12 of 70 : St. James Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida

Today, when we woke up, there was no wind whatsoever and the river looked like a mirror We had not experienced such calm in the full month we have been here. It was just a teaser, however, the wind is back although fairly mild compared to the past. Things were not this calm when we played St. James Golf Club yesterday. The conditions, as usual, were rather fierce.

Fun in the fescue.

At St. James, the fairways are quite wide but, as you can see in the first picture above, quite undulated as well. Considering the undulation and the wind conditions, it still proves to be hard to pick a safe target. The course is well bunkered and water comes into play on 15 of the 18 holes. A less than perfect shot might easily find either sand or water (and I have found both). I suppose that one would become more proficient at choosing the right target by playing the course over and over again. By playing 70 rounds on 70 different courses I will never find that comfort zone. That being said, I find my experience most exhilarating and I am always looking forward to my next round.

Playing good cart golf! Glad those balls stopped short of the trap.

The greens at St. James are the fastest we have played to date. I might have said that about other greens before, but trust me, none were as fast and as undulated as these. The course was designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith. They have collaborated on many other design before, such as Arcadia Bluffs  and Signature, both in Michigan. Some consider their courses as too hard to play.  From the forward tees, however, St. James is very playable. I was really pleased with my game at St. James. I shot an 87 in spite of finding water and sand on many many holes. My short game really saved me and I scored very well on the back after I slowed down my swing. Another lesson learned. I also won the match which probably makes Brenda and I pretty even so far.

St. James is also part of a residential complex but not as high end as some of the others we have seen. Brenda was amused by some of the scenery along the course, hence this last picture.