Played the final round of my Florida holiday trip this morning at the Biltmore, a course I've played a few times where I've always enjoyed myself. Today was really good, I was grouped with 3 members, ... Continue »

Played the final round of my Florida holiday trip this morning at the Biltmore, a course I've played a few times where I've always enjoyed myself. Today was really good, I was grouped with 3 members, a nice couple and single, with all 4 of us walking in about 4:15. We teed off right on time at just after 9:00. Conditions were very solid, the greens had been watered and sanded but I thought they rolled pretty well at a medium pace. I did have trouble with them as they dried out and the grain really seemed to start taking effect as the round went on. Fairways were in great shape, offering lots of roll and a really nice surface to hit off of. Rough wasn't too much longer, and you could find some bare areas if you strayed very far off line. I found a couple of bunkers, and they were very nice to play from with a decent layer of fine sand over a firm base. Tee boxes were decent for the most part, a few are a little bit chewed up but it was never hard to find a decent spot. Wind was up about 2 clubs worth, so there was plenty of challenge today.

I always enjoy this course, it was designed by Donald Ross back in the 1920's, and I think the layout is just awesome. Its a great walk, with houses only around the outer edges of the property. There also aren't very many holes that run parallel to each other, it really took a great deal of imagination to come up with this routing. The rack rate for the visitors from out of town is very steep though, so I must say I'm not sure the value is there. I had great time today, but I think if I lived in the neighborhood I'd be saving this one for special occasions.

I’m in Miami with family for the holidays, so I’m enjoying getting away from the cold rain of the Pacific Northwest and playing some south Florida golf. My first round of the trip was on the day after... Continue »

I’m in Miami with family for the holidays, so I’m enjoying getting away from the cold rain of the Pacific Northwest and playing some south Florida golf. My first round of the trip was on the day after Christmas at the Biltmore in Coral Gables, a place I had played about 10 years ago, and was dying to try again to see if it would live up to my fond memories. While it wasn’t perfect, it did.

I’ll start with the one disappointment, which was the greens. They had been verticut recently, and were being sanded that very morning right in front of us as we played (I was in the 4th group out). I don’t mind that this was being done, I appreciate them taking good care of the course, but no mention was made when I had called a few days before to book the tee time, and confirm that I’d be allowed to walk. The greens still rolled pretty well, but their speed was quite inconsistent. There were showers off and on, so on some greens the sand wasn't as present as others, so it often felt like a total guess at what was going to happen with a putt.

The rest of the course was really quite nice. There were some bare spots in the fairways, but they were always in spots that you shouldn’t be in. If you hit a solid shot off the tee, you got a nice lie in short grass that was very pleasant to hit from. The rough was consistent, and the ball could really sit down and be tough to play from. Tee boxes were level for the most part, with the par 3s being a little bit beat up. I found one green side and one fairway bunker, and both had the right amount of nice, soft sand.

The layout here is what really shines. Unlike a lot of Florida courses, walking is allowed (there are some restrictions on weekends) and I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of this, as it is a great layout to walk. I played the blue tees (6448 yds, 71.2, 126) and found it to be just the right length and challenge. The front 9 has a couple of short 4s that aren’t exactly thrilling, but other than that all of the holes are really fun, nice to look at, and very fair. All of the greens have some obvious and subtle breaks, so 2 putts can be very difficult. The complexes are also a bit raised, so most up and downs aren’t simple either. I paid the rack out of town rate, somewhere around $180, and even with the sanded greens I’m glad I played it. I bet on any other day, when the greens are in their normal condition, the place is awesome. For me, it’s definitely a must play when in Miami.