Sweetgum
Par 28 - Level 3 - 75 Slope Rating
Plays from 892 – 1,592 yards
Sweetgum is one of my favorite courses to play. It loops around a large wetland in an absolutely gorgeous setting – a hidden gem. With only one par four, you might assume it’s a glorified pitch-and-putt. You would be wrong. You’ll use most of the clubs in your bag here.
The course has one of the hardest holes in town, one of the prettiest, and a house that looks like it’s begging for trouble. this track has all the ingredients to satisfy your sweet tooth, with far fewer calories! It's even got a world-class stretch of holes you'll want to play over and over again - and stretching might a good thing to do after eating all these sweets!
The round starts innocently enough. As you leave the starter shack, hole #1 looks downright inviting: flat, wide open, and leading to a level green. Nothing wrong with dessert before the meal - especially in retirement.
Hole #2 is longer and usually plays into the prevailing wind, so you’ll need to club up.
The 3rd swings the other way. It’s short enough to tempt a half-swing wedge, which is often more dangerous than a full shot. The green slopes back toward the tee, and the pin is frequently tucked on the back ridge. Like a handful of Hot Tamales, it doesn’t take much to make things interesting - so don’t underestimate this one.
Sweetgum is one of only a handful of courses that does not play next to a roadway - that's why it's a "hidden" gem. Can you name the others that have no part of the course adjacent to a public road? Click here for the answer.
Then comes hole #4, which maxes out my anxiety - not because of the wetlands running along the right. It’s the sand trap in the front and the house just beyond the green, complete with a glass-enclosed lanai that feels like it’s daring me to blade one out of the trap. God help me if I ever find that front bunker staring directly at that window. The cavity potential alone is terrifying.
Finally, at the 5th, you get to pull the driver on Sweetgum’s only par four. Even better, there’s a large waste bunker along the right, just past the pond. Why is that good? Because the first time I played here, an older Villager veteran casually informed me that you can move your ball out of the waste bunker and place it directly in the fairway. I love that rule. It reminds me of a course in Minnesota with a similar “Wildflower Rule,” where you could move your ball out of protected flowers. Ever since, I see wildflowers everywhere!
Despite the waste bunker grace, the smart play on #5 is down the left. It may look longer, but there are no overhanging oaks, and it sets up a clean approach. Make that good decision - because the very next hole encourages a questionable one.
Regardless of which tees you’ve been playing, you really should try #6 from the blacks at least once. It’s a blind, quirky, and oddly irresistible shot. Use a junk ball. Take a mulligan if needed. But you’ll leave with a sweet story either way.
The indulgence continues with two of Sweetgum’s best holes. Hole #7 lands on my Postcard List, framed by a beautiful pond on the right and a Villager’s impossibly perfect backyard gazebo to the left. If I lived there, I’d spend my afternoons watching golfers fall in love with the view - only to be humbled moments later by #8.
Hole #8 sits proudly on my Hardest Holes List. It was one of the first entrants to that list when I moved here in 2020. It’s about 170 yards from the gold tees and a daunting 198 from the blacks, with water stretching across the entire approach and two large bunkers guarding the green from my typical fade. The putting surface itself is friendly - but getting there is gut-wrenching. There are very few par threes in The Villages tougher than this one.
Thankfully, the ninth is an easy finish. It’s less a grand finale or round of applause and more like the after-dinner mint that arrives with the bill.
Sweetgum has a way of sticking with you. Which, now that I think about it, feels entirely appropriate.
Toughest to Easiest:
8, 5, 2, 4, 7, 1, 3, 9, 6 – hardest green #3
From the blacks!
How does Sweetgum change if you play from the black tees? #2 requires a challenging tee shot over the wetlands. #6 is a blast! And #8 is impossible! The top selling type of sweet gum is called Orbit – that’s exactly the type of shot you’ll need to reach the green on #8 from blacks! You could go with a hybrid round and play gold on all the holes except #6 and #8. That would make for the sweetest rounds – wouldn’t that be like a Bonbon?
Go Green!
First the good news – the average length of seven Sweetgum holes is 80 yards. The bad news – the 5th and the 8th holes may still require you to hit over some water from the green tees. But you'll see a great stretch of holes that will test you and entrance you so it's worth the extra calories to play this sweetie from green!
What’s nearby?
Sweetgum is just minutes from the Eisenhower Regional Rec Center. After your round head back to Eisenhower for an amazing history experience. You won’t believe the quantity of photographs and memorabilia honoring General and our 34th President, Dwight David Eisenhower. It’s also important to note the significance he plays in the demographics of The Villages. To many of the initial Villagers, he was one of the most important men of his time. While newly arrived Villagers may not have a personal connection to him, the Villagers who built the culture of this place, having lived through World War 2 and the first wave of the baby boom generation that followed, certainly have looked up to him with reverence. Check it out: Eisenhower Recreation Center
If you want to venture farther out but stick with the “sweet” theme, park your golf cart and drive west on 44 one mile from the intersection of 301 to the Russell Stover Chocolate store! The immense selection of chocolate options will sweeten any lingering bad taste you have from #8. Willie Wonka would be impressed!
Some Sweet Pics:
Sweetgum 8 from the blacks takes a 198-yard drive to a green that's so narrow you can't really see it in this picture!
There is a flag out there - usually somewhere between the traps! Time to go into orbit!
Check out the Owl near the 7th green! It's another example of a roadside attraction! Click here to play a match game for some others!
Sweetgum 6 from the black tees is obviously trying to look like a Pelican hole! There's only 20 feet of landing zone between the marsh and cup so your sweet shot better be a bit sticky too!
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.
Create Your Own Website With Webador