OUR TOWN
OUR TOWN
This is the time of year when families celebrate fathers all around America. In my family, one of our
annual traditions is organizing a fun-filled day of fatherly golf and men being men. And my favorite Father’s Day foursome always features my only brother, Junior, and our father. By Scott Kauffman
Our dad, who’s retired in Baltimore, goes by “Bird” so it’s only fitting he became an avid golfer seeing that he always scores a few birdies each round. I, on the other hand, would be thrilled just to live up to the nickname of “Bogey.” Varying skills levels notwithstanding, we all love the quality time golf represents in our family, especially now that my father’s battling health issues. So when I planned this year’s golf gettogether in Orlando I wanted to do something special for my dad. Something he’s truly never experienced. My brother and I decided to make him a “Member for the Day” at Bella Collina, one of America’s most luxurious private golf club communities, and pamper him like a private club prince. Our private plan would start with a challenging round of golf on Bella Collina’s Nick Faldo-designed championship layout; follow up with a rejuvenating Swedish massage in the club’s world-class spa and conclude the day with some tasty cuisine and a bottle of Super Tuscan in the private wine cellar and 19th Hole bar and grill. All in all, a fantastic sounding Father’s Day to say the least. Bella Collina proved to be the perfect place in more ways than one. For starters, the club’s located only 20 minutes from the heart of Orlando and just a few miles off the Florida Turnpike, making it an easy drive for
my brother driving up from Miami and our regular golf buddy arriving from Orlando. As for the Tuscan-inspired setting itself, let’s just say it was an “out-of-this world experience.” At least that’s one way to describe the picturesque drive to Bella Collina’s main gate as the club’s iconic 75,000-square-foot Italianate clubhouse sits high atop the rare rolling hills of south Lake County. Indeed, perched like a castle with Lake Apopka and 350-acre private spring-fed Lake Siena in the near distance, the breathtaking setting makes you feel as though you have truly stepped into one of Italy’s most scenic hillside regions. As we slowly made our way up winding cobblestone driveway to the clubhouse, past vineyards and tall slender Italian cypress trees, it was clear Bella Collina’s developer spared no expense with this low-density 1,900-acre development. Case in point is the award-winning $100 million clubhouse itself, lavishly appointed with dramatic barrel ceilings, intricate stonework custom crafted from imported Italian experts, and a labyrinth of eye-pleasing plazas, fountains, terraces and woodwork truly reminiscent of Old World architecture found in the heart of Tuscany. And to think we hadn’t even made it to the first tee yet! As it turned out, the par-72, 7,594yard golf course was equally as spectacular. Set amidst live oaks and more cypress trees
in the peaceful pristine setting of Montverde, the golf course befits the clubhouse with its elevated tees, wide fairways, rolling hills and variety of shots. The layout actually sprawls across the western edge of the development, rising to heights of more than 180 feet above sea level, incorporating lush forested valleys, dramatic dunes and sweeping vistas of Orlando’s downtown skyline in the horizon and Florida’s third-largest lake, 30,000-acre Lake Apopka that goes on for miles. As my golf buddy put it, the stunning views and beautiful setting were worth the $80 greens and cart fee alone. When Faldo and fellow golf course architect Steve Smyers collaborated on Bella Collina’s design, they utilized the property’s natural contours and hilly terrain to create a course that requires more than just skill or distance. In other words, creative shot-making and careful strategy will be generously rewarded. Bella Collina wasn’t the first time Faldo and Smyers teamed up on a golf course project. Prior to Bella Collina opening in 2008, the duo co-designed Chart Hills Golf Club, considered one of England’s best inland golf courses. The formula had worked so well Faldo, a six-time major champion, said it was a natural fit for the two well-known golfers to join forces at Bella Collina.
“I wanted Steve on the job with me,” Faldo was quoted as saying prior to Bella Collina’s opening. “He is highly creative and energetic – one of the best in the industry. We both love the many dimensions of the links game, making players think their way around the course and hit all styles of ground shots as well as the air game.” Smyers, a former star golfer at the University of Florida and Central Florida resident, was thrilled to be teamed up with Faldo on the high-profile Bella Collina project. “I’ve known Nick since the early 1980s,” Smyers recalled. “and we were on the same page from the beginning, whether it was about the game of golf or course design. We get along because we’re cut from the same mold. Strategy, shotmaking and matching the contours of the land with the shot at hand and the wind. “Those are inherent in our designs. For instance, to create a different position for the golfer, we will put them in a fade lie and ask them to hit a right-to-left shot. Golfers will have to be able to study the lie, feel the wind, read the ground and imagine and be creative. That is how you play my golf courses, and Nick is in tune with that concept.” A memorable two-hole stretch that personifies Bella Collina’s unique character and the Faldo/Smyers design mission are Nos. 6 and
7. The par-4 sixth hole, a drivable 282 yards from the member tees (358 yards from the Faldo tips), is one of the classic risk-reward holes teasing most golfers like us to try and drive the hole for eagle. Others can safely use the split fairway to the left and wedge it in for birdie. My favorite hole is the following par-3 seventh. Playing 160 yards from the member tees (227 from the rarely played Faldo back tees), this uphill green is beautifully framed by waste areas to the front and left and bunkers to the right. After striking a well-played iron, the tiered green demands precision putting, something I learned the hard way en route to my three-putt bogey. After my father landed a soft hybrid shot to 10 feet, he lived up to his name and sunk his putt for the first birdie of the day. As a bonus, we all posed for a family photo from what has to be one of the most picturesque short par 3s in Florida. To be sure, on the back nine of Bella, after several more birdies from Dad and numerous three-putts from my brother and I, there more magnificent views of the clubhouse, lakes and surrounding hills to ease the pain of our lackluster performances. In the end, however, after walking off the course from a challenging round to say the least, we learned the true meaning behind “member for a day” as we pampered ourselves in the hot tub of
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the men’s well-appointed locker room that rivals any four-star resort. After being further rejuvenated with our post-round massages, we sat in the tranquil courtyard and toasted our Tuscan Day of golf with a nice light Chianti. We topped off our afternoon with some scrumptious pasta, cold draft beers and billiards in the secluded room of the 19th hole, formerly set aside as the Men’s Room but now used for private parties. After selling more than $400 million in lots during the go-go real estate days 10 years ago, Bella Collina crashed hard during the recent recession and sat lifeless for years. Now, Bella Collina has been recapitalized and revitalized by a new ownership group and the private club community is buzzing with new construction from 3,000-squarefoot golf course villa homes to 5,000-squarefoot lakefront residences to 15,000-squarefoot grand estate. Once again, Bella Collina is the place to be. One of the popular sayings at Bella Collina as La Dolce Vita, or the “Good Life.” As I said goodbye to my father and brother as the sun set over Bella Collina’s scenic hills, I knew exactly what that meant. Indeed, family and Bella Collina, the Good Life.