So I got to play 4 new courses while down on the gulf coast of Florida. We went down to Sanibel Island and played the 4 nearest courses to us. The 1st one was in North Fort Myers and was a very challenging and scenic course. The first hole had a big old lake about 20 feet long of the basket and was probably my favorite hole on the course. We also played North Port Charlotte that same day and this course was marked much better and had much more forgiving fairways. Unlike North Ft Myers, there were actually fairways and not just patches of brush cut out to resemble a walking trail down the middle towards the hole. Of the 4 courses, North Port Charlotte was my favorite although it was short and the front nine were all left curving holes and the back 9 all right curves, but overall, the course was absolutely beautiful and such a joy to play.

The next trip off the island took is to Ft Myers Beach which has one of the more unique courses I have ever played. Located around and recreation center for the front 9 and the back 9 on an elementary school property. Some pins were used for multiple tees, good thing no one else was playing when we were. You also had many shots over roads, near playgrounds, over parking lots, fences, etc. It was really wild. I can just imagine how dangerous a bad shot could be. This course overall was a lot of fun to play though, and was an enjoyable experience as there was a nice full color map that made it easy to navigate. The last course we played was Florida Gulf Coast University and it was a beautiful campus course. Holes near a big lake with beach area. This campus is gorgeous. Used to be just 9 holes, but has been expanded to 18 and has a great mix of holes. My 2nd favorite of the 4 courses we played.

Pictures to follow..............Oh yea, none of these 4 courses even came close in comparison to Knob Hill, deer Lakes, or Moraine. Once again proving that after playing about 100 courses, we still have 3 of the top 5 right here in Pittsburgh.

North Fort Myers

http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1230535517T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966885)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1230583237T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966886)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1231029996T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966887)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1231076479T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966888)

North Port Charlotte

http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244162877T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966894)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244215470T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966895)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244259958T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966896)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244298404T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966897)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244349075T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966898)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244389846T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966899)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244438587T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966900)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244475152T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966901)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244518880T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966902)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1244568255T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966903)

MORE from Port Charlotte

http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247224221T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966912)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247263272T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966913)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247302099T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966914)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247351779T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966915)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247394527T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966916)

FT MYERS BEACH - - -

check out all of the ob fences, fairways through playgrounds, etc!! Hole 18 was a really sweet shot over the fountain with basket tucked inside a triangle of bushes. Had the bushes been 1 inch power I would have nailed the basket dead center with my coyote for an ace. Unfortunately it snagged the very top of the bush. 1 inch higher good, 4 inches higher would have hit the top of the basket. They really need to trim them just a bit!!

http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1231579366T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966920)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232009785T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966921)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232046108T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966922)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232085825T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966923)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232126080T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966924)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232162708T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966925)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232192807T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966926)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232237742T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966927)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232274295T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966928)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1232308550T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966929)

1 more from Ft Myers Beach and then some from Sanibel. Oh yeah, our courses might be better, but it sure is nice playing in sandals and shorts in February!!!

http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259237478T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966942)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259278856T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966943)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259329091T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966944)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259365199T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966945)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259402195T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966946)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259445163T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966947)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259481394T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966948)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259524285T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966949)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1259573780T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966950)http://img4.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1300018766T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966951)

Oh yeah, our courses might be better, but it sure is nice playing in sandals and shorts in February!!!



And no shirt like the picture from North Port. :eek:

And here are the pictures from Florida Gulf Coast University. My favorite picture of me ever playing disc golf just as the disc is about to slam into the chains for a birdie 2.

http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247171778T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966952)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247212372T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966953)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247257140T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966954)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247284082T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966955)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247322177T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966956)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247363113T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966957)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247409118T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966958)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247449732T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966959)http://img5.glowfoto.com/images/2008/02/07-1247479321T.jpg (http://www.glowfoto.com/user_imageredirect.php?iid=1966960)

While the warm weather and beachside location were surely as nice as could be, from a course design standpoint, those could possibly be some of the worst I've ever seen. North Port Charlotte and North Ft. Myers look like they come from the "throw your disc down the narrow walking path, and if you miss, there's ridiculous man-eating rough off to the sides" book of course design. And Ft. Myers Beach looks like it came from the "lawsuit waiting to happen when school is session" chapter of course design, with every safety hazard possible. I always shudder when I go to a course and see poleholes next to elementary schools, playground equipment, park benches, city streets, parking lots, etc.

