A beautiful and original panorama with a gorgeous canal, plenty of palm trees, a picturesque Marriott Hotel (built with red and pink stones) and some nice plantings and quite a few bunkers.
The view of the par-4 1st hole is quite spectacular with the canal of the right side, a big bunker on the left and a blind approach shot to the elevated green, slightly to the left.
Then, after the nice downhill par-3 3rd hole, along the canal on the right side, with some small mountains as a backdrop, the right dogleg par-5 4th hole is quite unusual with an enormous “meandering” bunker, starting from the right side, cutting across the fairway and back to the right in front of the green !
I also like the par-4 6th hole, slightly to the left, with a lake on the left side and palm trees along the road on the right (with 3 big bunkers spread along the fairway), and the short par-5 7th hole, with a big pond on the left side and an elevated green.
The back 9 has some gorgeous holes, starting with the spectacular perspective and panoramic view as you tee off from the par-5 10th hole, with a small terrace below at the end of the canal, an elongated bunker to the left (next to the canal) and an uphill approach shot to the green : simply superb...
The following short downhill par-4 11th hole (less than 280 yards) is nice too, with the canal on the left side and trees hiding its slopey green, with the mountains in the back, whereas the right dogleg par-4 12th hole has the canal on the left side and an elevated green with a lake behind it.
Another risk/reward hole is the short par-4 13th (less than 280 yards), with a tee shot over the lake and the mountains in front, about as long as the downhill... par-3 14th hole, with the canal on the left and nice bushes and flowers behind the green.
Then, after the original right dogleg par-4 15th hole, with a straight tee shot and an approach shot above the lake on the right to reach the elevated green, you will see my other favorite hole, the gorgeous sharp left dogleg par-5 17th, with beautiful mounds with palm trees, flowers and bushes surrounding the lake, and a very tough and long approach shot to the elevated green.
Finally, you will need two uphill shots to reach the green of the right dogleg par-4 18th hole to be able to admire the majestic Marriott Hotel and its colorful facade...
With its superb canal as the center of attraction, this par 72 is delightful to watch and play as M.G.A. Hover did a great job designing this original course, not too difficult with its wide fairways, but quite scenic (even if I am not too fond of the texture used for the small mountains...), and a definite keeper !