Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

Hot on the heels of Rory McIlroy’s fabulous win at the US Open came the chance to visit Grand Cypress Golf Resort in Orlando. Previously Grand Cypress was a private members club but that’s all changed now and the 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature golf are now open for guests of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes to play.

The resort truly has a diverse selection of Orlando golf with its 27-hole North/South/East Course providing the ultimate test of accuracy while the 18-hole New Course provides a Scottish links masterpiece. Within the 27 holes, the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed North, South, and East Nines provide three distinctly unique 18-hole masterpieces. For the full round of 18, courses can be combined as the North-South, South-East, or East-North Course. Each combination provides a distinctive playing experience, which will challenge even the best of golfers.

Grand Cypress Golf Club is proud to host the LPGA for a tour event every year and this is your chance to play the same course that the top professional ladies play. The whole facility is both elegant and oozes class in every aspect. From the moment you walk through the club house door to the time you walk off the 18th green you’ll thoroughly enjoy an unforgettable Orlando golf experience.

If you’re looking to hone you game then there’s no better than the Grand Cypress Academy of Golf. It features a variety of golf school programs offering one to five days of unparalleled instruction and the most advanced teaching methods to improve your performance. The Grand Cypress Academy of Golf, has won countless awards for it’s high level of instruction and all of the instructors are among the best in Florida.

Grand Cypress is located just 15 to 20 minutes from Florida Leisure’s vacation homes and our staff would be delighted to book your tee time when you’re next in the Central Florida area.

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Showing no signs of slipping, let alone melting down, Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open by eight-shots in a mesmerizing performance.  Jason Day came second on -8 while Lee Westwood, Y.E. Yang, Robert Garrigus and Kevin Chappell shared third place in a field that trailed so far behind that you could only sit back and enjoy the sheer brilliance of the young man from Northern Ireland. Coming on the back of his disappointing final round at The Masters you could sense this was a young man on a mission for his first major win.

The 22-year-old  never came close to a repeat of the Masters, where he blew a four-shot lead on the final day. He made his third birdie of the day on No. 10 to get to 17 under but gave a stroke back after driving into a bunker on No. 12. It was only the third over-par score he’d posted over nearly four days at Congressional.

His score for the four days was 268 and broke the U.S. Open scoring record of 272, held by four players, including Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

“Heck of a performance,” Woods said, in a statement read by NBC’s Dan Hicks during the final nine holes. “Looks pretty comfortable that Rory will raise the U.S. Open trophy. Congrats and well done. Enjoy it. This was an impressive performance.”

McIlroy has also earned himself a big fan in Jack Nicklaus, the career leader in major victories. McIlroy and Nicklaus had lunch shortly after his Masters meltdown, with McIlroy seeking advice on how to finish out tournaments.

“I think he’s going to have a great career and be great for the game,” Nicklaus said in a telephone interview with NBC during the final round. “He’s a nice kid. He’s humble when he needs to be humble and he’s confident when he needs to be confident. He wants to learn and he wants to get better. That’s everything you need.”

Praise indeed.

Congratulations Rory. Fantastic performance.

If golf is your game, you won’t want to miss the experience of a round at Mystic Dunes Golf Club. Rated a 4 1/2 star course by Golf Digest magazine, Mystic Dunes is renowned as one of the most unique courses in all of Florida.

It’s located at the beautiful Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club, nestled on over 600 acres of rolling hills and lush tropical landscaping, just two miles from Walt Disney World® and minutes away from Orlando’s other major theme parks and attractions.

The course was designed by Champions Tour player and NBC golf analyst Gary Koch.  At 7,012 yards, the par 71 course is challenging yet fun for golfers of all skill levels.  It’s built on some of the highest elevations in the Central Florida area, and features two distinctly different layouts that take advantage of the resort’s unique topography.

The “low-country” style front nine is reminiscent of classic Carolina courses, meandering through native wetlands and marsh areas and bordering oak and cypress forests. The back nine features characteristics of a British Isles links course, with perimeter mounding, pot bunkers, and rolling fairways.

The unique greens at Mystic Dunes are reminiscent of Augusta National, with varying elevations that allow for an unlimited variety of shots and strategies.  Several of the par four holes rival the length of some of the longest seen in professional major championships, and a diabolical quartet of par threes seem to get more intense as the round progresses.  But don’t worry… the five sets of tee boxes offer golfers of all skill levels the ability to play from the distance that makes their round of golf enjoyable, and with just enough challenge to keep them on their toes.  And the meticulous course conditioning guarantees great playing conditions year-round.

