I spent some time in Florida around Thanksgiving. I didn’t play much golf on this trip, although I did meet a friend to play on Black Friday. Stonegate Golf Club isn’t far from where my friend lives, so we played one of the courses there. Stonegate is in Kissimmee and associated with the 55+ Solivita community.

There are two courses at Stonegate – the Oaks Course and the Cypress Course. I haven’t played either before so it worked out well to add another course to my list. We ended up playing the Oaks course on a cool and breezy day – at least for Central Florida this time of year. The Oaks course turned out to be a good value and it is in a convenient location.

The Oaks is a Ron Garl design that gets its name from the many oak trees that dot the property. These oak trees are the course’s main feature and give it a nice look. Homes line most holes, but I thought there was a good amount of separation between the homes and the holes. Plenty of water and nice bunkering add to the look. For a community course, I thought the Oaks presented well visually.

We played the blue tees which are 70.0/123/6282. On paper the Oaks won’t be the most challenging course – even from the tips (6,812 yards) the slope tops out at 128. What made it tough today was the 20mph wind. On a calm day, the course shouldn’t be too penal. The course’s main defense are the greens, which have a lot of undulation and many false edges. The fairways have plenty of width and the greens are large. If a shot gets too far offline then there is lost ball trouble, but I found the Oaks to be a fair course to play.

The front nine has more water while the back nine has more oak trees in play. The 14th and the 18th are the two par-5’s on the back nine and both have oak trees that pinch the landing area for the tee shots. The 18th is a bit odd because even if someone hits the fairway, they might need a low hook to advance the ball past the oak trees.

The par-3’s were my favorite holes. The 7th is a 150 yard par-3 that plays over water. The green sits between two bunkers and the green is shaped a bit like a bowl. On the back nine, the 12th is a 168 yard par-3 over water. The green is narrower at the front so an accurate shot is needed. The 15th is another good looking par-3 over water.

The green fee was $72 – for that price I thought the Oaks was strong on the value. Conditions were nice. The turf was full, but soft as I believe there is a light overseed growing in. Most lies were tight, but that is typical for a Florida course this time of year. The greens were smooth, quick, and grainy. The rough was gnarly and the ball sat down, especially around the greens. The sand in the bunkers was excellent.

After my positive experience on the Oaks, I wouldn’t mind getting back to try Stonegate’s Cypress course. While the Oaks isn’t a destination course, it has a reasonable green fee and it is convenient to the Disney attractions – about 30 minutes away. The course is playable too, so I think it would be a good place to get loose on a golf trip to Orlando. My only complaint is that the design is missing a short par-4.

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