Golf Course

Description
Stepping onto the beautiful signature tee box of the first hole at Key Royale Club, the player is offered a non-imposing straight path to the green. Big hitters may be able to take a shot at the green from the tee box. However, the fairway is bordered by opposing waste bunkers on each side, requiring attention to the landing area. Going too far right will land you in the pond where many cormorants will be sunning themselves (and likely snickering at you). As are all the greens at Key Royale, this one is elevated and protected by a steep front apron that likes to stop balls on a dime.  There is also a greenside bunker on the left and dense trees to the rear. The putting surface is sized to require good accuracy to hit.  A relatively flat green will be fun to putt on while still requiring attention to the subtle breaks.

Description
This left-to-right sweeping dogleg is protected by a large pond on the right, which is bordered by trees at the far end, making cutting the corner a challenge.  Keep an eye out for one of the magnificent Bald Eagles that patrol this pond. Trees along the left and rear of the fairway offer additional challenges. Big hitters may elect to go for the green, but the landing zone appears to be the size of a postage stamp as one must navigate the pond, the trees, the green aprons and the greenside bunker, no easy task. Note – there is an optional drop area on the left for those unfortunate to land in the hazard.  More conservative players will need to calibrate how far they plan to fly their tee shots and how much they will turn them from left to right to avoids trees in the path of the next approach shot.  The green is protected on the left by a greenside bunker running the entire length of the green.  The right and rear side aprons are steep and will swallow the ball into the rough.  Once on the green, the aggressive rear-to-front slope offers a reasonable putting challenge to all players and sideways putts will require good reading of the breaks.

Description
On the tee box, the player views a less-than-ominous par 3.  However, the green is protected by out-of-bounds on the right, bunkers on the left and right, trees to the rear (don’t be long) and steep aprons on all sides. Be wary of that crooked palm tree on the right side of the fairway that's just looking to spoil your tee shot.  As with the previous hole, portions of the green have an aggressive rear-to-front slope that can penalize the player who is too aggressive on down-hill putts and require precise break-reading for sideways putts.

Description
The longest par 3 on the course and the #1 handicap hole, this non-imposing looking hole can create lots of frustration to the player. Protected on the right by trees and out-of-bounds, and a greenside bunker, the player may tend to shy to the left. However, the player must be focused to make sure the green is hit. A shot that is left of the green will be in the trees, where at certain times of the year, Crows are hanging out and waiting to steal your ball to add to their collection. A long shot often finds the creek running behind the left side of the green. Too far right, and the player will be in a grove of trees that are near impossible to play out of. Note – there is an optional drop area in front of the grove.  For the player that finds the green, some gentle breaks will require patience to navigate to the hole. 

Description
The player must negotiate a fairway corridor, bordered by an out-of-bounds roadway on the right and a creek on the left on this second hardest hole on the course. Further down the fairway, there is a waste bunker on the right that seems to always attract golf balls. To the left, there are large full bushes that can block the next approach shot. Big hitters must be careful not to drive through the fairway and into the wooded area at the end of the fairway. Negotiating this dog-leg left fairway is as difficult and dangerous as driving the Tail-of-the-Dragon roadway in the Great Smoky Mountains.  Once the drive is safely negotiated, the player is confronted with a small, turtle-back shaped green that is protected by a waste bunker and creek on the left, a wooded area on the right that slopes downward to Bimini Bay, and steep aprons at the front and right sides. The approach shot to this green is one of the most challenging on the golf course.

Description
The easiest hole on the course (handicap #9) and seemingly innocent straight away path to the green can be played conservatively with little trouble.  Big hitters, tempted to drive the green, are confronted by water and waste areas to the left, a heavily landscaped area to the right, greenside bunkers on the left and right of the green that wrap partially around the front, and a steep front apron.  Going long here brings the creek in play that passes behind the green. Once on the green, the location of the pin is critical in the difficulty of putts. The green has mild to aggressive slopes, depending on pin position, that can cause the ball to roll off the green if not careful.

Description
The 3rd hardest hole on the course is arguably considered the toughest by most members. Players are challenged to maintain a precise, straight ball flight to land on the narrow green, navigating the cavernous greenside bunkers on the left and right. Going long here likely ends up in Bimini Bay. The tree on the right seems to always be in play and landing in the roots of this tree will impact your score. A tee shot that comes up short, in the center of the fairway offers the best approach versus being left or right of the green. Once on the green, a few subtle breaks add to the fun and challenge of the putt.

Description
The shortest hole on the course, but what the hole lacks in length is made up in difficulty of approach.  The green is surrounded on 3 sides by a horseshoe shaped bunker. The left side of the green slopes drastically away and towards the bunker on the left.  A pin position in this area can be extremely penalizing and dramatically different than other more gentle sloping areas. Enjoy the short period of rest before taking on the final challenge.

Description
The longest hole on the course.  The Out-of-Bounds Road runs the entire length from tee to green on the right side.  The road, as well as the waste area to the left, have gobbled up many a ball and turned that blemish-free round to frustration. Keep tee shots in the fairway to avoid approach-shot challenges. The right front of the green is protected by The Colonel*, the tree on the right, which can be quite the ominous obstacle when approaching from that side. Landing in the roots of this tree will certainly ruin your day.  Missing the green left will likely cause the ball to deflect into the bordering shrubs. Missing on the right and there is a high risk of a deflection into the out-of-bounds roadway. Of course, this green is protected in the front by a steep apron that stops balls like a professional hockey goalie.  A precise approach shot is key to successfully navigate this hole and avoid a high number on the scorecard. From here, head back to #1 to play 18 holes or to our beautiful Patio for refreshments and camaraderie.

* The Colonel - Named after Colonel Bob Elliott, a fighter pilot shot down at the attack on Pearl Harbor, survived and served in the Pacific Theater for the rest of the war.  He was awarded  fifteen medals for valor and heroism. The Colonel was an active member of Key Royale Club for 48 years. He was the first one to arrive in the morning, raising the US flag and starting the coffee. He died in 2019 at the age of 102 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.