Designed by David Harman, Shingle Creek Golf Course opened in 2003 and has wowed visitors for nearly a decade. The golf course gets its name from the creek that runs alongside the golf course. An interesting fact about Shingle Creek is that it is actually the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, located in South Florida.
Does the golf course really deserve all of the awards it has gotten over the past few years? Yes...
There are two areas that separate Shingle Creek Golf Course from any other golf course in the region, the wonderful amenities and the golf course itself. The amenities that the golf course offers are fantastic to say the least. It all starts when you arrive at the course, where you are greeted by an amiable valet staff. Not only do they take care of the car for you but also the golf clubs as well. It is a great service that really shows how much Shingle Creek Golf Course cares about its customers.
After playing nine holes and gathering up a large appetite, the Shingle Creek Clubhouse Grille offers great food that anyone would enjoy. I personally recommend getting the Back Nine Burger with grilled Vidalia onions; one of the best burgers you will ever find at a golf course. That is not to mention the many other dining options available as well, including two AAA Four Diamond award-winning restaurants. One of them that I would recommend is a steakhouse named A Land Remembered; it comes from the novel by Patrick Smith about Florida’s history. The food is always cooked just right with a great wine list to go with it.
It is also worth mentioning all of the “little things” that Shingle Creek Golf Course does to separate itself from other golf destinations in the Orlando area. One of them involves the starter shack, where there is a barrel of ice cold apples to greet you as you head off to the first tee. Another is the iced towels that are brought out to players during the hot summer months. And finally the golf carts have a GPS in them that tells you how far you are from the hole, as well as club cleaners. These are just a few of the many great things that Shingle Creek Golf Course does for its guests.
The second area that truly makes Shingle Creek unique is the golf course itself. There is water on practically every hole, but it is interesting to note that it is not much of a problem from the forward tees. It can get much more difficult from the back tees, but for the most part one should worry more about the well-placed bunkers throughout the golf course.
The par 3 fifth hole is one of four difficult par 3’s that the course has to offer at 222 yards long from the championship tees. It is one of those kinds of holes where they are hazards everywhere, whether it is bunkers below and above the hole to water on the left side. It definitely provides a challenge no matter the handicap.
What’s great about the golf course is that it while being difficult at times there are also opportunities to just grip it and rip it. Take the par 5 twelfth hole for instance. The fairway is extremely wide and allows anyone to just hit it as hard as they can to try to reach the green in two. Be careful though, as there is a large bunker guarding the right side of the green. The best play is to lay it up around 100 yards, leaving (hopefully) an easy pitch shot and a chance to make birdie.
The final hole worth mentioning is hole 14, a 480 yard par 4 with too many fairway bunkers to count. A great tee shot is essential on this hole as there are numerous fairway bunkers placed down the right side of the fairway as well as two large bunkers on the left side. It doesn’t get any easier for the second shot, as there are six small pot-bunkers just off the right side of the green. Overall it is a unique hole that provides many different options.
Shingle Creek is also the home of The Brad Brewer Golf Academy. Brad has been golfing for over thirty years and helped co-found Arnold Palmer's Golf Academy. Brad can also be seen daily on The Golf Channel, where he hosts The Daily Brew.
Brad and his certified instructors at The Brad Brewer Golf Academy offer privae lessons or group instructions for golfers of all ages and skill levels. If you are ready to take your game to the next level, Brad and his team are ready.
Overall I cannot say enough about how great Shingle Creek Golf Course really is. From the minute you enter the parking lot to the time you leave it is extremely difficult not to have a great time, no matter how you are playing that day. The staff is very friendly, the food is great, and the golf course is in pristine condition, all only 12 minutes from Orlando International Airport. What more could a golfer ask for?
