What to do for your birthday?
It’s not often we have to ask if we can come and play a golf course. Unbeknown to me, my lovely wife asked Rob – the man we all answer to at Golf Aficionado – if he could sort out something special for my birthday. His solution was ‘Tranquilo’ – its official and very long name is Tranquilo Golf Course at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando.
It was a double surprise for me, firstly that I was getting to play and secondly when I learned I needed to do a write up on the course – the saying with one hand…came to mind, oh well, golf on my birthday and a touch of work, I’ve had worse!
Tranquilo began life as Osprey Ridge (opened in 1992) and was part of the Disney golf collection. The Four Seasons took it over, and in 2014, along with a few changes and upgrades by the original designer Tom Fazio it became “Tranquilo’. The changes were primarily the last five holes, and I’m sure this was a need, not least to accommodate the hotel and its guests, not for a moment though is this to be taken as a negative because, as I’ll get to, it’s a pretty tough finish, in a good way!
I’ve learned over the years some golf designers seem to play to my game better than others, and the top of my list is Pete Dye. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad round on one of his designs – voodoo or luck, I’ve no idea, but I’m not complaining. My second choice would be Tom Fazio. I may be biased as my home course is one of his.
Mr. Tom Fazio
I just like the flow that Fazio brings to things – with over 200 courses under his belt, there’s a good chance you’ve played more than a few of his designs, and more than a few are likely on your bucket list. My personal favorite, The Snead (Greenbrier, WV) should be on everyone’s list! (if you can get on, no minor miracle, it’s nothing short of breath-taking) but I digress, back to Tranquilo.
Officially it’s only for members and guests of the Four Seasons, and the name itself is a pretty good summary – it’s amazingly quiet when you’re out there playing. There’s a peaceful/ calmness to the course, which makes things seem slow and relaxed, and if it weren’t for the ‘few’ multi-million-dollar homes on a few holes, it would feel very remote and secluded.
Outstanding Practice Facilites
Before we get to the course, the practice area is worthy of note – it’s also had a make-over, $2.5m worth. The standard range is well spaced, and each ‘bay’ has an alignment stick for you to use – nice touch! An area for greenside and fairway bunker practice, chipping and pitch area; however, it’s the 13,000 square feet, 18-hole, putting green that demands some time to be spent on it.
OK, you’ve hit some practice balls, putted – a lot, and before you get to the first t-box, decision time – the course is 6901 yards from the tips (Gold, slope rating 127), Blue – 6,450 (124), White (male) – 6,015 (118) White (Ladies) – 6,015 (131) and lastly Red – 5,110 (120). Par is 71.
I chose the Blue, my handicap is 10.2, and the slope rating of one of my home courses is 124, so it seems a good match-up. I have my range finder; however, the very comfortable golf carts have, what turns out to be, a very accurate GPS. It’s a very balmy 82°F, water bottles are already in the cooler, and I’m advised there is water and fruit on the course – that’s a new one, fruit? (as I found out, there are a couple of fridges on the course stocked with bottled water and, yes, bowls of fruit – Apples and Oranges, lovely touch.
It’s worth noting that once you are out there on the course, it’s nine holes out and nine holes back, so no turn at the clubhouse to re-stock.
As you’d expect, being Florida, there are a good number of holes where water is a hazard; however, if that weren’t enough, some of the best, or is that worst, placed bunkers to capture drives or green approach shots, assuming that you avoid the water! The bunkers were exceptionally well maintained, oh and in addition to being well placed, a good number of them are huge. What other challenges do you want? Oh yeah..elevated tee’s and greens and more doglegs than a pack of dogs herded together on a cold day, except it’s humid – this could be fun?!
Course Highlights
Hole 1 – why do I know I’m being played? A 337 yard, par 4 – trees left and right, just hit one straight, and life is good – done, 100-yard approach shot, two putts, and let’s go, wasn’t so bad.
Hole 2 – Par 4, 392 yards, keep it on the right-hand side (water on the left), 140 pitching wedge, two-putt – done.
The drive from 2 to 3 is over the smoothest and possibly longest bridges I’ve ever been on in a golf cart, over some Florida swamp. It feels like you’ve just left civilization behind.
Hole 3 – elevated tee, 176 yards – 7 iron, missed the 7-foot putt – par!
The course is subtly getting a little more complicated, another par-4 before the par-3 5th, ouch – 196 yards, Water on the right, swamp on the left, and you can’t afford to go long scrambled a par and only +1 (this ranks, for me, as the second-best/ hardest par-3 on the course).
The 6th is a slightly daunting hole, dogleg right, water, and a large bunker to the right, left is a forest – beautiful looking hole, and unfortunately, a wayward drive had me in the bunker on the right, a good out followed by a duff chip had me scoring a double.
Hole 7 – water on the left, along with a few homes that must be worth north of $5m..left is pine tree-lined and the hole itself, SI.1 playing a mere 555 yards – I’ll take the bogey and run!
Hole 8 (SI3) and Hole 9 (SI5) make the finishing three holes of the front nine pretty darn good. Both 8 and 9 are dog-leg rights, no water on eight, but you need to be on the left-hand side or blocked out. Nine is more open, but the water runs the entire right side, and the left has rough and bunkers. It’s a par 5 (480 yards), and getting there in two is challenging. I’m out in 41 and feeling pretty good.
Hole 10 – reasonably straightforward hole, play center-left of the fairway for the best approach.
Hole 12 – A dog-leg, left, par 5 – 499 – drive right of center to have sight of the green and avoid the bunkers on the left, downhill with a sloping greenback to front. If the pin is more front, then it plays a little easier.
Hole 13 is another par-3, 173; however, a large bunker protecting the pin on the front left side. The safer play was to the right and let the ball run down to the pin with a light draw.
Hole 16 is another par 3; it’s the only hole that feels like it’s was squeezed in, and it’s easy to see why it’s the easiest hole on the course – 153 yards. I know it’s easy to say but hit the green, and it’s an easy par, left falls away, so that’s the place to avoid.
Hole 17 (pictured above) – WOW, what a beautiful hole – it has everything, bunkers, water, dog-leg left, elevated green and forest on the right, and it’s a par 5. I could play this hole all day and never be bored.
To finish a par 3 – yeah right, the par-3 from hell – 209 yards. Elevated tee, over water – almost the entire distance, with a bunker front left, which on this day had the pin about 7 yards behind the bunker. There’s a good chance that an excellent round could end on this tee box!
The Final Score
I ended up shooting 80, I felt like it could have been 76, but then I only remembered the holes I messed up and not the holes where I got lucky and scrambled a bit. All in all, I’d say it was a fair score.
For the most part, the conditions were on point, and the staff we met were attentive and accommodating.
Tranquilo is a challenging course, and tee selection is all-important. I’d suggest making your decision around the par 3’s – 4 of them play close to/ the wrong side of 180 off the blues vs. more 160 off the whites. We don’t include 18. That’s a stand-alone!
There are a few holes, not least the first few, which will lull you into a false sense of security (thinking it’s easy) before it rears up and takes a chunk of strokes from you – the run from 6 through to 14 being the ones to be wary of.
If you are lucky enough to get an invite to play or to stay at the Four Seasons, this is a course you want to get out on, and I’d rank it up there as one of the top courses in Central Florida.