Riverwood Golf
& Country Club
4100 Riverwood Drive, Port Charlotte Florida 33953
(941)
764 6661
Charlotte County’s premier championship
layout, The Riverwood Gold & Country Club was
rated 4-star by Golf Digest, and is located in
the gated community of Riverwood. There are lots
of rolling fairways, so you rarely hit from a level
lie. Water comes to play on several holes, so watch
out for the alligators living in the lakes. They
have big, sharp teeth. There are also deer nestling
throughout the course, plus plenty of wondrous
wildlife, including quail.
Designed by Gene Bates, this phenomenal course
provides golfers with an exceptional challenge.
Situated alongside a majestic riverfront, the lengthy
401 yard (from the whites) par-4 hole number 8
is the hardest ranked hole on the course and rightly
so. There’s intermittent water on both sides
of the fairway, so if you hit it crooked here into
the blue, you will have to chalk that one up to
Mr Gator!
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Everyone’s talking about this phenomenal golf
gem. Designed by Gene Bates, the layout provides an
exceptionally interesting challenge with rolling fairways
surrounded by natural woodlands and marshlands. Maintained
in great condition, Riverwood is a ‘must-play’ course.
New clubhouse facility with state-of-the-art amenities
rounds out this great golf experience. It is also a
Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
How the course plays, by Chris Baker:
Riverwood is regarded as the hardest and longest course
in the area with tight fairways and small greens making
it a real challenge for all types of golfer. Whether
you want to attack the course from the black tees or
just enjoy the course from the forward tees it will
be enjoyable. Mike Burton the head pro is one of the
best teachers in the area and the best I have been
to so if you need your swing tuned he is the man to
see about that.
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As you
approach the turn you need to be playing good
golf to save your score card because the last
three holes can definitely wreck it. The seventh
is a long par three with a pond right and trees
preventing a bail out to the left so an accurate
shot is required. The eighth is stroke index
one and when you look down the fairway you will
see why. The tee to this long par four is set
back in the trees bordered by water giving you
a taste of what is ahead. Out of bounds and trees
line both sides of the fairway which is reasonably
wide so you can get a bit sloppy and still be
in play. However your fate comes down to the
second shot which requires precision and accuracy
to hit green. Its length plays a factor and many
players will be hitting long irons into the green
which is surrounded by trouble. The fairway is
split in two by a water hazard which runs down
the left into a large pond to the left of the
green. To the right are two bunkers ready to
catch people bailing out and beyond that lurks
the out of bounds.
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The green is one of the deepest on the golf course so
again club selection is crucial. If you thought those
last two holes weren’t
bad enough the ninth is a monster of a whole. At about
580 yards it plays
every inch. Probably one of the hardest tee shots you
will face is on this hole with trees bordering both sides
along with water leaving no margin for error. A good
tee shot through the trees leaves you with an enormous
second shot if you try to make it in two which isn’t
recommended with OB and water in play at all times. The
safer option is to take a mid iron down the fairway which
should leave a shorter iron to the green which significantly
has only one bunker to trouble players.
Additional player reviews:
Played 12th Nov 00. Overseed period in progress. Course is immaculate and some
holes play hard (except the 1 handicap 8th which is easy to score). The greens
are paino slow and not too challenging. Some holes are tight so bright your
straight game. The contiguous hole progression is a nice change from many Florida
courses. A good value at current pre-season rates.
Played 5th Jul 98. I played Riverwood Friday
3rd July, the fairways and green were incredible.
The course is incredible if you are in the area,
you must play this course.
Course statistics:
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Par
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Yardage
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Slope
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Rating
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| Blue |
72
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6938
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138
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73.8
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| White |
72
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6444
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128
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71.9
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| Green |
72
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6023
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122
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69.6
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| Gold |
72
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5376
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117
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66.3
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| Red |
72
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4695
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112
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66.8
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Standard fees:
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| Regular |
Before 11 a.m.
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After 11 a.m.
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After 2 p.m. |
After 3 p.m.
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After 4 p.m.
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| Dec 26 - Mar 31 |
$95.00
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$75.00
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$50.00 |
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| April |
$75.00
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$55.00
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$40.00
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| May 1 - Oct 31 |
$45.00
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$35.00
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$25.00
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| Nov 1- Dec 24 |
$55.00
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$45.00
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$35.00 |
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