If you are a golf fanatic whether you have a great handicap or are just starting out, then Orlando has a fantastic range of golf courses for you.

Famous players like Tiger Woods and legends like Arnold Palmer have made Orlando their home. The reason is because there are well over 150 courses all within an hours drive. Designed not only by recognised designers such as Robert Trent Jones, Tom Fazio, Ron Garl and David Harman but also by golfing legends such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.

If you want to improve your game, Orlando is home to six golf instruction academies including the renowned David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Or if you want to just enjoy a few rounds and have fun then this is the place to be.

Following are just a small selection of the courses available to you in Orlando.

Disney Eagle Pines.
Magic Kingdom/Disney Village
Lake Beuna Vista
Florida
32830
Tel: (407) 938-GOLF

Take on the rolling fairways and surrounding wetlands that give Eagle Pines a unique look and an equally matchless challenge. Follow this low profile, Carolina-style course along the natural contours of the land where water and sand await errant shots. Famed designer Pete Dye's signature undulating greens are well guarded by strategically placed bunkers. Here, success lies in the touch more than the power.

Enhance your on-course experience at this course, which now features golf carts equipped with the latest GPS Technology powered by Uplink Corporation. This state-of-the-art equipment offers realistic computer-generated images of course fairways, greens and hazards that add a new dimension to the golf experience.

Return to list

Celebration Golf Club.
701 Golf Park Drive
Celebration
Florida
Tel: Toll Free 888-2Play18

This fantastic golf course offers a challenge to players of all abilities. The perfectly maintained fairways provide the perfect lie, whilst the varying cuts of rough can test the very best players. The course looks and feels just like those you see on The PGA Tour. Go on treat yourself you will not regret it. There is also a 3 Hole Junior golf course available.

Return to list

Kissimmee Golf Club.
3103 Florida Coach Dr
Kissimmee
Florida
Tel: 407-847-2816

Located less than 20 minutes away from Walt Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios and Orlando, Kissimmee Golf Club (KGC) provides the best golfing value year-round in Central Florida. Golfers of all abilities will enjoy a challenging, beautifully conditioned golf course unobstructed by any houses or hotels lining the fairways. Reasonable rates and convenient location make KGC the perfect destination for the local and international golfer.

Return to list

Highlands Reserve Golf Club.
500 Highlands Reserve Boulevard
Davenport
Florida
Tel: Toll-Free: (877) 508-4653

This is not your typical Orlando, Florida golf course! Highlands Reserve sits atop one of the highest areas of Florida and offers remarkable scenery along with a course designed for hot golf. This championship Mike Dasher design gives you pine tree-lined fairways reminiscent of the Carolinas, open spacious fairways likened to the great Scottish courses, and a bit of old Florida with citrus trees along the countryside. Large, fast, undulating greens make this course challenging and fun for all levels of golfers. Conveniently located just minutes from Disney and all major attractions.

Return to list

Champions Gate Golf Resort.
1400 Masters Blvd
Champions Gate
Florida
Tel: 407.787.GOLF (4653)

Champions Gate Golf Resort is the home of two Greg Norman designed courses that feature world class golf, amenities, and service that is second to none in the Orlando area. The facility also boasts world headquarters for the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, and is located only 10 minutes from Disney World Resorts and 15 minutes from Universal Hotel Resorts. This 36-hole layout offers players two distinctly different styles of golf to choose from: The National Course and The International Course. Blending tradition and modern elements to create a unique and dynamic layout.

The "International Course" with its authentic links style golf reminiscent of the great courses of the British Isles. The fairways are long and tight, and the greens are small and quick- forcing players of all calibres to maintain consistency and good putting throughout the round in order to score well. Truly one of the country's most distinctive golf challenges, the international course boasts the highest course rating in the state of Florida at 76.3.

The "National Course" at Champions Gate is equally impressive, albeit more in the traditional mould of courses that Florida has become popular for providing. Although this course does not provide the difficult level of play that the International Course features, golfers of all levels will appreciate the year-round tournament conditions and shot making opportunities the National Course offers. Most often commented on are the memorable par-3 holes, awesome bunkering, and long, tough tee shots that force players to be accurate from the tee-box. This course will give you the opportunity to use every club in the bag.

Return to list

Ridgewood Lakes Golf and Country Club.
200 Eagle Ridge Drive
Davenport
Florida
Tel: 800-684-8800

The Ridgewood Lakes course has a Ted McAnlis-designed layout with a top reputation among golfers opened in 1994 with both nines featuring strategically placed hazards and fairways framed by sparkling white sand bunkers. Par-4 and par-5 holes have generous tee shot landing areas, all of which are plainly visible form the tee. Ridgewood is not one of those courses with "gimmicks" or hidden trouble; just a great layout made for an enjoyable golfing experience.

Return to list

Falcons Fire Golf Club.
3200 Seralago Boulevard
Kissimmee
Florida
Tel: 407-239-5445

Located on Hwy 192, Falcon's Fire Golf Club is recognized as one of the finest Orlando golf courses. The Rees Jones Signature Designed championship golf course and the spacious Clubhouse offers guests the highest in service excellence and amenities.