I absolutely love that second to last picture where the polehole is literally less than ten feet away from the teepad of another hole. :D

North Port Charlotte was very nice with ample fairways and no killer rough. It looks worse in the pics than it was. It was actually a very friendly course about the length of Knob Hill concrete to a-pins. Now North FT. Myers had some killer rough. If you couldn't hit the small landing spots you may have encountered some alligators and snakes.

Now for the safety factor of Gulf Coast and Ft Myers Beach, they are very very dangerous. Gulf Coast not so much, except the first 3 holes by the buildings, but no one was out when I was playing. NOw the beach course was the most dangerous course I have ever seen. The back 9 (school) is closed during school hours, but you are right, it is just plain dangerous. You had to throw blindly over buildings, over parking lots, near playgrounds, to the same basket on certain holes. It was really funny, but a new player would most likely kill someone within a week of playing. I didn't have the heart to tell the kind folks at the rec center how crazy of a course they had because after all I was just happy to be playing a new course that was near where we were staying.

While the warm weather and beachside location were surely as nice as could be, from a course design standpoint, those could possibly be some of the worst I've ever seen. North Port Charlotte and North Ft. Myers look like they come from the "throw your disc down the narrow walking path, and if you miss, there's ridiculous man-eating rough off to the sides" book of course design. And Ft. Myers Beach looks like it came from the "lawsuit waiting to happen when school is session" chapter of course design, with every safety hazard possible. I always shudder when I go to a course and see poleholes next to elementary schools, playground equipment, park benches, city streets, parking lots, etc.

I absolutely love that second to last picture where the polehole is literally less than ten feet away from the teepad of another hole. :D



Gotta agree with Jeff - with a few exceptions, Florida courses have quite a bit of room for improvement.

I'm so Jonesin' for a round at Idlewyld or Cedar Hill or Circle R or Benton Hills!

I guess that's why I've put in 200 hours and counting building The Magnolia Disc Golf Course at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

Check out www.fabflatour.org (http://www.fabflatour.com)

Check out www.fabflatour.com (http://www.fabflatour.com)



This link doesn't work! Just to let you know.

Idlewild is nice, you should really be jonesin for disc golf in Western, PA. Knob Hill, Moraine, Deer Lakes, Pymatuning, College Lodge. Oh my!!!! We got it going on in western, pa. 3 courses with a par 66, could be 4 if you count Knob long to c-pins.

for folks hoping to follow the link, try it with a dot - org. Works better that way.

Denny, is your new course video tour-worthy? I'd love to help you out with publicity if that sounds good.

More snow today in MI. I'd bet you miss that.

Joe

Joe:

Thanks for the thought. I can definitely put together some footage from our upcoming event, plus some from the Wanee fest. Would y'all be able to do some super-slick editing on your end to put together a piece?

Hi, Denny -

My magic eight ball says "maybe." For best results, I'd suggest doing the editing on your end as much as possible. Slipping a nicely finished piece into a show is preferred, but I can polish and or edit as necessary if there's something compelling to work up. A lot depends on what there is to work with, footage and narration wise. Its always nice to add variety, and some FL footage would be good again.

Joe

ok, twist my arm. i'll see tonight if i can get pinnacle slicked out on my fiancee's computer.

will be in touch.

we lived in ft myers for almost 2yrs
I also just visited- in early feb for the 85degree heat
the lake at ft myers comes into play on holes 6(beyond pin),7(throw over it) & 18(also beyond pin) not hole1(plays along drive into park)...
glad to hear you like Nport course, that was new and a mess of schule when I was ther 03/04- but less sawblade palmettos than Nftmyers maybe to where its cleaned up nice, forgot to ask the homies about that...
the N ft myers course is the 1st fabfla tour stop with 4rnds of long/short pads to the long/short pins, sat morning and tuesday night glow leagues get a dozen or so peeps seems like... snakes yes, gators no
the course at the university went in after I was there...
beach course, no locals play, though we did for a club thing once and I saw a tomahawk come to rest on TOP of that fountain 18 you aceran...
bonita springs is the other hub of golfers in the area
we lived on pine island just in from sanibel, hurricane charley sucked

yeah the charlotte course was very nice, not much rough at all. I still have cuts from the Palmettos from North Ft Myers!