El Santiago was the next executive course I played on Wednesday. Like most of my rounds, this was my first visit to the course. The sister course (El Diablo) seemed busy but the proshop said El Santiago was wide open. That was all I needed to hear!

Thankfully the proshop wasn’t lying. I played in less than an hour and only saw a couple other groups. I had heard El Santiago was one of the easiest courses in The Villages and after my round here, that seems like a good take.

The course is pretty short and open, which I’m sure are two factors that lead to it being considered “easy”. The longest iron I hit was 8 iron. The course is a par-27 with most holes in the 118 to 141 yard range. The 7th, at 152 yards, and the 9th, at 161 yards, are the longest holes. There is no water and most holes are open short of the green, allowing the ball to roll up close.

Something else that made things easier were the jumbo size cups on each hole. I would have preferred an option to play to a normal size cup, but I think everything here is geared towards a beginner golfer.

I thought the setting and two double greens were El Santiago’s best features. Like most of the courses in The Villages, this one plays through the homes. However, the middle parts of the course have a lot of mounding and many pine trees. It has a good look. Plus, the 2nd/8th and 3rd/7th each have large double greens. Fun.

El Santiago was in good shape and is a nice course for beginners. It seemed more relaxing to play than the typical executive course in The Villages. No crazy deep bunkers or undulating greens to mess with here. I liked that.

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