If you have a few minutes check the fly over. If not, fast forward to hole 15, which is the signature hole. BEAUTIFUL!

This past Friday, Jo Ann and I had the privilege of playing at The Club at Porto Cima. We had taken a short vacation, visiting my cousin and a long time friend (boy friend?) at the Lake of the Ozark’s. Larry has a social membership at Porto Cima and naturally he had to be present to get us on. My cousin rode along with Larry and putted on the greens. She’ll need a little more experience. 🙂 It was actually Larry’s first time playing the course; so we shared the experience together. It was fun!

I can mark this off my bucket list now. The course is absolutely beautiful. It’s not an easy course to play, but is fair. Hit the fairways and you have a beautiful lie, maybe not great position (that’s on the player), but you have well manicured grass to play from. The rough along side the fairways are fair as well, not too thick, where you can find your ball and have a clean swing to get out of the trees. Just don’t hit your drive too short of the fairway where you leave it in that rough. The grass is thick and moss like, and difficult to get out of; another words you are punished for a poor, weak drive. I was fortunate enough to only experience the rough along side the fairways. Then there are the holes along the lake ………… stunning beauty. A couple holes are nested right up against the water.

I shot an 85; had it not been for a couple of brain lapses I could have had 81 to 83 (a couple of senseless shots I don’t normally do). That was the only disappointing part of the day, the score could have been better. What couldn’t have been better was the company and the beauty that surrounded us. However, playing an elite course like this (Jack Nicklaus design) for the first (and probably last time) time, had you told me I would have a score of 85 I would have been ecstatic. I have played lesser courses (and easier) for the first time and not scored as well.

I have been in a boat, just off the 17th fairway where you cross a cove on your approach shot to the green. We used to take bets (from the boat) whether a player about to hit over the cove would make it or not. I thought about that as I was about to hit my 2nd shot (the approach shot) to the green. I was NOT going to leave it in the cove (the water). I was a 185 yards away, I hit a solid shot, long & high right at the flag (to an elevated green. I hit just over the bunker in front of the green, my ball popped up (had some back spin) and instead of rolling on, it came down into the bunker. I was satisfied, I had made it over the cove. I pitched up on and two putted for a bogey. Not bad for the first time. It wasn’t a double bogey (or worse). There are a number of creeks running through the course that can be nasty, beautiful but nasty for the golfer.

One of the most beautiful golf courses in the country (world).

It was a wonderful, beautiful day.