The practice facility is a great place to warm up before your round, featuring a large driving range with grass teeing area and target greens, plus practice bunkers and putting and chipping greens.

All golf carts are outfitted with Par-View GPS to help golfers shape every shot and get the most out of their round, and the expansive Pro Shop offers the latest in golf equipment and fashion for men and women.

The friendly atmosphere of Kenzie’s, the restaurant and bar at the Mystic Dunes Clubhouse, is the perfect place to enjoy breakfast before your round, lunch on the outdoor terrace, or you can pick up an order to go at the turn.  After your round, it’s a great place to enjoy a cold beer or cocktail and catch up on the day’s sports, or stay for a casual dinner.

The clubhouse can also accommodate tournament and banquet events and weddings of up to 300 guests.  The outdoor verandah that wraps around the back of the clubhouse offers a spectacular view of the picturesque 18^th green and driving range; it’s absolutely gorgeous at dusk.

Whether visiting Orlando for a few days, a few weeks, or an extended stay, if you play golf you will want to make sure your itinerary includes a round at Mystic Dunes. If you’d like to see more photo’s…click on our Facebook page here. And here’s a short video tour…

It was one of the more extraordinary days that Arnold Palmer has ever seen at his event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, as overnight two shot leader Martin Laird went from a shocking collapse to unlikely champion at Bay Hill this afternoon.

Three shots behind with just four holes to play, Laird managed to make birdies and two clutch pars to close with a 3-over 75 and become the first European winner in the 33-year history of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Laird’s final round 75 became the highest final round ever by a Bay Hill champion.  Laird still needed some help from Steve Marino, who lost the lead with a double bogey from a plugged lie in the bunker on the par-3 17th and although Marino made birdie on the 18th for a 72, Laird sealed the victory when he two-putted for par from 90 feet.

It was an unlikely victory for Laird as after 11 holes he was 5 shots over but he showed he was made of stern stuff as he impressively made back-to-back birdies to reclaim the lead, then sank a five-foot par putt at 17 and then nailed a four-foot par putt at 18 to finish 72 holes on eight-under par 280.

“I’ve had perserverance all week and it paid off,” Laird said.

Laird completed a stellar day for Scottish golfers after countryman Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open winner, won the European Tour’s Andalucian Open earlier in the day to end his nine-year victory drought. The day was made complete for Laird as he got to meet the “King of Golf”, Arnold Palmer at the presentation ceremony for the first time… that’s some way to arrange a first time meeting!

Laird is now $1.08 million richer and will now make his Masters debut at the year’s first major championship in two weeks time. Congrats!

One event I always look forward to is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf and Country Club and every year on the Friday of the event is a wonderful opportunity to indulge the taste buds and check out some of the best restaurants in the Orlando area at the Wine & Dine on 9 event.

17 of the finest restaurants in the area came together to put on a food fest on the fairway of the 9th hole. The event ran from 2:00 to 5:30pm and it is sold as a special ticket to existing Friday daily tickets or those with weekly badges. 

New for 2011 was the VIP ticket that offered a separate upscale seating area exclusively for VIP Wine & Dine on 9 ticket holders only and it looked to be very popular for those that wanted the experience of being waited on.

It’s definitely the place to meet your friends to socialize and enjoy some exquisite wine and appetizer pairings during the Arnold Palmer Invitational and it’s an even greater event as the proceeds benefit the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Dr. Phillips Rotary International.

Make sure you get your ticket for next years event nice and early…because it always sells out!

Here’s some video from yesterday…

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson head the field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational that starts tomorrow at Bay Hill Golf and Country Club in Orlando. Justin Rose, who captured two PGA Tour victories last year, and Northern Trust champion Aaron Baddeley were also among a handful of late entries who joined the field and the final roster features nine of the top 20 players in this week’s world rankings.

After skipping last years event six-time Bay Hill champion Tiger Woods is making a welcome return after a year’s hiatus. Wherever he goes Woods is always in the news and hopefully this tournament will be a chance for him to set the headlines for all the right reasons. It’s been a painful 18 months for the 14 time major winner and he’ll no doubt see this as the perfect opportunity to tune up ready for the 2011 Masters in a couple of weeks time. U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Masters titleholder Phil Mickelson also are among the headliners in a field that also includes six of this year’s 11 PGA Tour winners.

