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By Bill Sangster

LADY LAKE, Florida – Tucked away quietly off U.S. Route 27/441 just north of where it’s passes by U.S. Route 466 is the Water Oak Country Club Estates. A beautiful monument sign welcomes you to a growing 55-plus community that offers residents many amenities, including the semi-private Water Oak Golf Course, designed and built by architects Mel Bishop and Lou Grimes in 1982. The course recently completed a 13-month reconstruction project that has changed this aging 41-year-old golf course into a 2023 masterpiece.

Designed by Sanford Ferris Golf Designs, the new course has alleviated flooding issues with newly designed retention ponds. Improved routing takes advantage of the 90-acre site’s 70 feet of vertical change that provides a strategic and fun challenge for all golfers. The new par-70, 6,209-yard layout has created perfect harmony with the course’s natural characteristics such as the large mature oak trees that have defined the course for decades. Over a hundred new magnolia trees and numerous indigenous plants have been placed throughout the course adding to its intrinsic beauty.

Water Oak offers golfers practice facilities which include a chipping/pitching area and two putting greens. A visit to the pro shop is met with a smile and a warm greeting along with a chance to spend some time browsing through a well-stocked inventory of golf equipment and clothing. Electric golf cart rentals offer riders a smooth and quiet trip around an expansive and hilly course. The Sandwedge restaurant offers a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu while operating a flex schedule throughout the week.

The Water Oak Country Club layout offers four sets of tees and plays to a maximum of 6,209 yards and a par of 70. Blue tees, 6,209 yards, course rating 69.4, slope 130; white tees, 5,555 yards, course rating 66.3, slope 122; gold tees: 4,977 yards, course rating 63.5, slope 117; red tees: 4,235 yards, course rating 64.0, slope 120. More