SHALLOW CREEK GOLF CLUB
The Villages Newest Golf Course
The Villages have a new addition to their Championship Golf Courses with the July 2024 Grand Opening of the Shallow Creek Golf Club. This 18-hole course is situated near the newly built Village Charter School and the town of Middleton, which was built for Village employees and their families.
Shallow Creek is only the fourth 18-hole course to join a family of fourteen Championship Courses (It is also the Villages only Par 70 18-hole course) and the second course to be added to The Villages Southern Expansion Program, along with the 18-hole Southern Oaks Championship Course that was built in 2021.
Shallow Creek is the first course build south of the turnpike and will be a welcome addition to a vast majority of golfers living in the 3,200 newly built homes in this area. Two additional Championships Courses are already in the process of being built in the Southern Expansion District.
“If you Build it and they will come” seems to be the way to describe this course designed by the Villages long time course Architect Kenny Ezell, who has been involved with the design of all fourteen of The Village’s Championship Courses and is the principal architect and master land use planner for the Villages. Kenny and his partners try to build each of their courses “to test the best but be fair to the rest.” The courses are all unique, in character and in challenge, and are successful based on their own individual merits and high quality.
The Course
A visit to the Pro Shop was met with a smile and a warm greeting along with a chance to spend some time browsing through a well-stocked inventory of golfer’s equipment and clothing. Facilities include a practice putting green and hitting mats. The Villages’ newest restaurant “Booster’s” is found right next door.
The Shallow Creek is the perfect blend of beauty and challenge. Its stunning greens and tricky water features provide an exciting game surrounded by beautiful, and meticulously maintained fairways. This course will give you a better understanding of just what it takes to give a community of golfers the best course possible. Especially with the natural beauty and wildlife surround it including mature pines and oaks, wetlands, and a 31-acre eagle preserve as its backdrop.
Shallow Creek is a golf course designed to bring your game to its highest level on every hole. There are no easy holes (Although 6 par 3’s might fool you into thinking differently) Five sets of tees ranging from 3,400 yards off the Friendly Tees to 6,500 yards from the Golds, offering something for every level of play. Choosing the right Tee Box is the first step in bringing each hole closer to your ability level.
Front Nine
Playing from the Green Tees (61/101 4576 Yards) today, the first couple of holes played straight with water along the entire right side on the par 5 first hole. The well-cut fairways will contribute to some longer than usual drives, but today’s round was played following a rainy night which led to some longer than expected second shots. The greens were exact replicas of the practice green but included subtle breaks that sent your perfect putt sliding painfully passed the hole. The GPS system is not available on the course as of today’s round, but the GHINS Apps was working fine.
The front nine played around a setting of natural boundaries. The par 3 5th hole would be my “Signature Hole” with its unique tee boxes and a beautiful high school football stadium bordering the left side of the hole. The remaining 4 holes had wide-open fairways with well placed hazards and bunkers as the brought you back to the clubhouse. This nine is a great introduction to what lies ahead on the back nine.
Back Nine
The back nine holes are strategically located around and between the houses and include numerous bodies of water found on several holes. The Par 5 13th hole was the back nine’s “Signature Hole” as it offered the most validity to choosing the right tee. Hitting from the back 2 tees requires a well-placed tee shot over an intimidating stretch of wetland. The backwards “S” shaped fairway also includes a strategically positioned wetland, directly in your line of sight to the green, making your 2nd shot a risk or reward decision. This hole could ruin a good round quickly.
The back nine finishes with wide open fairways and newly build houses along the final 5 holes. These holes are all designed to give every level of golfers a fair chance to score well.
The Par 5 18th hole will be the topic of conversation at “Booster’s Restaurant” as golfers trying to digest their first experience with their tee shot that needed to find a safe landing spot on a fairway that has a 90-degree left bend. Trying to cut the corner on this one is not for the “faint of heart.”
Wrap Up
Looks like the Architect Kenny Ezell was correct when he said you will see “different viewpoints as you move around the Shallow Creek Course.” Speaking for someone who has played the Villages Championship Courses for 5 years, he hit the nail right on the head!
Shallow Creek Golf Course is impressive, and I look forward to playing it again. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet staff members who were both friendly and informative, play on a well-manicured and designed golf course, and have the chance to enjoy the beauty of the natural world surrounding the course.
Bill Sangster, a life-long golf aficionado and former Sergeant in Marines, moved to Cape Cod in 1974 where he raised his family while working as educator with the Sandwich School System for 23 years. With his Falmouth home adjacent to Paul Harney’s Golf Course, Bill spent many days learning and playing the game of golf. He was a member of White Cliffs Country Club and Sandwich Hollows Country on Cape Cod. In 2018 he continued his love for the game of golf by moving to “The Villages” in Florida. He now will admit to anyone who asks that he is addicted to the game of golf! Bill can be reached at sangsterbill33@gmail.com.
