COURSE REVIEW
Falcon Fire Golf Course:
Fly off to this Kissimmee Gem
by Shawn Weber Florida Course Reviewer
KISSIMMEE, FL - For those golfers who enjoy the scenery of a course as well as the challenge of the game, I give you, a must play, Falcon's Fire Golf Club. Located in Kissimmee, Fl., just three miles east of the main gate at Walt Disney World, Falcon's Fire offers all players an exciting and enjoyable experience.
This18-hole, 6,900 yard, par 72, signature masterpiece of Rees Jones, blends with its natural surroundings to make for a challenging, fair, and aesthetically pleasing golf outing. If you are as lucky as I was, don't be surprised if a bald eagle lands on the tee box to watch you tee-off.
Upon arrival to Falcon's Fire Golf Club, golfers are first extended valet parking in front of its luxurious clubhouse. Then before teeing off hole one, golfers are greeted by a professional photographer who takes an individual action photo of you, as well as a photo of the entire group. The photos, bound in leather backing with the course name and motto in gold trim, are available outside the pro shop for a small price, upon completion of your round.
The PGA professional staff provides a superior level of service and is committed to providing the best possible golfing experience for every golfer who comes to play. Falcon's Fire presents an environment more typical of a prestigious private club than that of one that is open to the public. Their excellence has been recognized by GSO magazine and Golf Digest and the course hosted several events such as the Senior PGA Tour Qualifier and Oldsmobile Scramble.
For the comfort and convenience of its golfers, each individual Falcon's
Fire golf cart has a ball washer, club cleaner, water cooler, and rain
curtain. Each cart is also equipped with a state-of-the-art "Pro-Shot" digital caddy system that provides the exact yardage from the placement
of your cart to the back, center, and front of the green. It also provides
playing tips unique for each hole.
The course itself is made up of lush, emerald green Bermuda fairways and strategically placed bunkers and hills. This, coupled with Rees Jones's extensive perimeter mounding, creates a setting not usually found in Central Florida. The variety of yardage's, angles of play, and orientation of holes tests any golfer's wide array of shotmaking skills. And with water coming into play on 14 holes, Falcon's Fire turns the most aggressive golfers into timid, lay-up queens.
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Holes one and two, as long as you can hit a wide fairway and avoid the numerous bunkers on the right and left, leave a window of opportunity to begin your round with a good score. The challenge of the course begins with hole three. Although it is a short par three, accuracy is a must.
Unless you are excellent out of the sand, a short tee-off leaves you at the beach with an extremely large sand bunker stretching along the front of the green. Also, with water lining the entire right side, even a minimal slice or hook will leave you wet and in trouble.
For those of you that need a few holes to warm up, hole four, a short par Five, can be your ticket to gaining back a stroke or two. As long as you can avoid the two bunkers left and right approximately 200 yards out, a solid second or third shot could place you on the green with an eagle or birdie putt. Holes five and six are fairly difficult par fours that test a golfer's accuracy, distance, and confidence. With a small body of water lying directly between the tee box and the fairway, you must first clear the hazard before avoiding the bunkers on both the right and left side. A weak drive or a missed fairway will make for a troublesome second shot to the green. 
If there is one hole that defines the word
lay-up, it definitely has to be the 399 yard, par 4, number 13. With
the crescent fairway bending away from the green, and an extremely large
body of water to carry over, it leaves the golfer with an extremely
difficult option. If you decide to carry the water and succeed, it will
leave you a few yards off the green for a chip and putt birdie. But,
without a crushing drive, your ball will take a devastating dive into
the water.
If you decide to "lay-up", a long, accurate second shot is needed to reach the green. So take your pick, but be wise because either one could leave you with a score-wrecking double bogey. The remainder of the holes at Falcon's Fire all encompass large amounts of water, including hole 16 with an extremelynarrow fairway with water lining both sides from tee to green. So hit them straight or you'll be sorry.
After your round, I would strongly recommend visiting their full service pro shop, full of carefully selected apparel and equipment and staffed by professionals committed to providing the best possible golf experience.
Course Information
Falcon's Fire Golf Club
3200 Seralago Blvd.
Kissimmee, FL 34746
(407)397-2777 phone
www.falconsfire.com
Email address: proshop@falconsfire.com
Tee Times welcome: 7 days in advance
Head Pro: Dave Scott
