Duo First Time to Florida, Need Help!

[willapp]

First post, hope everyone is well.

My friend and I are UK players in the early stages of planning a golf trip to Florida for February 2020. We're not fantastic players (18 and 22 handicap, unofficial) but enjoy golf trips to play a few rounds and do some sightseeing etc. (i.e. they aren't 100% golf focused). Previously, we've been to Portugal, southern Spain and then the Canary Islands as we've gradually gone earlier each year and typically that means travelling further afield in search of good weather. February would be the earliest trip yet, hence the idea of venturing to Florida.

To get to the point, we're not sure where to start with finding suitable courses. Obviously Florida has a LOT of places to play. We aren't necessarily looking for a "resort" experience (hotel and courses on site), but preferably a base location within a reasonable drive of some courses that are suitable for us high handicappers. We plan on staying 7 nights, but only playing 3 rounds - ideally a different course each time, but a minimum of two courses - variety is important as we aren't the sort of players looking to achieve a particular score, or improve our game on consecutive rounds of the same course.

Ideally we would fly into Orlando and be based nearby - purely so we can spend our non-golf days sightseeing, and Orlando seems the obvious choice - but we can also get flights to Miami and Tampa if those are any better. The other reason for leaning towards Orlando is I've been 3 times before, so am vaguely familiar with the road system, places to visit, restaurant locations etc.

Just looking for opinions really on nice courses that are affordable and won't require any proof of handicap, and if anyone wants to throw in a suggestion on accommodation that would be super. If not we'll just find something nearby. Not looking for anything fancy in that respect, as long as it has parking available.

Many thanks in advance.

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by willapp
clarity

[David in FL]

If you’re only playing three times in a week, obviously golf is not the sole priority.  There are a ton of threads here about golf in and around central Florida that a simple site search will provide.  Anywhere that you’re located in the Orlando area will allow you easy access to more than dozen that will meet your requirements and expectations...

Welcome to the site!  I’m sure you’ll enjoy your visit.  

Edited December 8, 2019 by David in FL

[JuanTheGolfer]

No course I know of in the Orlando area, or even in Florida (except for some private clubs) require you to have or prove a handicap...  so you can eliminate that from your list.    There are lots of courses in the Orlando area.  I might suggest Southern Dunes which is just a short drive west of Orlando on I-4.  It is usually listed as one of Golfweek Magazine's List of Top Courses You Can Play in Florida.  Here is a link to a list of Top Courses..you might find this helpful as you search.    Hope the weather is great and you have a fantastic trip to the Sunshine State.

 

Golfweek’s Best 2019: Best Courses You Can Play

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Welcome to Golfweek’s annual Best. Each spring, we publish the three lists that are the foundation of our course-ratings program: Golfweek’s Best...