After playing the Okeechobee Course we made the turn and played the Escambia Course next. Escambia is Okeechobee’s sister course and overall, the courses are quite similar.

The opening two holes at both courses run parallel to each other, but then each course goes its own way. The Okeechobee course continues south while Escambia heads north, looping around by the Sarasota Practice Center. The holes on Escambia are located higher up on the hillside and that location leads to many interesting golf holes.

Escambia is all par-3’s and from the black tees the course plays 1,337 yards. My favorite holes are the 4th, 5th and 9th. The 4th is 198 yards and plays slightly downhill. A large bunker guards the green and because of its distance the 4th is the #1 handicap. I hit a great long iron and managed to two putt for a par, which made me quite proud.

The 5th is 140 yards, however it plays about 10 yards shorter because of the drop to the green. The green is small and angles from front left to back right. The pin was in the front and with that pin location I wouldn’t be surprised if a few folks celebrate a hole in one here. The 9th is a good closing hole since it is shorter (128 yards) and has trouble to the left of the green.

The conditions at Escambia were typical of what you’ll find at all the executive courses in The Villages. Everything was well maintained. The tees were overseeded and the greens were nice surfaces. Once the dew evaporated the greens sped up, although putts still needed to be hit firmly.

I found Escambia to be the better of the two courses here and think it is an above average short course. I’d recommend it and the power lines that run through the course are the only negative about it. There is a lot to like here – the yardages mixed up the clubs I hit and the land movement adds interest to the round.

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