Winter Haven looks like a grid of green and grey from a pigeon's perch. The map is the real city and the round is played on its real streets, where attractions like Cypress Gardens become the holes. This quick nine-hole round covers 3.4 mi with a par of 27. Skip knows every curb and gutter in town.
This isn't just another modern thrill ride destination; it was a botanical garden and theme park near Winter Haven, Florida. It is a National Register of Historic Places listed place that offered a different pace of visiting. I've noticed that people often forget how long it was a staple of the area, as it operated from 1936 to 2009. While the original park is gone, the botanical garden portion had been preserved inside Legoland Florida as of 2011. It is a great spot to see how the city's approach to attractions has shifted over the years. If you enjoy a bit of history with your greenery, this is a location that tells a story about the transition of Florida's tourism from quiet gardens to the massive theme parks we see today.