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MESA, Arizona – In the 11th annual Golfweek's Best Courses, the editors of Golfweek magazine named Longbow Golf Club to its list of "2009 Golfweek's Best Resort Courses."
"We are thrilled and honored to receive recognition from Golfweek," said Jay Larscheid, General Manager. "I think we all knew that Longbow would garner accolades such as this, and it's truly gratifying to have agreement from one of the golf world's most influential publications. We've simply stayed focused on our pledge to our guests to provide the highest standards in terms of service and playing conditions. It's obvious that this formula has paid off."
Longbow was ranked 89 out of 100, which, at first glance may seem a bit dubious. However, when one considers the caliber of golf clubs placed further up the list – Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Whistling Straits, to name a few – it's clear that Longbow has earned a place among golf's elite resort courses.
Longbow Business Park and Golf Club is a 330-acre, mixed-use development, being developed by Daedalus Real Estate Advisors, that incorporates office, light industrial, retail and hotel uses surrounded by desert vegetation and a main street transportation design and features the award-winning Longbow Golf Club. Daedalus is a Phoenix-based commercial real estate services company that provides investment, development and communications consulting to corporate real estate clients. To learn more about Longbow Golf Club or to book a tee time call 480.807.5400 or visit www.longbowgolf.com.
Longbow Golf Club is professionally managed by OB Sports Golf Management, a diversified, golf-oriented company with a long history of success. OB Sports currently manages 31 premier golf courses and country clubs throughout the United States. Known for its comprehensive and personalized services since 1972, OB Sports has become widely acclaimed as the leader in boutique-style golf course management. For more information about OB Sports Golf Management visit www.obsports.com.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Typically, multi-course resorts hosting a PGA Tour event utilize their most scenic track – the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the TPC Blue Monster at Doral and the Champion at PGA National Resort & Spa come to mind.
Such is not the case at Disney World, however, where Osprey Ridge Golf Course plays second fiddle to the Palm Golf Course and Magnolia Golf Course, despite being regarded as the most scenic of the four Disney golf courses.
Tucked in a secluded corner of Disney's 47-square-mile resort – fittingly, along a road called Wilderness Trail – this Tom Fazio design opened in 1992, 20 years after Disney's original three Joe Lee-designed golf courses opened.
Osprey Ridge Golf Course: Wild kingdom
Though barely a mile from the thundering roller coasters at Disney's Magic Kingdom, you'd never know it. More animal species call Osprey Ridge Golf Course home than any of the other Disney golf courses, and it's known for being one of the most tranquil locales in all of the Walt Disney World® Resort.
But don't forget you're playing a Fazio-designed course, so if you become too enamored by your peaceful surroundings, your score will add up quickly.
The third hole is your first test of the day. This downhill par 3 is lined by a massive, tee-to-green waste bunker that wraps around the front, right and back portions of the putting surface. If the wind's in your face or you're not feeling confident in your ball striking, aim left and rely on a long two putt or solid up-and-down.
The most difficult hole on Osprey Ridge Golf Course's front nine is no doubt the par-5 seventh. At 558 yards from the second-longest set of tees, it's the longest hole at Osprey Ridge by 40 yards. Adding insult to injury, the fairway is lined by a lake along most of the left side. It's a three-shot par 5 even for the long hitters, and bunkers add intrigue to the layup area.
No. 9, a dogleg-right par 5, is shorter than 7, but a large lake lining the entire right side protects the tee shot as well as the green on three sides. A narrow opening into the green means a hero shot is possible, but anything right spells a watery end to your outward nine.
The scenery begins to take hold on the back nine beginning with No. 11, the first in a fantastic three-hole stretch where you really feel like you're away from it all. Driver isn't required at this short par 4, but a good approach shot certainly is, for if you leave it on the wrong side of the slope, a three-putt is a good possibility.
The next hole is an excellent dogleg-left par 5 that's home to an osprey nest adjacent the tee. Though it sits atop an artificial perch – it's Disney, remember – real osprey actually nest there during the spring.
The signature hole at Osprey Ridge Golf Course is No. 16, the shortest par 5 on the course. A good tee shot allows longer hitters to go for the green in two, but a lake along the left gives way to a large, elevated green that's surrounded on all sides by bunkers. Whether you choose the gutsy route or the strategic one, it’s a great hole that rewards good shots.
Osprey Ridge Golf Course: The future
Though the golf – particularly the back nine – is excellent, the most talked-about aspect of Osprey Ridge G.C. might be its future, which is yet to be determined.
Disney is developing a luxury residential resort community at Walt Disney World Resort, anchored by a Four Seasons Resort (on the former site of Eagle Pines Golf Course). Four Seasons will assume ownership of the Osprey Ridge course by 2013, and Disney says the course will not change, save for several holes to accommodate the hotel.
In the high stakes game of hotel and real-estate development few things are certain, but those who think Osprey Ridge G.C. might one day cease to exist should take solace in the fact that Bill Gates is building a home along the seventh hole.
Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course: The verdict
True to Fazio form, Osprey Ridge Golf Course features generous fairways and plenty of mounding around the greens. As is the case with all Disney golf courses, the conditions here are usually very good, though the greens – in contrast to its roller coasters – aren't terribly fast.
If your desire is a literal walk in the park, then Osprey Ridge G.C. is a sure bet. And if you want to challenge yourself, play the back tees and she'll give you all you can handle. Either way, just make sure you keep it in play on those treacherous par 5s.
Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course at Walt Disney World Resort features dramatic golf holes that cut through stands of live oak, pine, palmetto, cypress and bay trees. Recognized as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary, the surrounding vegetation and wetlands serve as a breathtaking backdrop for a championship course that blends all the majesty of nature with the superb design by Tom Fazio. Golf Digest recognizes Disney's Osprey Ridge as one of the best in Florida, rating it 4½ stars.
