COURSE REVIEWS

Lake Jovita Golf Club:
Carolina on My Mind in Florida

By Bill Chastain,
Course Reviewer

DADE CITY, Fla. - A trip to North Carolina is in store for those lucky enough to tee it up at Lake Jovita Golf Club, just north of Tampa on Interstate 75. Stand on the tee of the par-5 No. 11 and you are quickly transported from Florida, with its palm trees and palmettos, to a touch of Carolina golf where there is an element not normally seen on Florida golf courses: elevation. The only thing missing is the smell of Carolina barbecue.

Lake Jovita's "tower hole'' is 559-yards from the Gold tees and drops 94 feet in elevation from tee to green, which is the most significant drop for any golf course in Florida. Not only is the hole challenging, but it's fun to play, as well as scenic given the views of what's down below.

Though No. 11 is Lake Jovita's signature hole, it's not the only attraction to this breathtaking addition to the Florida golf scene. The 220-acre tract features a total of 244 feet in elevation changes, stately hardwood trees, plenty of water and rousing vistas. Funny thing is, this course is the makeover of a golf course forgotten in time. In the early 1920s, developer W.E. Currie decided the tract of land located 45 miles north of downtown Tampa was the perfect setting for a golf course.

A book entitled "The Historic Places of Pasco County'' tells the story of how Currie built a golf course on the same tract of land as Lake Jovita with plans of a future housing development. The original

Lake Jovita became a favorite of a then-New Port Richey, FL. part-time resident named Gene Sarazen. Yes, that Sarazen! According to many articles from the era, the course was one of Sarazen's favorites, which likely was attributable to the same reasons the course is special in its present-day form.

However, a thing called the Great Depression interrupted the initial party and whisked away Currie's dream when the Florida real estate boom went bust. So Lake Jovita sat unforgotten until Roy Gaddey, the managing general partner for development at Preswick Golf, left Detroit for a scouting mission to Florida and stumbled across what now appears to be a gold mine.

Traces of the old course can still be seen, such as the refurbished water tower once used for irrigation and an old hand pump, both of which are located near the 11th tee, but it's what has been added that truly makes Lake Jovita a special golfing experience.

In October the first fruits from the gold mine were realized when the course was opened, but there are far more riches to come on this course, which was designed by architect Kurt Sandness and PGA Tour player Tom Lehman. The rich experience of Lake Jovita begins once your bag is loaded on the cart and you move toward the practice range where balls are arranged in pyramids for those eager to hone their game -- or just to warm up.

You can hit balls at five actual greens until fully satisfied. In addition, there are separate teaching areas as well as areas for chipping and bunker practice. Three professionals offer private instruction from $35 to $45 an hour; currently you can get a series of six lessons for the price of five.

• Review: Copperhead Golf Course in Palm Harbor, Fla. • Past Florida course reviews

You might want to putt a few after leaving the practice tee. After that experience, you might grow a little tentative with the flat stick as the putting green is a frightening prelude to what awaits on the course's well-manicured. greens based with tight eagle grass.

Normally these greens are cut to a stimpmeter reading of around 10.5 to 11, making linoleum look slow. Three and four putts can happen with even the slightest lack of concentration or miscalculation of the break.

Once out on the course, each hole seems to have its own eye-catching contour, stately overhanging trees or drastic slopes and curves.

Sometimes these come in the form of subtle messages, like on the par-3 No. 4, where a shot hit right of the green can present real problems as the branches of a large oak keep golfers from hitting the flop shot necessary to clear the bunker protecting the right side of the green. A gamble on a pitch and run could be even more costly as there's water on the left side of the green.

Such harbingers of doom aren't easily detected due to the fact there are so many holes where creating danger wasn't necessary due to the landscape remaining in its natural state. Like No. 6, which is a long par-4 that is framed by mature oaks and plays as the No. 1 handicap hole.

Another example comes on No. 10, which is a medium-length par-4 with a dogleg that drops more than 60 feet from tee to landing area and features a green built into the side of a hill.

After playing No. 15, everybody in the group will guess they've just witnessed one of Lehman's influences on the course. Looking at the hole on the golf card won't give anybody an indication of what's ahead. Neither will standing at the tee box, which is 394 yards long from the Blue tees.

By playing the hole from those same blue tees, a visitor actually cursed a 250-yard drive right down the sprinkler line as it wasn't the necessary 275 to 280 yard poke necessary to offer a clear shot to the green on the second shot. Instead, you are challenged to hit a towering iron shot some 150 yards over 80 to 100 foot trees protecting the green.

Otherwise, the golfer must settle by bumping a shot further up the fairway before approaching the green on the third shot. And remember, having to one-putt for par is not a pleasant experience on this course.

Extremely well thought out are the two finishing holes on No. 9 and 18, which are a reachable par-5 and a 420-yard par-4 divided by a pond. Looking down on the two holes is the clubhouse, which currently is under construction.

The 30,000 square foot clubhouse -- scheduled for completion by the end of summer -- will be a golfer's dream, with pampered locker rooms, men's and women's grills, a restaurant, a bar, a workout facility, etc. In addition, there is a planned 1,400 square foot pro shop that will be able to equip even the most neurotic golfers.

The long knockers always like to hitch up their pants and tell the rest of the foursome: "You can't see the course unless you play it from the tips.'' In the case of Lake Jovita, such a boast can literally bite off more than one can chew as it's 7,151 when playing the gold tees, giving the par-72 course a 74.4 par rating.

The course is the first of two planned tracts that will be the jewel of an upscale housing development featuring nearly 900 home sites along with 32 rental villas. Club memberships are available for $6,500 plus monthly dues. However, for the present, the club is available for public play with green fees ranging from $75 to $90; some packages will be available once the Villas are completed.

Golfing fanatics should take advantage of the opportunity to play such a rare course while its still feasible. Lake Jovita easily is one of the finest courses in Florida.

Lake Jovita Country Club
P.O. Box 278
Dade City, FL 33526
For tee times: 352-588-9200
Fax: 352-521-5846
For more info: 1 800-267-2768
Their web site is not yet available.