After rain earlier in the day I took advantage of some sunlight in the afternoon and played nine holes. I headed over to Bonita Pass Executive Course which isn’t far from my parents house.

I’m not sure if the earlier rain scared everyone off or what, but there were not many golfers out when I played. On a couple holes I hit two tee shots and around the greens I hit a couple chips – my chipping off bermuda is so awful! I caught a group on the 8th but still managed to play in about an hour. That is usually the great thing about golfing in Florida in the “poor” weather – the locals save their round for another day.

I think the thing to highlight about Bonita Pass is its incredible conditioning. The executive courses in The Villages are usually well maintained, however the maintenance at Bonita Pass was better than the average course here. Hopefully you’ll be able to see that in my pictures.

The tees had a beautiful, full overseed to them and popped when the sun was shining. The greens were quicker than most other executive courses here that I’ve played and rolled pure.

Bonita Pass is a nine-hole par-3 course that zigzags its way around a large lake. Besides the 1st and 9th, every hole has water along one side. So, if you aren’t careful, that water can grab a loose iron shot. From the tees I picked (1,117 yards) most of the holes are in the 140 to 155 yard range.

When it comes to the design Bonita Pass has a lot in common with the other courses in The Villages, so there isn’t much variety (contoured greens and large bunkers). I like the fact that the course is all par-3’s and that it has a tougher feel to it – I think those things differentiate it some from the other executive courses. I’d probably rank Bonita Pass in the top third of the executive courses in The Villages that I’ve played.

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