Truman

Par 28 - Level 4 - 80 Slope Rating

Plays from 994 – 1,631 yards

 

The Truman course is hard. There’s only one proven way I’ve seen to beat it: play with someone named Dewey - as evidenced by this famous photo.

 

Harry Truman wasn’t known for elegance or subtlety. He was plainspoken, decisive, and famously kept a sign on his desk that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” That feels like an appropriate warning for this course. Truman offers no excuses, no shortcuts, and very few places to hide. It’s a true Level 4 - and paired with neighboring Roosevelt, it forms a formidable presidential duo.

 

One reason Truman never quite plays the same way twice is its 47 different tee boxes, more than any other course in The Villages. Strategy shifts constantly. Holes #2, #6, and #8 alone offer six or more teeing options each.

 

It’s not commonly remembered, but Truman was chosen as Franklin Roosevelt’s running mate the year before Roosevelt died.  Truman was seen as a comprise choice and someone who wouldn’t overshadow the President.  Interestingly, the first hole here is similar – perhaps designed to go without notice.  It’s so understated that the first time I played here, I drove right past it.

 

When you do cross the road, the course really begins – suddenly.  Much like Truman himself, who when fate forced him into office and famously said it felt like “the moon, the stars, and all the planets fell on him,” the 2^nd hole is a jarring.  Looking north, you stare down into a valley toward a beautiful, tiered lake and green. It’s one of the most spectacular views in The Villages and earns its spot on my Postcard List. But at 160 yards with sand and dramatic drops, it simply demands focus.

 

Hole #3 brings you closer to the water. Don’t go long - the green falls away sharply. After holing out, turn around and look uphill at the moguls dotting the slope. If Florida ever got snow, this would be the ski hill.

 

Hole #4 might be the most historically appropriate. At one time, it had two greens. Remnants of the lower green are still visible, and the yardage marker still tells both stories. History, of course, chose the harder option. The remaining green is elevated, rolling, and unforgiving - your toughest putt of the day, assuming you stick the landing.

 

Hole #5 is the only par four, and it’s where the buck truly stops. It’s a sweeping dogleg right but resist the urge to let a slice “work for you.” Aim left, avoid the water and gullies, and accept that restraint here pays off later.

 

Then comes Hole #6 - the hardest test on the course. At 167 yards uphill with sand guarding the right, this is Truman at his most uncompromising. No flourish. No theatrics. Just execution.

 

Hole #7 offers a similar look, slightly shorter, with trouble now shifted forward in front of the green. Precision replaces power.

 

Hole #8 is Truman’s hallmark - and the ultimate signature shot. A narrow green funnels everything toward sand and water, demanding a clean, confident strike to the back left. You’ll love this hole. You’ll probably hit two balls. Maybe three?

 

And then there’s Hole #9.  It’s anticlimactic. Flat. Bleak compared to what came before. Perhaps fittingly, the course named after a man who famously did not like golf doesn’t bother with a dramatic finish. But as you walk uphill for one last look back at the moguls and the lake, you realize the real Truman experience happened earlier.

 

Holes two through eight will keep you coming back. With Dewey or without him. It’s Tru Man!