Highlands South Course

The Highlands South Course stretches almost 6,800 from the back tees, this course features the longest Par 5 in the state. Highlands South promises undulating terrain and elevation that brings the wind into factor when making club selection. Ample waste bunkers and 10 water hazards offer a great challenge.

This course is almost a links style, says Tony Arielly, both in its set-up and the way it plays with its fairway bunkers and rolling terrain.

You'll get off to a moderately easy start with a straightaway par-4 that plays at 335 yards from the back tees and 250 from the forward. You do have to avoid a large bunker on the left and trees on the right.

There's a great par-3 on the third hole that measures 180 yards from the back tees and 100 from the front. This hole has a very narrow green that measures about 40 feet at its deepest point. There's plenty of water in front of the green. Accuracy and distance control is very important here. "If you're short, you'll end up in the water. If you're long, you'll be in the back bunker," says Arielly.

The No. 9 hole on this course is also a challenging par-3 that plays at 210 yards from the back tees and 160 yards from the forward. It's not a true island green, but it's surrounded on three sides by water on the sides and in the back. It's a peninsula surrounded by bulkheads. You have to hit a very straight shot to this large, two-tiered green that slopes back to front.

This hole is definitely affected by the wind in front of you or behind you. It's all carry here, although short of the green is a lay-up area.

Our No. 13 hole on the Highlands South is the longest par-5 in the state of Florida. The back tees are placed at 630 yards; the forward at 450. The back tees are only for the strong-willed player on this double dogleg. The difficulty here is mostly in the length and in the moguls that will bump your ball up and down the fairway. A nest of fairway bunkers guard the approach area on your second shot. There's not a flat lie anywhere. "It's a long shot into the green on your third shot," says Arielly.

No. 18 is a picturesque par-3 finishing hole (185 yards from the back tees and 150 from the forward) that requires a medium to long iron shot over water to a deep green.