Glenlakes Golf Club - Vista Nine

Glenlakes Golf Club with 27 holes of great golf is widely regarded as one of the Gulf Coast's premier golf facilities and best values.  Each of the three nine hole courses is unique and different from it's sister courses:

• Vista makes for an enjoyable and relaxing warm up round as it plays through the trees with wide open let-er-rip fairways but watch out for water on six holes, raised greens, and some strategically white sand bunkers
• Dunes has a Scottish links feel and is a spectacular layout and a true test of all of your golf skills thanks to strategic dramatic mounding, extensive bunkers, ups and downs, and undulating fairways and greens – read our review of Glenlakes Golf Club's Dunes to learn more about this outstanding layout
• Lakes is a resort style nine and at 3019 yards from the tips is the shortest and most golfer friendly of the three nines with generous fairways but water on nine holes and 29 bunkers that can come into play – read our review of the Lakes Nine at Glenlakes Golf Club

Glenlakes Golf Club Vista nine provides an enjoyable warm up round for the challenging Dunes nine.  With five sets of tee boxes and yardages ranging from 2200 to 3358 yards Vista is in the middle between the shorter Lakes nine and the longer nine of the Dunes.  Vista is considered the easiest of the nines and suitable for all levels of play.  This is a nine where you can let-er-rip on the wider more forgiving fairways but if you spray the ball on some of the holes you'll be lost in the tall pine forest that lines both sides of holes 2 through 6. 

Although this is the easiest of the nines, it still has some interesting holes that are fun and somewhat demanding.  You'll find:

• water on five holes that can come into play particularly on #3 the 195 yard par 3 with water on the right from tee to green
• three dog legs including #7 which takes a 90 degree turn left and offers a great risk reward shot to try and fly more of the lake to shorten the hole and give you a shot at a birdie
• some tough approach shots (#2 and #6 for example) to raised greens that are guarded by water, bunkers, and mounding leaving little room for error
• greens that are average to large but require some study and good putting skills to manage the slope, undulation, and subtle breaks

Generally speaking the fairways are ample and forgiving with a wide playable rough.  When we played they were going dormant but in very good condition.  Most are fairly flat and traditional with what you see is what you get. 

The greens were also in very good condition with an average speed.  The slope and undulation can cause some subtle breaks that surprised us and cost us an extra stroke.  They were smooth and held the ball well.

The white sand bunkers were in very good condition and the sand was soft and thick.  Most of them are guarding the greens putting a premium on accuracy. 

The above Rating and Slope are based on playing the Lakes/Vista Nines

Bottom line – Vista is a good quality layout that is suitable for all levels of play and a round here is fun, relaxing, and potentially low scoring.