Bellaire
Par 27 - Level 2 - 69 Slope Rating
Plays from 694 – 1,248 yards
Bellaire is the newest, freshest course in town - a 2025 arrival tucked right beside the new Eastport Town Square. It's like a shiny new restaurant everyone wants to try before the line forms. The land the developer used was packed with Live Oaks, and for reasons known only to the designer (or his therapist), they added water to every single hole. It makes for great views and prime real estate for happy new gators. But for golfers, Bellaire is all about getting “aire-born.”
There are no houses on the course yet and won’t be any until the you get to the 6th hole, so for now there’s zero risk of ricocheting a Pro V1 off someone’s lanai and triggering the neighborhood watch.
Pulling up to the course might be the most impressive moment of the day. The much-anticipated Eastport Square and massive Olympia Rec Center loom in the background, and the new driving range and pro shop sit right next door looking like they were designed by someone gunning for “Best in Show” at a golf-architecture expo. No other course in town - executive or championship - has better eye candy. Which is good, because the opening hole is subpar. Many Villages exec courses don’t hit their stride until the back half anyway. (Click here to see my favorite opening shots if you want to see how high the bar is set.) The first three holes all play under 90 yards, giving the opening stretch a pitch-and-putt personality. My advice: start from the black tees so it feels like actual golf rather than a warm-up act. I will say though that the 2nd and 3rd have a couple worthy subtleties. #2 has a handsome oak guarding the backside of the green, and the drive to #3 offers a great view and another nice green tucked under overhanging branches.
From the 4th on, Bellaire settles into the Villages rhythm with an average yardage of 136 from the golds and a fun mix of looks. Hole #5 is the longest at 163 - it’s fitting that the horizon features power lines and a fire station. Both should clue you to club up and burn a tee shot.
The green on #5 is the trickiest of the day. Aim for the front-left corner if you want any chance at a two-putt. Once your ball eventually drops, take a moment to look around. You're standing at the southernmost point of any course in The Villages. For now. Beautyberry and Honeysuckle are waiting in the wings.
You’re also closest to the new Villages High School, which explains why once we heard the distant roar of a state playoff football game. At one point the announcer boomed, “It’s 3rd and 10!” A phrase that also describes my putting some days.
Speaking of high school, my worst subject was Geometry. That’s why it took me until the last hole to realize: every pond here is on the right side of the hole. Always. There has to be some sort of Villages Geometric Theorem behind that. It’s great if you hit a natural draw. Catastrophic if you tend to fade like me.
Bellaire follows an out-and-back layout, so when you turn toward the 6th tee, you start the “back four,” the best stretch of the day. Harder shots, wider views and less sun to squint into. Plus, on the 7th you get a glimpse of the new Eastport Hotel that makes you think you should have packed toothpaste and a change of clothes. The 7th also gives you a chance to play hero-ball. If the pin is in the middle or back, aim at the mound on the right of the green - yes, the one close to the trap – and let the terrain do its thing! That’s the shot I'd play over and over.
Holes 6 through 9 will contend for one of the best stretches in The Villages once the Lakeside homes rise around them.
All day long, I kept wondering where the name "Bellaire" was registering in my brain. It wasn’t until I approached the 9th tee box that I got it – it comes from the Fresh Prince of Bellaire - but alas, Will Smith did not make an appearance. Still, choosing to play the 9th from the black tees I tried to summon my inner Fresh Prince, delivering a dramatic slap of the Rock: Wack—don’t be dissin’ my Pinkett! It worked. The ball rolled right onto the green.
Fabulous shot on the best hole of the day. Yo, homes… to Bellaire!!
Toughest to Easiest:
5, 9, 6, 7, 4, 8, 3, 2, 1 – toughest green 5
From the blacks!
Yes, at least for the first 3 shots. #5 at 178 and #9 at 193 will get require more than playing like a Prince – you need to get Jacked on those holes. Plus for any slicers, the father back you play on Bellaire, the more water you bring into play. Still, even from black, Bellaire is the 3rd easiest exec in town – so go for it.
Go Green!
I can’t think of a good reason unless you are new to the sport or perhaps you chose to experience all the Eastport bars and restaurants before you teed off. It’s 694 yards from the green tees. Geometry wasn’t my only hard math class, but even I can calculate that average too low!
What’s nearby?
Isn’t it obvious? The Rock-Climbing Wall at the Olympia Rec Center. The waiver must the world’s shortest. So, sign it and climb it and live to tell about it!
My impressions are based on playing from the Gold tee boxes. The Black and the Green tee boxes pose different challenges or benefits described as well. The rankings of the toughest to easiest holes are just my opinions - yours will be far different, as will your favorite courses and most difficult and attractive holes. I welcome your opinions or thoughts on any of this - click to leave a comment.
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