Late additions to the roster for this years event are Stewart Cink and David Toms who join the 120-man field, along with Bill Haas and Fredrik Jacobsen. The field also will include Champions Tour pro Andy Bean, entering on the 30th anniversary of his 1981 victory.  Last years winner was Ernie Els in a rain delayed tournament that actually finished a day late and he’ll be hopeful of defending his title this year. It’s going to be a great four days of golf in Orlando!

Here’s some video from last year’s event:

This time of year is known as “Golf Season” in Orlando and it’s not just because it’s a great time to play the noble game but also a fabulous time to get out to see some of the best tournaments in the United States… the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is on it’s Florida Swing right now and next week it stops at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.

2011 is truly a golden year for Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge as it’s actually celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary. The Bay Hill Club was built in 1961 and it was just four short years after that in 1965 when the “King of Golf”, Arnold Palmer, played in and won a charity golf event on what was then an unknown golf course. The rest is history as “Arnie” fell in love with Orlando and Bay Hill that day and he started to hatch a plan to make the club his own. Naturally, he succeeded by initially taking out a 5 year lease with an option to buy  on the property in 1970 and since taking ownership in 1975 he and his team have worked extremely hard to ensure that the PGA Tour makes an annual stop in Orlando.

Today, the Arnold Palmer Invitational attracts some of the strongest fields of the season and it’s world class amenities including a 70 room lodge make it a comfortable and value added experience for those guests fortunate to stay there during the event. So, if you’re in Orlando this year and unable to secure accommodation for the event at Bay Hill, why not enjoy your own vacation home just 10 to 15 minutes away from some of the best golf you’ll ever see? Florida Leisure Vacation Homes has homes close to the famous Orlando course and who knows, you may just see us skipping work and enjoying some quality golf time. Here’s some video I shot showing some of the things going on behind the scenes and how the venue is preparing for the tournament.

Day 2 at the Tavistock Cup saw Team Lake Nona dominate the play and capture its third consecutive win and fourth World Golf and Country Club Championship title in the tournament’s eight-year history. A score of 43-under par saw Team Lake Nona overtake Team Isleworth on their home turf in the singles stroke-play format.

As the low medalist for Day Two, Lake Nona’s Oliver Wilson helped lead his team to victory with a score of -7 (65) and he took home the Payne Stewart Salver Award and the $200,000 prize. Team Isleworth’s Robert Allenby was runner-up with a score of -6 (66).

Team Albany came in 16 shots behind Lake Nona at 27-under par while Isleworth came in third place with a score of 25-under par. Queenwood finished fourth at 18-under par. Team Lake Nona’s Graeme McDowell won the closest to the pin challenge on Hole 2, Team Queenwood’s David Howell on Hole 5, Team Isleworth’s Stuart Appleby on Hole 11 and Team Queenwood’s Adam Scott on Hole 15.

It was my first visit to the Tavistock Cup and I have to say it was very refreshing to see the players competing hard but also having some fun and entertaining the crowd a lot more than you’d normally find at such a golf event. There was none of that stuffy nose in the air atmosphere that you might have expected from such an event and the gallery was as laid back as the players.

Sure, there was some friendly country club rivalry thrown into the mix but nothing that suggested this event was only reserved for the elite of society. Spectators were allowed to get close to the players and while there were some ropes and marshals around the tees and greens, it was possible to walk the fairways with no real concerns about security, taking pictures or even having the odd cell phone conversation as long as you were mindful of normal golf etiquette.

It was also nice to see the players families along for the fun and some of the youngsters actually made the event more down to earth and relaxing as they made a beeline for the 18th flag or the bunker surrounding the same green. Rounding things off was a nice simple presentation ceremony as Tracey Stewart presented the Payne Stewart Salver Award to Oliver Wilson before the Tavistock Cup was handed over for safe keeping for a year to Team Nona.

The annual two-day tournament will be held at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club next year in March and it is hoped that there may even be six teams in the mix as the tournament grows. It’s a date you should put in your diary… here’s some vid…

The first day at the Tavistock Cup at the beautiful venue of Isleworth Golf & Country Club has come to an end and it’s been a fascinating day’s play as Team Isleworth led the way with -30 in the better ball stroke play format. Following closely behind is Team Albany at -28, Team Nona -25 and Team Queenland -16.