This sweeping 18-hole course is arguably one of the most tranquil locales in all of Walt Disney World Resort. It boasts 7,101 yards from the longest tees for a par of 72—making Disney's Osprey Ridge suitable for serious and recreational golfers who seek a challenge.
The Verdict: True to Fazio form, Osprey Ridge Golf Course features generous fairways and plenty of mounding around the greens. As is the case with all Disney golf courses, the conditions here are usually very good, though the greens – in contrast to its roller coasters – aren't terribly fast.
WHERE YOU'LL PLAY
Four rounds
WHERE YOU'LL PLAY
Four rounds
WHERE YOU'LL PLAY
Four rounds
Course Opened:
1992
Course Type/Style:
Resort/Parkland
Number of Tee Boxes:
4 sets
Total Number of Sand Bunkers:
81
Number of Water Hazards:
9 of 18 holes
Most Challenging Hole:
No. 7
Most Memorable Hole:
No. 13
Sinature Hole:
No. 16
Acreage of Course:
90 acres
Average Size of Greens:
6,400 sq. ft.
Primary Grasses
Fairways:
Bermudagrass
Rough:
Bermudagrass
Greens:
Bermudagrass
Months Open:
January – December
High Season:
January – April
Aerification:
Overseeding:
Rounds per year:
Green Fees:
Low: $75 High: $145
Walking Options:
Mandatory Cart
Director of Golf:
Mark Dukes, PGA
Superintendent:
Scott Welder, GCSAA
Scott Welder is the first, and only, golf course superintendent at Walt Disney World Golf Resort, having begun his career at the course in 1971 when the facility was built.
Golf Digest 
rating
What do you need to know about TPC-Myrtle Beach, beyond the need to bring your 'A' game? Here are five tidbits that might enhance your enjoyment of the South Strand layout.
Hit it high – Generally speaking, the greens at TPC are elevated and well bunkered, so you aren't going to have much success trying to run the ball up. Make sure you iron game is sharp and be prepared to fly numerous bunkers on your way to the green.
Tournament Tested – TPC is one of Myrtle Beach golf's biggest challenges and it has the resume to prove it. The course has hosted the PGA Senior Tour Championship, the finals of the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, and every spring it hosts the General Hackler Invitational, one of the nation's best collegiate tournaments. Take the time to check out the clubhouse memorabilia.
One of a Kind – In recent years Myrtle Beach golf courses have collected honors like a kid receiving candy on Halloween, but TPC is the only course in the area to earn 5-stars in Golf Digest's prestigious "Best Places to Play" guide and one of fewer than 25 layouts in the nation to earn the distinction.
Yes, that is Dustin Johnson – Rising PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson calls TPC-Myrtle Beach home. In addition to practicing and playing at TPC, the three-time winner on tour has been known to hang around the clubhouse. Don't be shocked if you see him, but he's just one of the guys in Murrells Inlet.
That's a wild turkey, not a drink – TPC-Myrtle Beach is built on 369 acres, much of it wetlands, which means the course has plenty of breathing room and there is ample wildlife. Wild turkey roost in the swamp to the left of ninth tee and there are an abundance of deer, alligators and fox, among many other animals. Enjoy the scenery.
By Chris King on May 4, 2010
The TPC-Myrtle Beach is one of the Grand Strand's bluebloods.
It enjoys the benefit of a premium brand, superior design (the team of Lanny Wadkins and Tom Fazio is tough to beat), and it's the home course of Dustin Johnson, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. Throw in a bevy of national honors, and it's not hard to see why the facility is so highly regarded.
Identifying the three best holes on a course that has hosted what was then the Senior PGA Tour Championship and gets a regular workout from Johnson is a challenging task, because the candidates are plentiful. We asked course owner Chip Smith to identify the best of the best at TPC-Myrtle Beach and he complied, with an assist from Johnson.
The three best holes at TPC are:
No. 5, 158-yard, Par 3: Despite being TPC's shortest hole, the fifth is one of its most challenging, particularly from the tips where the tee shot requires a long forced carry over water. The green is wider than it is deep, so your margin for error is limited. A bunker in the right front looms for players not playing from the tips, as does a bunker in back of the green.
"There is almost a false front on the front of the green," Smith said. "It's a tough little shot because the green is narrow. The right side of the green is always better than short because of the lake."
No. 17, 193-yard, par 3: The words island green and TPC have almost become synonymous because of the famed 17th at Sawgrass, and No. 17 at TPC-Myrtle Beach is a reasonable approximation. The primary differences? The 17th in Myrtle Beach is a peninsula green surrounded by water on "only" three sides and it's approximately 50 yards longer. The 17th is TPC-Myrtle Beach's signature hole and with an almost constant wind, it represents a significant challenge. "Because of the distance, I think it's a little tougher than 17 at Sawgrass," Smith says. "Now I've never stood on 17 at Sawgrass on Sunday with $1.4 million on the line either (laugh)."
No. 18, 538-yard, par 5: The 18th, with a creek running along the right side of the fairway and a large lake on the left, is Johnson's choice as the course's best. It's a classic risk-reward hole. Players that can snuggle up to the creek before it runs out to the lake can get home in two, but there is considerable risk. Half of the green is exposed to water and with the rough surrounding it shaved, it's not an easy green to hold. One person who doesn't have to worry about length is Johnson. What does one of the PGA Tour's longest hitters use to reach the green on his second shot? "Depending on which way the wind is blowing, anywhere from a 5 or 6 iron to a 3-wood," he said. For the mere mortals among us, an iron on the second shot when attempting to reach the 18th green is out of the question!
