Wellington National Golf Club (Wellington, FL)

Wellington National is a Gene Bates / Johnny Miller collaboration formerly known as Binks Forest. With trees lining nearly every hole, the old name is an accurate description. 

Before I even seen Wellington, all the local guys were telling me how tight it plays. There’s not many parkland courses down in Florida, so a course like this grabs a player’s attention. They have to control the ball and shape it through the trees and doglegs. There’s plenty of sand traps too, including some down the centerline. 

As demanding as the driving is, the real key to Wellington, are the greens. They’re angled with slopes and shoulders protruding into the putting surface, so the best shots are curved into the green. Likewise, a shot that curves with it will roll further away from the pin. Often times, the front and rear sections of the green slope in opposite directions, so a fade is needed for an up pin while a draw is the play for a back pin. 

All in all, Wellington is a good players course, and it was in excellent condition the day we played it. Its playable for everyone and mid to high handicaps have plenty of opportunities and options to setup easy recovery shots. I wish I had played better the day I was there. I’d like to have another shot at it. I give Wellington a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).