This year marks a departure from the previous seven years as  Team Isleworth and Team Nona are now joined by Team Albany and Team Queenland to spruce up the contest and hopefully expand the contest even further. There is a huge amount of golf talent at this event and it has elevated the Tavistock Cup to new levels and that can only be good news both for the tournament and also for the Tavistock Foundation. The Tavistock Foundation has donated millions of dollars to local, national and international charities since the tournament’s inception back in 2004.

So all in all it means, More Teams, More Players, More Colors, More Fun and of course, a whole lot more golf to enjoy.

Tomorrow sees the individual stroke play format come into play and that means each player will play their own ball rather than posting a better ball score as per today. Today it was the three best better ball scores that counted and tomorrow it will be the top six individual scores that will count the most. It promises to be a fascinating day’s play from the time it starts, 10.50am thru the closing ceremonies at approximately 5.00pm tomorrow evening.

Twenty-four of the world’s top-ranked golfers will compete in the 2011 Tavistock Cup, which returns to Isleworth Golf & Country Club, near Orlando, on Monday March 14 and Tuesday March15.

This will be the eighth installment of the team event and this time there’s something new happening that will excite many golf fans. For the first time the event will will feature a four-club competition between the golf professional members of Albany, Isleworth, Lake Nona Golf & Country Club and Queenwood Golf Club.

Team Albany is made up of Tim Clark, Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods and don’t worry if you’ve not heard of the team before because they are representing the new luxury resort community in The Bahamas developed by Tavistock Group. This team may well be the favorites to take the honors over the two day event as with golf greats like Woods and Els in their team, Albany has amassed a total of 198 worldwide victories with five of Team Albany’s players being ranked in the top 30 in the world.

Team Isleworth’s lineup features Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Brian Davis, J.B. Holmes, Sean O’Hair and Lee Janzen. Isleworth is home to this years event and is known for being the luxury residential community nestled amongst the Butler Chain of Lakes in southwest Orlando. This team has notched 244 worldwide wins and Isleworth’s players include four of the top 70 in the world.

Team Lake Nona has assembled Ross Fisher, Retief Goosen, Peter Hanson, Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson. Lake Nona boasts a victory roster of 319 worldwide wins. Lake Nona is situated in southeast Orlando and forms a cornerstone to Tavistock Group’s emerging life sciences cluster becoming known as Lake Nona Medical City. Each player on Team Lake Nona is ranked in the top 100 in the world and the golf course is ranked among the top residential courses in the world.

Team Queenwood’s competitors include Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke, David Howell, Soren Kjeldsen, Paul McGinley and Adam Scott. Queenwood is one of the most exclusive private members’ golf clubs in the United Kingdom, and it is a team that has secured 64 worldwide victories. Queenwood features four players in the top 110 in the world, as well as a number of Ryder Cup veterans.

Totaling it all up and through the end of 2010, Tavistock Cup’s participating clubs have won more than 825 worldwide victories, including 59 major championships. Some record and some indication of the talent that will be on show on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

In the spirit of Tavistock Cup competition, there is an official dress code for the tournament; spectators are encouraged to wear either ALBANY PINK to show their support for Team Albany, ISLEWORTH RED to show their support for Team Isleworth, LAKE NONA BLUE to show their support for Team Lake Nona or QUEENWOOD GREEN to show their support for Team Queenwood.

The Tavistock Cup’s world-class field hails from all corners of the globe, making this year’s tournament the most internationally diverse one yet. Tavistock Cup contestants play for prize money, team hole-in-one prizes and the title of World Golf and Country Club Champion.

Established in 2004, the Tavistock Cup began as a friendly inter-club match between Isleworth and Lake Nona’s golf professional members. The past seven matches have left Isleworth and Lake Nona tied in the series. Each club has claimed three Tavistock Cup titles, with the 2005 matches ending in a tie following a sudden-death playoff.

The Tavistock Cup through the Tavistock Foundation has donated millions of dollars to local, national and international charities since the tournament’s inception. Some of this year’s beneficiaries include Audubon of Florida, The First Tee, Health Central Foundation, Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, University of Central Florida Foundation and Valencia College.

The two-day tournament will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel in the U.S., Canada and Japan and airs on international affiliates throughout the United Kingdom, Latin America and South Africa. TavistockCup.com will feature real-time live scoring of the matches.