Where to play in Orlando???

[jetsknicks1]

  xlatil said:

Hi All I also go in Orlando next June and I was looking for 1 or 2 golf courses. It's crazy the number of courses [URL=http://bit.ly/ZThBcf]http://bit.ly/ZThBcf[/URL] Winter Pines Golf Course seems to be a good course. Help welcome

Don't know anything about Winter Pines but there are plenty of great courses in the area. Falcons Fire, Orange County National, Shingle Creek, Waldorf Astoria and Eagle Creek are all really nice. For more updated info I would send a PM to David in fl. here. He lives in Orlando and can tell you better than I which courses are in good shape. Enjoy!

[teed off]

Played the Red and Blue courses at Royal St. Cloud this past February, good layout, fairways and greens in great shape, fun course and friendly staff. Not a tourist trap and at $34 including cart a great deal.

[ShawnPennington]

I spend about 8 weeks a year in Orlando, and call HIghland Reserve my "home" course while im there.  There are some people who are not a fan of it, but it suits my preferred overall vibe.  Not too expensive, set in a quiet neighborhood, and not too upscale feeling.

Last week I did play the Magnolia at Disney and have to say that the whole operation there is top notch (would you expect anything less from Disney?)  Beautiful, perfectly maintained course/facility....wide open fairways which at first got me really excited.....til i realized how many bunkers are on that course! LOL I spent all day at the beach!! :-)  Lots of wildlife around the course, i was suprised at the gators in the ponds with no fence or anything.  But i guess thats normal for FL

I have annual disney passes which include unlimited free golf on the Disney Oak Trail...which is a 9 holer......but the staff at the clubhouse was telling me that if you are even remotely serious about your golf game, you do not want to play that course.  So many families, extreme beginners etc  and slows pace WAY WAY down....they were saying that they have straight up since fights on the course between families playing slow and really bad vs. low handicappers hoping to blow through 9 in an hour. haha

[zipazoid]

  teed off said:

Originally Posted by teed off

Played the Red and Blue courses at Royal St. Cloud this past February, good layout, fairways and greens in great shape, fun course and friendly staff. Not a tourist trap and at $34 including cart a great deal.

Yeah, RSC has really advertised a lot locally. Fun layout, Scottish-style. And being in St. Cloud, it's off the beaten path.

It seems Orlando courses generally fall into one of two categories -

- The 'high-end' resort-style courses. Places like Reunion, Championsgate, Disney, Grand Cypress. All good tracks, all in nice shape. But you'll pay for it.

- The local tracks, some of which are good: Dubsdread, Royal St. Cloud, Winter Pines, Orange County National, Rolling Hills. You gotta look (and possibly drive) a little to find them, but they're good too, and a lot cheaper (like the poster above noted - $34 for 18 & a cart). And RSC also has a nice restaurant/bar.

Final note: Avoid Casselberry GC - horrible condition.

[David in FL]

  zipazoid said:

Yeah, RSC has really advertised a lot locally. Fun layout, Scottish-style. And being in St. Cloud, it's off the beaten path. It seems Orlando courses generally fall into one of two categories - - The 'high-end' resort-style courses. Places like Reunion, Championsgate, Disney, Grand Cypress. All good tracks, all in nice shape. But you'll pay for it. - The local tracks, some of which are good: Dubsdread, Royal St. Cloud, Winter Pines, Orange County National, Rolling Hills. You gotta look (and possibly drive) a little to find them, but they're good too, and a lot cheaper (like the poster above noted - $34 for 18 & a cart). And RSC also has a nice restaurant/bar. Final note: Avoid Casselberry GC - horrible condition.

You put OCN in the same category as the other 4?! :-\ Winter Pines tends to be in decent condition, but bland, short, and uninteresting. Dubsdread is a great little Muni. Very tight though, so keep straight off the tee. OCN is world class, but again, you'll pay for it. Rolling Hills is an absolute goat track, not currently fit to walk your dog on......

[saevel25]

Here are few i played this year, there about 15-20 minutes south of Orlando International Airport

Shingle Creek, right near Disney. A bit pricey, but a great golf course

Southern Dunes, its just a dang tough golf course. A ton of bunkers, believe me i've been a few of them. There's not give on the course, but its actually really fun to play.

Champions Gate International, links style course. Just an awesome course. Really much better than the National.

[zipazoid]

  David in FL said:

Originally Posted by David in FL

You put OCN in the same category as the other 4?!

Winter Pines tends to be in decent condition, but bland, short, and uninteresting. Dubsdread is a great little Muni. Very tight though, so keep straight off the tee. OCN is world class, but again, you'll pay for it. Rolling Hills is an absolute goat track, not currently fit to walk your dog on......

