Don't
overlook golf
when in Orlando
Why, given its status as one of the most popular entertainment destinations in the U.S., its 300-plus sunny days a year, its thousands of hotel rooms, and a tourism industry that rivals any in the world, has Orlando had such a hard time establishing itself as a golf destination?
"Our greatest asset may also be our biggest hindrance to being a true golf destination," says Todd Howard, Director of Golf at the International Golf Club. "Most people come to see Disney World and Sea World, and they will golf while they are here. Hey, we can't complain about that, but golf does exist in the shadow of Mickey."
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Depending on whom you ask, there are between 100 and 150 golf courses in the greater Orlando area. The most accurate assessment is somewhere in between, but the fact remains that any town with this many golf tracks and 110,000 hotel rooms should be considered a major, national golf destination.
"Since 1998, there have been 14 new golf courses built in and around Orlando," says Howard. "That is more than have been built in Myrtle Beach, or maybe anywhere other than Las Vegas. But because there are so many other things to do here, we aren't always mentioned as one of the major golf destinations."
Let the mentioning begin. World-class architects such as Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones, Dick Wilson and Joe Lee validate Orlando as a golf destination with the quality to match its eye-popping quantity.
Further proof that this is truly one of America's golf capitals: Orlando plays host to two PGA Tour events and an LPGA tournament -- something few cities can claim. All three tournaments (The Bay Hill Invitational, the Walt Disney World National Car Rental, and the JC Penny After school Open) are held at courses open to the public. In fact, private courses are the exception around "O-Town" and not the rule.
Oh,
and did we mention that Orlando is the home of the Golf Channel,
Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, top-notch golf schools, and the annual
PGA Merchandise Show, which attracts nearly 50,000 industry professionals
each year? The PGA headquarters and the World Golf Village are
just a morning road trip away, as are the golf rich towns of Tampa
and Daytona.
Perhaps there is an irony in Orlando that is lost on Mickey and friends: one of the game's greatest domestic destinations is also one of its best kept secrets.
Full Florida Course GuideCourse Reviews
- Swing away at the Venetian on Florida's golf, err, Gulf coast
- Overdevelopment amid great golf is Legacy's legacy
- Islandside at Longboat Key Club boasts great golf, old Florida feel
- Follow Freddie's feats at Kelly Plantation Golf Course in Destin
- Monster to a muffin: Bay Point golf course in Panama City evolves behind the bulldozers
- Duran Golf Club in Viera challenges your heart's - and driver's - desire
- Prepare to part with your driver at Bonaventure C.C.'s West golf course
- Perched on the edge of the Everglades, golfers at Bonaventure face both wildlife and water
- Banyan trees, lavish surroundings and not-so-difficult layout make Diplomat good resort choice
- TPC at Heron Bay: Let the wind blow and let her rip
- Coral Ridge Country Club: One of a handful of old-time, classic Florida golf courses
- Francis Lake may not be the most challenging of courses, but the price is right
- Kinderlou Forest shows Valdosta golfers a lot of Love
- Don't bother filling your divots at Grand Cypress' North-South Course - just play
- Quiet Pines at Moody Air Force Base a casualty of tight, military budgets
- New Course at Grand Cypress pays tribute to Old Course in Scotland - but don't get "burned"
- Wallace Adams is Georgia course that time forgot
- Highland Walk is a peach of a state course in northeast Georgia
- Arrowhead Pointe most scenic of six Georgia state park courses
- Georgia Veterans Memorial a place for Civil War buffs to play golf
- The Lakes offer Georgia 'swamp golf'
- Golfers have it made in the shade at Tallahassee's GC of Summerbrooke
- ChampionsGate International Course starting to take its place near the front of the pack
- Victoria Hills Golf Club
- Eagle Dunes Golf Club epitomizes Mike Dasher to the proverbial tee
- Lost Key Golf Club is a little bit Pensacola and little bit Melbourne
- Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge is a self-contained golf oasis
- Riverwood Country Club
- Raptor Bay is a virtual sanctuary
- Osprey Cove Golf Club: Still the Jewel of South Georgia
- Foxfire Golf Club: Getting Better All the Time
- World Woods Golf Club is a world away, and a world apart
- Florida's Camp Creek, a unique seaside creation
- Diamond Players Club
- Resort, Spa, and Country Club: Two New Diplomats To Choose
- Forest Lake Golf Club of Ocoee
- Peridia Golf & Country Club: An Executive Course with a Country Club Setting
- The Legacy Golf Club: Luxury Golf at a Luxury Price
- Crandon Golf Key Biscayne is the Course of Choice in Miami
- Nothing Mickey Mouse About Falcon's Fire Golf Club
- Harmony Golf Preserve
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort
- The Legends at Orange Lake: Ready to go the Distance
- University of Florida Golf Course
- Laurel Island Links: Love Lends Just the Right Touch
- Timacuan Golf and Country Club
- Dunes Golf Club
- Best of the Best: Florida's Premier Golfing Venues
- Diamond Players Club Clermont
- Legends Golf and Country Club
- Grande Lakes Orlando is truly a Florida oasis
- Highlands Reserve breaks mold in Orlando
- Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge
- Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge (2)
- Celebration Golf Club
- Cypress Head
- Highlands Reserve Golf Club
- Twin Rivers Golf Club
- Palisades Golf Course
- Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club
- Stoneybrook West Golf Club
- Stoneybrook East Golf Club
- Black Bear Golf Club
- Shingle Creek Golf Club serves its customers, knows its market audience
- International Golf Club
- Legends Country Club
- Longboat Key Club
- Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort
- Regatta Bay Golf and Country Club
- St. Cloud Golf Club
- Kelly Plantation Golf Club
- Swiss Fairways and Green Valley
- Errol Estate Country Club
- The Legends at Orange Lake
- North Shore Golf Club
- North Shore Golf Club
- Errol Estate Country Club
- Palisades Golf Course
- Royal Amelia Golf Links
- Southern Dunes
- Swiss Fairways and Green Valley Country Club
- Camp Creek Golf Club
- Lely Resort in Naples
- Ritz-Carlton Resort Naples
- Stoneybrook East Golf Club
- Stoneybrook West Golf Club
- Twin Rivers Golf Club
