Our Friday round was at Grand Reserve Golf Club, just south of Palm Coast – where we were staying. We got there early but things didn’t get off to the best start. There was a half hour “cart” delay which resulted in a lot of waiting around prior to our tee time. I guess that is what happens on a nice spring day in Florida. Oh well.

Once we got going, we played in about 4 hours – not too bad considering all the golfers on the course. The quick pace is likely tied to the friendly design. Compared to yesterday’s round at Cypress Knoll, Grand Reserve is a completely different style of course. Cypress Knoll is demanding and scenic while Grand Reserve is benign and doesn’t present as well visually. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded a blend of the two styles of courses.

Grand Reserve is a par-71 that tops out at 6,401 yards from the black tees. The rating is 69.9 and the slope is 114, with both being on the low side for a regulation-length course. I won’t dare say that any golf course is easy, but there are many “easy” design features here which contribute to the lower rating and slope. In typical fashion, my scorecard was still a mess.

For example, most fairways are wide, the greens don’t have much undulation and the bunkering is light. Plus, there aren’t many forced carries. That all adds up to a very forgiving course. I know its Florida which has a lot of seniors, but Grand Reserve appeared to be very popular with the local seniors. From a playability standpoint, I can see why they like it. The course won’t beat you up at all. You’ll have to rely on your own game for that!

Overall, I preferred the front nine and thought the 6th, 7th and 8th holes were pretty good. At 233 yards, the 6th is the course’s longest par-3. It was playing into the wind for our round which required a fairway wood for me to get there. The green is large and falls off, but there isn’t any trouble around. The 7th is a pretty par-5 that plays through a natural area while the 8th is an interesting/odd dogleg. The 8th is a 370 par-4 that doglegs almost 90 degrees left, around a row of homes. Probably not the best setup for the homeowners, but it’s interesting as a golfer. The green is tucked into a low area and surrounded by trees.

The conditions were good and for $50 this time of year I’d say Grand Reserve is a good value. The turf had more cushion than at Cypress Knoll so it was easier to play iron shots and chips. The fairways and tee boxes were full. The greens were smooth and a medium-fast pace.

I won’t steer you away from Grand Reserve as it serves a purpose for the locals. However, it certainly isn’t among my favorite courses along this part of Florida’s east coast. With all the nearby homes and its plain design, the course never really resonated with me. My $0.02 – if you are staying in the area and looking to golf – would be to drive a little further south (Daytona Beach) or north (Jacksonville) for a wider variety of courses.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):