You can play OCN for around $50 (not in season of course). Thus the inclusion.

Somehow I thought you were gonna comment on Rolling Hills. Yeah, its condition leaves much to be desired, but at times the greens aren't bad, and starting with the 2nd shot on #7, the dogleg right par 4, it gets interesting with the elevation changes. #8's a good downhill, 200y par 3, 9's an uphill then downhill little par 4, 10's a reachable par 5 but you gotta take on the water, 11 a good par 3 over the pond...and so on. Plus the 18th is one of the toughest finishing holes in Orlando - 450y par 4 with water short left of the green. It's a serviceable muni.

But you'll also note I said "some" of them are good.

[David in FL]

  zipazoid said:

You can play OCN for around $50 (not in season of course). Thus the inclusion. Somehow I thought you were gonna comment on Rolling Hills. Yeah, its condition leaves much to be desired, but at times the greens aren't bad, and starting with the 2nd shot on #7, the dogleg right par 4, it gets interesting with the elevation changes. #8's a good downhill, 200y par 3, 9's an uphill then downhill little par 4, 10's a reachable par 5 but you gotta take on the water, 11 a good par 3 over the pond...and so on. Plus the 18th is one of the toughest finishing holes in Orlando - 450y par 4 with water short left of the green. It's a serviceable muni. But you'll also note I said "some" of them are good.

I played Shingle Creek last week for $50. Disney Palm for $45. :-) Don't know the last time you played rolling hills, but it's not even close to "serviceable" these days. Certainly nothing I'd recommend to someone coming to visit.

[zipazoid]

  David in FL said:

Originally Posted by David in FL

Don't know the last time you played rolling hills, but it's not even close to "serviceable" these days. Certainly nothing I'd recommend to someone coming to visit.

I was referring mainly to the layout, not the condition. Thus the term serviceable, which it is. That's hardly endorsing it.

[sofingaw]

I posted in this thread way back, and recommended the New Course at Grand Cypress, based on what I saw of it. Now I need the recommendation! I will be in Orlando the week prior to my wedding in late September, and I want to get a couple of rounds in. I want to play the New Course for sure, but we may be staying at the Reunion resort, and I hear that they are really nice courses as well. I guess what I want to know is, if I could only play ONE course out of the 3 at Reunion and thd New Course, what would you guys recommend? I'll play 2 if I can, but the funds may not be there to play more than 1. Thanks!

[MacDutch]

Played the Grand Cypress new course two weeks ago and do not understand the recommendations at all. To me it is a very dull course, very broad fairways, enormous greens. No fun at all.

[jsgolfer]

I'll be going to Orlando next week, staying at Reunion and will be playing all of the courses there.

Has anyone used EZLinks tee time service instead of Golfnow?  They are showing a price for The Legends at Orange Lakes Resort for $28/person at 1 pm (74% discount)?  Seems like an awful good deal.

I like the course and staff at Royal St. Cloud and was thinking of playing there, but the cheap price for the Legends seems like it might be worth it to play?

[FlappyGilmore]

Don't forget the great mini golf courses as well.

36 holes at Blizzard Beach and Universal Studios

Dolphin and Swan Hotel has a great course based on Fantasia as well as a par 72 course on real grass (lowest score is a 66 by a PGA tour pro).

Saw a pirates Cove tucked away by a B Dubs as well.

[Artbij]

I have stayed in Orlando from 10 - 22 oktober and played a lot of great courses. My top courses were Bella Collina, Orange County National (both courses) and Mission Inn "El Campeon". I''ve all played them with amazing deals mostly through Golfnow.

Bella Collina $50

Orange County both courses with lunch $49 (not golfnow)

Mission INN both courses $50

[Mr. Desmond]

Orange County National

[Foursum Golf]

I'm golfing in Orlando the Monday after the Arnold Palmer Invitational - so this thread has come in handy. The guys I'll be with have played Bella Collina, Reunion, and Championsgate.

Is Streamsong worth the drive? Fairly expensive.

Deltona Club looks awesome.

[Foursum Golf]

Should have posted in here: http://thesandtrap.com/t/64966/where-to-play-in-orlando/18

Feel free to move it.

[David in FL]

  Foursum Golf said:

I'm golfing in Orlando the Monday after the Arnold Palmer Invitational - so this thread has come in handy. The guys I'll be with have played Bella Collina, Reunion, and Championsgate. Is Streamsong worth the drive? Fairly expensive. Deltona Club looks awesome.

Streamsong is a long ways away and very expensive. Deltona Club is terrible and should be avoided at all costs.