never came into play throughout our entire round.
I made a couple of bogeys on the front side, a couple of birdies, and fired a smooth 38. Not bad, considering I haven’t played since my trip to Scottsdale in early November of last year.
The back nine, well, that was a different story. I started off with a trio of bogeys and only carded one birdie on the back. I left a ton of shots out there, and while I didn’t have a three putt all day, I missed a few greens and just couldn’t get things going on the backside.
Florida Wildlife
The last time I played golf in Florida, I was in elementary school on a family trip to Walt Disney World. Needless to say, I don’t remember much about it.
When we pulled up to the golf course, I started noticing these huge birds, nearly the size of a flamingo, but they were red and silver. I didn’t think much about it until a few holes later when they seemed to be just a part of the scenery. They were everywhere. I still don’t know what kind of birds these are! (If anyone knows, please tell me. I am dying to know what kind of birds these are!)
I also saw a ton of wild turkeys. But birds aside, on the fifth or sixth hole, one of our playing partners pointed out an alligator in the pond beside the green. I had never seen an alligator in the wild. It was a baby alligator, quite small in fact, but an alligator nonetheless.
A few holes later, I saw another one lying out of the water, getting his afternoon suntan. He was maybe six-seven feet long. We ended up seeing a few more along the way, which just added to the whole Florida golf experience.
If you ever get the chance to play the golf course, do. It’s nice, not too expensive, and the staff is very friendly. I could talk all day about how great the facility is at these golf courses, and Troon makes sure you have a great experience every time out.
I have played better golf in my time, but it was fun regardless. We had a good time; I got a little sun, and met some very nice people. Can’t get much better than that!
What are some of your favorite Florida golf courses? Have you ever played Harmony Golf Preserve?
