The Ocala area has some good golf and I wanted to see how Lake Diamond fits with the rest of the area’s golf scene. Technically, Lake Diamond has an Ocala address, but on the map it looks closer to Si... Continue »

The Ocala area has some good golf and I wanted to see how Lake Diamond fits with the rest of the area’s golf scene. Technically, Lake Diamond has an Ocala address, but on the map it looks closer to Silver Springs Shores! The course is fairly convenient from where my parents live in The Villages, so I didn’t have to drive all the way into Ocala.

Lake Diamond is tucked in a community which backs up against the Cross Florida Greenway (a large natural area). While the course is still a community course, the whole area seemed fairly quiet. For a lower-budget design I found Lake Diamond to be a well-done community course! Lake Diamond opened in 1998 and was designed by Miles Christian Anderson, a designer that I haven’t heard about.

The front nine is more in line with what you might expect for a Florida course. There is some housing going up and you can certainly tell that the course will play through the homes. Thankfully, the homes will be set back and a lot of the natural vegetation has remained, which adds to the look and character of Lake Diamond! There are some really pretty green complexes here.

The back nine at Lake Diamond was my favorite, highlighted by the 10th through 14th. This stretch of holes heads out to the woods that border the Cross Florida Greenway. The 10th is the most interesting of these holes, but the other holes have a nice mix of angles and require some strategy.

The 10th is a 536 yard par-5 that has some quirk to it! I know some won’t care for its design, but I thought the hole was a blast. The green is almost straight ahead from the tee boxes, but if aren’t going for it in two then you’ll need to play it as a slight double dogleg. There is a water hazard short of the green and a couple groups of trees that affect the layup. If you aren’t careful you can end up being blocked out on the third shot.

The conditions at Lake Diamond were solid for my $37 green fee. The tees, fairways and greens all had a nice, full overseed! I was able to get under some shots which is always nice. Everything looked really green, except the dormant bermuda rough. The lighting was near perfect and the course’s colors were popping!

Definitely worth a look if you live within 30 minutes!