After about five weeks away from the game I am back in Florida to enjoy a little warmth. The historic cold snap in Texas had me itching for spring so I invited myself back to my parents house for about a month. My plan is to work during the week and golf some on the weekends.

A friend and I had an afternoon round planned at The Club at Eaglebrook in Lakeland so I was looking for a morning round somewhere by myself. The weather was going to be great (85 and sunny) and I wanted to spend all day outside! I looked at a few options and finally decided on Schalamar Creek Golf Club.

I’m not all that familiar with the Lakeland golf scene, but it doesn’t seem like there are all that many upscale public courses besides Eaglebrook – which turned out to be a gem. More on that in the next post though. As you know by now I’ll play just about anywhere and Schalamar Creek had reasonably priced morning tee times. So, that is all I needed to book my round!

I had a 7:45am tee time and ended up getting done with tons of time to spare for my afternoon round. It only took me about three hours to play on what was a busy morning. I trailed a threesome until the 13th hole when they let me go. Then I caught up with a twosome who was following another threesome. So, like me, there were a bunch of golfers out enjoying the morning.

Schalamar Creek was designed by Ron Garl who has done a lot of work in Florida. Like many courses in Florida, Schalamar Creek is part of a retirement community. The course and community are set back from the main roads and close to a natural area. Besides a group of holes on the back nine – among the manufactured homes – the setting at Schalamar Creek turned out to be its best quality.

The front nine is the better nine at Schalamar Creek because all the holes play along the edge of the wetlands. The front nine isn’t long (2,928 yards) but it has tons of charm and is visually pleasing. Most of the holes play through through the pines and oaks, requiring strategy and precise shots. Even if you find the narrow fairways you could still have tree trouble! Thankfully I didn’t have to hit a driver until the back nine.

My favorite holes on the front were the 5th and the 7th. The 5th is a short par-5 that tops out at 451 yards from the black tees (70.3/129/6182). The green is straight ahead, but between the green and tees is a narrow strip of fairway. If you drive it in play then it is a birdie chance! The 7th is a pretty par-4 with a creek cutting across in front of the green.

The back nine is longer and allows you the chance to get more aggressive off the tee. The 13th is a fun par-3 with an island green and then the 15th and 16th make up the “Gator’s Jaw”. There is nothing on the scorecard that gives any background, but I suppose it is Schalamar Creek’s take on the Snake Pit at Innisbrook or the Bear Trap at PGA National. The 15th and 16th here are out in the swamp so I suppose it isn’t a bad marketing gimmick!

I paid $36 and for the price the conditions were fine. My pictures have everything presenting better than the course played, but nice lighting always helps. The fairways were a little fuzzy (playable) and the greens were solid (medium pace and good rolls). Off the fairways there were a bunch of bare/sandy/thin spots. I just don’t think the course gets the sunlight it needs in many areas.

Overall, I liked Schalamar Creek more than I thought I would and I am happy with my pick to play here. It isn’t a destination course and there’s no real reason to play here unless you live in the area – or unless you want to play everywhere like I do. However, Schalamar Creek is a course that should keep you interested and thinking the entire round.

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