From the player's standpoint, Falcon's Fire features a forgiving front nine with water on only a few holes- rare for a Florida course- however you pay for it on the back nine. The terrain is relatively flat, but there are many mounds that affect your lie regardless of how well the ball is placed in the fairway; and the quick greens are well protected by thick rough and strategically placed bunkering. As mentioned earlier, the back nine is considered more difficult, featuring holes 12 - 18 that wrap around two large lakes; challenging the most skilled player and punishing the errant shot makers. Consistency is the word here, and one must be focused throughout the entire round in order to keep the score low.

Return to list

Hunters Creek Golf Club.
14401 Sports Club Way
Orlando
Florida
Tel: 407.240.4653

Hunter's Creek is an Orlando public golf course with multi-tier tees showcasing spacious, rolling fairways that carve through majestic, towering pines to provide a natural "Carolina Pine" setting among 13 lakes. Featuring strategically placed bunkers bordering expansive, undulating TifEagle greens, Hunter's Creek is conveniently located an easy 10-15 minutes from Orlando International Airport and Disney area resorts. Location is important, but course design and conditions make for a quality golf experience.

Featuring 5 sets of tees ranging from 5,225 yards to a daunting 7,268 yards from the championship tees, this Florida Golf Course offers a fair, yet demanding test of golf. Spacious, rolling fairways meander among 13 lakes to provide a natural setting for a relaxing round of Orlando golf. With strategically placed bunkers bordering expansive greens, several options and shot selections await the golfer on each hole.

Return to list

Tiburon Golf Club.
2620 Tiburon Drive
Naples
Florida
Tel: 239.594.2040

With two superb golf courses, the Gold and the Black, designed by golf legend Greg Norman. Tiburon golfers enjoy unique stacked sod wall bunkers, coquina shell waste bunkers and the absence of conventional rough. Following Greg Norman's philosophy of maximizing the natural allure of the land, each element has been carefully integrated to produce a pleasing atmosphere in which to appreciate the finer aspects of the game.

Return to list

Reunion Golf Club.
Ginn Reunion Resort
1000 Reunion Way
Reunion
Florida
Tel: 239.594.2040

The Courses.

The Legacy Course - An Arnold Palmer Signature Design.
Innovatively routed on hilly, roller coaster-like terrain, Palmer's 6,916 yard, par 72 Legacy Course boasts dramatic elevation changes - up to 50 feet in some places - creating a unique variety of risk/reward golf shots. That varied menu of shot-making opportunities is further ensured by six tee locations on each hole, a variety of natural preserve areas, generously wide fairways and strategically placed bunkers across all eighteen holes.

The Tradition Course - A Jack Nicklaus Signature Design.
Unlike the severe hills of the Legacy and Independence courses, this Parkland-style layout is smooth and flowing, with long horizon lines as well as elevated tee boxes and greens. Yet The Tradition can be as deceptive as it is beautiful. Designed to tempt golfers into hitting risky shots with potentially big payoffs, The Tradition challenges the golfer to step up to the ball with a carefully organized series of shots in his or her mind.

The Independence Course - A Tom Watson Signature Design.
Highlighted by fast, firm and wide rolling fairways, a variety of strategically placed bunkers and large greens, the 7,257-yard, par 72 Independence Course is as much about strategy as it is about length. Demanding a well thought out approach from every player regardless of skill level, The Independence puts a premium on a solid short game with spacious green complexes where club selection can vary from putter to lob wedge to three-wood.

Return to list

Mystic Dunes Golf Club.
7850 Shadow Tree Lane
Celebration
Florida
Tel: 407-787-5678

Tour Player and NBC Lead Golf Analyst Gary Koch has created a masterpiece of blended philosophies and unrivalled challenges that is certain to go down as one of the most unique in all of Florida.

This course is unique in the fact that you feel as if you are playing two completely different "nines" during your round. The western nine is pure links, reminiscent of golf courses designs famous in Western Europe, complete with extensive perimeter mounding and large sandy waste areas. It is not overly difficult, but does place a premium on accurate iron play and consistent approach shots to the relatively large greens.

The eastern nine at Mystic Dunes is more traditional, reminding players of classic Carolina-style courses- replete with native wetlands that are bordered by large oak and cypress trees. There is a bit more trouble on this side, however better players will easily navigate the wide fairways and accessible greens that are featured on this nine.

Return to list

Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club.
2888 Southern Dunes Blvd
Haines City
Florida
Tel: (800)-632-6400 Toll-Free

Southern Dunes is well known for its large, fast and undulating greens that will test even the most seasoned of golfers.

If you are vacationing in Orlando and want to play golf, you cannot pass up the opportunity to play the best golf course in Orlando, FL. This dramatic hillside layout stretches over 7,200 yards and features 100 feet of elevation changes, which offers spectacular views of the expansive fairways that are flanked by over 180 bunkers. The topographical features include high grasses and ornamentals that form the borders for holes that tumble with the terrain. This spectacular design encourages golfers to use their imagination as the use of the slopes and contours can help manoeuvre the ball around the massive high-lipped bunkers and closer to the hole.