77 edge of the green). On days where you cannot see a pin from the tee, it may be advisable for those without a high 200-yard draw in their armoury to tee it forward. While the course has several areas of exposed sand, such as the dune on the seventeenth, its primary identity comes from more formal bunkering, which again delivers a marked visual contrast to the other layouts at Apogee. The bunkers have steep grass faces with sand floors and in places have geometric styling; straight edges and sharp angles that give the course a classical feel. They are mostly shaped and angled to reveal the sand but occasionally, particularly around the greens, it is just a shadowy face that signals trouble lurking ahead. Thawley explains that their inspiration book for the design included several images from Ganton and the Hotchkin course at Woodhall Spa, two of England’s finest layouts, often described as ‘inland links’. At the latter, it is not uncommon to find yourself standing in greenside bunkers and looking up at a putting surface above head height. The bunkers on Phillips’ course are generally not that deep; the groundwater level at Apogee is quite high and he did not want to raise the level of putting surfaces significantly above grade. On the twelfth and eighteenth holes, both par fives with greens set into the hillside below the clubhouse, they have been able to maximise bunker depth and it is on these holes where the parallels with the hazards at those English courses are strongest. The twelfth is the only hole where water is on full display, as it plays alongside a lake that separates the course from the opening holes of the Fazio/Davis layout. Wetland areas in the lower-lying parts of the course do not factor into play, and a stream that cuts through the fourth and tough double dogleg par-five six will rarely be found. This makes for a nice departure from typical Florida golf. After putting out on the closing green I could have immediately gone back for more. For someone who is often happiest playing just nine or twelve holes, that is high praise. To borrow from American sporting parlance, Apogee is three for three. APOGEE SUMMIT The par-three fifth is one of the lower lying holes that weave through a natural ‘Old Florida’ environment Photo: Steve Szurlej/Apogee
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