By Dave Daubert
Black Diamond Ranch is a gated enclave in the rolling hills just 15 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and is home to some of the best golf in the country. Its 45 holes were designed by the Tom Fazio, one of the true geniuses in golf course architecture.
Fazio’s creates both flawless and memorable layouts. At one particular course in Florida, he explained that he worked the course backward. He picks the location of the greens and then places the fairways and other elements to enhance the golf experience.
The original owner of Black Diamond Ranch, Stan Olson, wanted to show off to the world. Fazio made a big canyon-like hole in the ground come to life in The Quarry. It has been chosen as one of America’s Greatest Courses’ by Golf Digest for 20 years. He punctuated the 13 holes over rolling terrain, with five dynamic gems. The par-3 13th requires a 184-yard shot to a tiny green hugging 80-foot cliffs on the right, plus the tee shot must carry a dee ravine. The quintet of closing holes will give you as much trepidation as you have ever felt.
Before teeing off at the short par 5 14th, it would be wise to locate where the green is. Once in the right side of the fairway, where most golfers play safe to avoid the left side which careens dramatically, you cannot see the green. From there I recommend a layup to about 100 yards so you can stop your third shot on the green, or ‘arrivederci baby.’
Teeing off from an elevated green at No. 15, a par 4, to a fairway at the bottom of the quarry, I really enjoyed this hole with the limestone walls as the backdrop to the green hugging a sparkling turquoise pond along the left. Two good shots and you can be walking away with a birdie. You climb out of the quarry to what I consider one of the toughest holes, the 429-yard par 4, 16th with trouble looming all the way down the left as the fairway narrows approaching the green overlooking the big hole in the ground.
Your last challenge is another par 3 at 218 yards hitting into a ravine with a two-tiered narrow green with cliffs left and a sprinkle of deep grass bunkers right. Good luck!
After you have challenged the Quarry, you can enjoy what I consider one of his best layouts and my favorite, The Ranch’s 18 magnificent holes at just under 7,000 yards. The good thing about the courses; there are 5 sets of tees to make them all playable for any level of player. The Ranch is pure undisturbed golf at its best that you will be wanting to play again and again that blends perfectly with the abundant rolling hills of “The Manatee Capital of the World.” The fairways are framed by hammocks of majestic oaks, tawny-colored sand waste areas and dotted with vegetation.
The Highlands nine-hole course is as good as its big brothers and can be played in tandem with a nine of either the Quarry or Ranch. On a previous visit a few years ago, I had the opportunity to play the 3,453-yard layout and found it as challenging and enjoyable as the other two.
Although Black Diamond Ranch is a private sanctuary, public golfers and small groups can enjoy the “Black Diamond Experience” with one of the stay-and-play packages available with onsite private home accommodations. Contact Cherri Hall at 352-453-5454 or CHall@BlackDiamondRanch.com.
