Boca Lago was designed by Devlin and Von Hagge in 1975, and later renovated in 2014 by female architect Jan Bel Jan. Jan’s involvement intrigues me. This is the first time I’ve seen her work, and that has led to me listening to her interviews, seeing what she considers the purpose of golf, and her philosophy on architecture.
(The 551/512 yard par five South third has water all down the left and bisecting the hole midway. It takes three well played shots to snag a birdie. Pin position is key especially with a back flag where a ridge makes it a tiny target…
…the putting surface nearly goes to the water edge. The player needs to be cautious going too far or it’ll find the hazard. It’s a excellent hole!)
Jan Bel Jan is credited with the Scoring Tee System. Data proved that courses were playing too long for both men and women. Her theory was gender verbiage tees were limiting men from moving up due to their pride. She reckon if courses installed better tees for ladies, the women would move up and men would actually play from the former red tee boxes. This system proved to be huge boon for courses, especially private ones which saw the satisfaction rate of their members skyrocket.
(The 382/351 yard par four South fourth hole has an unnerving shot over water where anything short or right will find the hazard. Bailing left leaves a shot over the sand or out of it. Both are not for the feint of heart.)
Jan Bel Jan’s philosophy is a practical one that combines playability with aesthetics. She wants golfers, and in particular women, to enjoy the game and bond with it. She talks about making the land better, and she wants it to be so appealing that it entices non golfers to take up the game. Less strokes + less time = more fun. It doesn’t get much better than that right?!
(The 541/495 yard par five South ninth is a gambling hole that is reachable in two shots. Water is all down the right side, but notice how the fairway is quite wide 80-100 back while the water pinches in the closer one gets to the green. The long hitter must strike his ball well to avoid it if he wants an eagle putt.)
Boca Lago is a renovation of another architects work, but the playability of the course is evident. Short grass surrounds everything and the high handicap can putt from most anywhere. The course was initially designed by Devlin and Von Hagge and many of their telltale signs are here. The ninety degree dogleg pops up several times. (I’m hoping this feature is more a result of the housing and less to do with their philosophy) The par fives all have water in play, and the tiger golfer who has the power to reach them in two better be cognizant of where the cut ins are located. The par threes are average, working mainly as connector holes that keep the rout flowing. It’s pretty much everything you expect from this duo except it’s more user friendly due to Jan’s reno.
(The 550/509 yard par five East first hole features twin trees that influence shot shape in the layup…
…the green is completely fronted by water but plenty of room exists to the left for less gifted players. The long hitter is looking at a very daunting shot to reach this in two.)
Boca Lago has three nines, South East and West. Twenty-seven holes give the members enough variety and keeps the pace of play moving along. Overall, it’s your typical Florida course, but the conditioning makes it a treat to play. For this reason I’m bumping it up one. Boca Lago is a 5 for me (good)(worth driving an hour to play). As for Jan Bel Jan, she’s renovating many of the courses in Florida, giving the members at other clubs more teeing options, and hopefully more enjoyment.
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