De La Vista
Par 29 - Level 2 - 79 Slope Rating
Plays from 1,243 – 1,645 yards
De La Vista doesn’t try to impress you.
It doesn’t need to. The course plays straight down and straight back, so you can’t possibly get lost—geographically or emotionally. There’s no water to carry, no elevation to conquer, no grand reveal waiting around the corner. Just oak trees, generous greens, and a layout that feels comfortable in its own skin.
And then there’s its defining feature: the first and ninth holes share one long, elongated green. That single design choice tells you almost everything you need to know about De La Vista. This is a course built shared space, shared lines, shared stories. Golf here isn’t about separation or spectacle. It’s about playing alongside one another.
I learned that my first time out when a fellow golfer arrived without a putter. No panic. We shared mine and somehow each rolled in a birdie. That kind of thing feels oddly appropriate here.
The opening tee shot is simple: just over 100 yards to your half of the shared green. Pay no attention to the golfers putting nearby on nine - and for goodness’ sake, don’t hit right. Holes two, three, and four continue south in steady, no-nonsense fashion, with the third being the longest. By then, you’ll have the wind figured out - and that’s useful, because the fifth hole breaks the par-three rhythm.
At 326 yards, #5 is the only par four and the longest hole on the course. Traps guard the right side of the fairway, so the smart play is left and patient. Reach the green in two and you’ll find a good chance at par.
Then you turn around and head back north.
The sixth is the longest par three on the return trip, slightly downhill and - by default - the toughest shot on the card. Although, last time out, one of our foursome parked it six inches from the cup!
The seventh is a short par four with a tight pinch point at the 150 marker. The eighth reminds you that short doesn’t mean simple: just 86 yards, sand across the front, and an overhanging tree closing the window. It’s the kind of hole that punishes carelessness.
I once played De La Vista with a gentleman in his nineties. He was a member of the three-time hole-in-one club, with a smooth swing and strong focus. He couldn’t hit it far anymore, but he didn’t need to. His game fit the course perfectly. It reminded me of my eighty-something pickleball friend Will and how this place seems to a fountain of youth for so many.
There’s no fountain on the closing hole. No dramatic carry. Just that shared green again - waiting for you, like it was at the start. That’s a reminder that golf, at its best, is meant to be played together.
At De La Vista, the hazards are minimal, the greens are kind, and the play is unforced. Just make sure you know which side of the green is yours.
Toughest to Easiest:
6, 5, 7, 3, 8, 9, 2, 4 toughest green -5
From the blacks!
For a level two course, De La Vista is one of the longest, so this simple down and back course can be plenty challenging if you step back to the black tees. Your first shot of the day will have a more difficult angle to the green. So will the 8th. But it’s the shear distance on the par three 3rd and 6th, and the par four 5th that will have you sharing some sympathy with your fellow black tee golfers!
Go Green
At 1,243 yards, De La Vista is one of the longest level two courses in The Villages. But most of that distance is due to having two par fours. If hitting long is not your thing, you can still enjoy this course – try using a tee in the fairway on the par fours to help loft your ball higher. Otherwise, the lack of water and hilly topography makes this a good course to play from the green tees.
What's Nearby?
The Studio at Tierra del Sol is right across the street from the De la Vista starter shack – you can’t get much more “nearby” than that! It’s a small theatre associated with The Sharon Morse Theatre in Spanish Springs that you were so close to on the 5th green. I would describe The Studio as a Community Playhouse that presents extended-run productions. It runs from September through April in an intimate 130 seat theatre and is adjacent to the Tierra del Sol Country Club, so a pre-show dinner would be a great combo, of course after you've shared a great golf game with friends across the street! Here’s their website.
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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