We had a later tee time today and were a bit worried how we would cope with the heat.  It turned out to be quite overcast and breezy so although warm we mostly avoided the wrath of the sun.  The facilities and staff at the Waldorf Astoria are pretty impressive.  We had complimentary valet parking so that was a novelty.  We were then welcomed to the practice facilities and then given a great briefing about the course.  We got chatting to the Starter about being from NZ and he said that the guy giving a putting lesson on the putting green was none other than Lydia Ko’s putting coach, Mark Sweeney!  Lydia is based in Orlando now and frequents the David Leadbetter Centre at Champions Gate Golf Course where we played the other day and comes to Waldorf Astoria to work on her putting.

I just googled Mark Sweeney and see he has coached three world number one ranked players and his hourly rate is USD500 : 0

The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club would be one of the best kept courses we have played so far in Orlando – it was in great condition.  It played quite long and if you went in the rough you paid the price.  Needless to say I had my worst round to date on our 2016 tour.

The course won the 2016 / 17 gold medal premier resort course.  Using the land’s natural contours as a canvas and a fertile imagination as a palette, this meticulously designed course was created by acclaimed golf course architect Rees Jones. The 18-hole masterpiece pulls in elements from several of the world’s classic courses – some designed a century ago. The layout ingeniously blends its traditional character with endless subtleties for a challenging experience. Mindful of the natural elements and in homage to the game’s storied history, Jones created a golf course of great integrity and environmental consciousness that seamlessly folds into the terrain, so it appears to have been here forever.