C172 ISSUED HOLDING BY SAV APCH CTL COMES INTO CONFLICT WHEN REVERSING COURSE ON V3 WITH ANOTHER CESSNA.

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WHILE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN CRUISING AT 9000 FT ON V-3; 45 DME S OF SAV; SAV APCH ORDERED A HOLD AT 50 DME S ON V-3 AT 9000 FT; L PATTERN. I DID NOT QUESTION THE NEED TO REVERSE COURSE TO GO BACK TO 50 DME. I ROLLED L; TO RETURN TO 50 DME; SO THAT I'D BE SET UP FOR A DIRECT ENTRY. I SCANNED FOR TFC DURING THE TURN; BUT AFTER THE TURN MY ATTN WAS ON RESETTING THE GPS AND VOR TO INTERCEPT THE FIX AND ENTER THE HOLD. AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS WATCHING THE INSTS; I LOOKED OUTSIDE JUST AS A CESSNA PASSED US HEAD-ON AT EXACTLY OUR ALT ABOUT 200 FT OFF OUR R WING. HE WAS STRAIGHT AND LEVEL; SO I ASSUME HE HAD NOT SEEN US EITHER. WHEN I TOLD SAV APCH ABOUT THE NEAR HIT; HE SAID HE WAS SORRY; THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN 'BACK THERE AT 8900 FT FOR QUITE AWHILE.' I HAD RESET MY ALTIMETER A FEW MINS EARLIER UPON ADVISORY FROM ZJX; SO I KNOW IT WAS ACCURATE (READING 8980 FT MSL AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT). THE CTLR WAS DISTRACTED BY THE HOLD ORDER SENT TO HIM BY ZJX. HE HAD GIVEN HOLDS TO 2 OTHER ACFT BEFORE US. I WAS DISTRACTED BY THE INTERRUPTION OF MY ROUTINE AND RESETTING INSTS. IN THE FUTURE; I'LL NEVER ACCEPT A COURSE CHANGE WITHOUT ASKING ATC IF THERE IS TFC WHERE THEY ARE SENDING ME. OUR CLOSURE RATE WAS SO FAST THAT I DOUBT IF I'D HAVE HAD TIME TO EVADE EVEN AT FIRST POSSIBLE SIGHT. I FEEL THE SAV APCH CTLR NEEDS REFRESHER TRAINING. BESIDES NOT ISSUING A TA; HIS PHRASEOLOGY WAS NON-STANDARD AND OTHER PLT QUESTIONING HIS INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO BEING UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND HIM.