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Golf in Orlando


zach0723

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22 hours ago, pmo09 said:

Headed down to Orlando for a buddies golf trip for 3 days in March/April. Lots of helpful suggestions in this thread. So far, we have:

 

Friday: Southern Dunes (PM)

Saturday: Waldorf Astoria (AM), ChampionsGate Country Club OR Championsgate Resort - International (PM)

Sunday: Mission Inn - El Campion (Mid Day)

 

Was thinking of adding Grand Cypress for Friday AM. For those who are local or who have played the above - is there anything you would switch out?

That's a really good itinerary.  The Links at Grand Cypress is  better than the  any of the Championsgate courses, but the two Championsgate that you have on your list (CC and International) are both good courses and in close proximity so make for a good 36 hole day.

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Hello all,

 

I’ll be in Orlando in about one month.  I think I’ve got two rounds in me.  I’ll be playing with a higher handicapper (15-20-ish) and neither of us are that picky.  Was thinking I wanted to just grab the best thing available on a last minute site.  Is there any recommended app/website for the area?  Which is the best of the places that offer times on such sites?

 

Thanks WRXers!

WITB
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3 wood: TaylorMade Sim2 Max, stock stiff, 15*,
Hybrid: Callaway XR Pro stock pro stiff 18*
Irons: Callaway Apex (2014) 4-AW, KBS Tour-V 110 S
Wedges: Mizuno MP-T 56*; Callaway X Series Jaws 60*
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Fastback

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I use the GolfNow app to check prices and availability.  Usually most courses only allow a 7-day lead time, but some allow you to book earlier.  After seeing what is available on GolfNow, I sometimes call the pro shop or search for the course website to see if I can book a time.  Usually if I call, I do not have to pay prior to tee time, and there is no deposit required (not always).  If you book through GolfNow, you can get a better rate sometimes with their "hot deal" but I have seen comments on the site/app about some clubs giving golfers a hard time about those bookings.  I have never personally had any issues

Eric

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha B21

3 wood: Orlimar ATS

5 wood: XPC V9

3 Hybrid: Tour Edge Hot Launch E521

Irons: Maltby DBM 5-PW

Sand Wedge: Maltby M-Series+ 56 degree

Putter: TaylorMade Spider SR

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On 1/12/2023 at 10:47 PM, OK_Golf said:

Hello all,

 

I’ll be in Orlando in about one month.  I think I’ve got two rounds in me.  I’ll be playing with a higher handicapper (15-20-ish) and neither of us are that picky.  Was thinking I wanted to just grab the best thing available on a last minute site.  Is there any recommended app/website for the area?  Which is the best of the places that offer times on such sites?

 

Thanks WRXers!

Golfnow is fine. I've never had a problem using their hot deals, although at the better courses those often are gone if you wait too long. Most, but not all Orlando area   courses are on golf now. The most prominent one not there is Southern Dunes.

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6 hours ago, countvelvet said:

Has anyone played Cypresswood Golf and Country Club in Winter Haven recently?  Just curious to see what the conditions and course itself are like.  Any insight is appreciated.  Thanks!

Cypresswood is in okay condition. It's not like every blade of grass is perfect, but for under $40 you'll have nothing to complain about.

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52 minutes ago, sabram said:

Cypresswood is in okay condition. It's not like every blade of grass is perfect, but for under $40 you'll have nothing to complain about.

Okay thanks Sabram.  I am heading to Davenport for 10 days in mid-March and am looking for 2 rounds to play with my brother-in-law and father-in-law.  Both are high handicappers and not looking to break the bank.  Do you know how White Heron is?  I played it years ago when it was Ridgewood lakes. 

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5 minutes ago, countvelvet said:

Do you know how White Heron is?  I played it years ago when it was Ridgewood lakes. 

It is much better today than it has been in years. New greens, better conditions. Just a little more expensive. It's a tough course for high handicappers. very tight with lots of water. Be prepared to lose a few balls. Cypresswood and Willowbrook are more forgiving, but not as nice.  If you want to splurge for a round ($135), play Southern Dunes. It's not an easy course because the greens are tricky, but it's hard to lose a ball. A real good choice for higher handicappers is Highlands Reserve. 

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3 minutes ago, sabram said:

It is much better today than it has been in years. New greens, better conditions. Just a little more expensive. It's a tough course for high handicappers. very tight with lots of water. Be prepared to lose a few balls. Cypresswood and Willowbrook are more forgiving, but not as nice.  If you want to splurge for a round ($135), play Southern Dunes. It's not an easy course because the greens are tricky, but it's hard to lose a ball. A real good choice for higher handicappers is Highlands Reserve. 

I have played Highlands Reserve years ago.  $135 is a little steep for us Canadians LoL.  Thanks for the input.  Much appreciated.

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16 hours ago, countvelvet said:

I have played Highlands Reserve years ago.  $135 is a little steep for us Canadians LoL.  Thanks for the input.  Much appreciated.

I just thought of another good option if you are in the Lakeland/Winter Haven area... Big Cypress has a lot of fun holes and isn't too expensive. It has more water in play than Highlands Reserve, but I like it a bit more than CypressWood and Willowbrook 

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20 minutes ago, sabram said:

I just thought of another good option if you are in the Lakeland/Winter Haven area... Big Cypress has a lot of fun holes and isn't too expensive. It has more water in play than Highlands Reserve, but I like it a bit more than CypressWood and Willowbrook 

Okay I'll check it out.  Thanks again Sabram!

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On 3/27/2022 at 3:17 PM, sabram said:

For me it's (1) Southern Dunes, (2) Grand Cypress Links, and (3) Ritz.

 

Here are links to photo tours of all three (Click on photo to open):

 

Southern Dunes Golf Course (FL) 2021

Southern Dunes

 

Grand Cypress - Links Course (f/k/a the New Course)

Grand Cypress Links (f/k/a the New)

 

Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Grande Lakes

Ritz Carlton @Grand Lakes

 

Great information here (and throughout this thread) @sabram!  Photos are excellent too.  I've got one Orlando round to play while at WDW at the end of April.  I decided it'll be the New Course/Links Course at Grand Cypress/Evermore due to proximity to WDW and that it's a bit different.  

 

I know to expect reduced facilities and amenities due to construction.  Any ideas on what will/not be available at the end of April?

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2 hours ago, ChrisEyre said:

Hello, im heading over to Orlando in September. im staying at disney. Whats the best course very close to disney? i dont want to be taking loads of time up travelling.

ive played Celebration, shingle creek, falcons fire and palms before. 

 

You've got the three Disney courses: Palm, Magnolia and Lake Buena Vista. You've played Palm before, so you could do Magnolia this trip. 

 

Waldorf Astoria is a good course located on the Disney property

 

Grand Cypress is located just outside of Disney The Links at Grand Cypress would probably be my first choice 

 

The Legends Course at Orange Lake is also close to Disney and a good option.

 

The best courses that are close by are Bay Hill and Tranquillo, but they require that you stay at their respective resort, so won't be available to you unless that's where your'e staying at one of them

 

Those are the closest options when at Walt Disney World

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Just got back from our yearly summer buddies trip to Orlando.  This year we played 4 rounds, Southern Dunes, Mission Inn El Campeon and Las Colinas, and White Heron.  I did not take many pictures this year but I'll add a few that I did.  

 

Round 1, Southern Dunes:

Played this course several times before and it never disappoints.  Tee shots are not usually punished as they are pretty open fairways, find yourself in one of the many bunkers and it'll begin playing more difficult.  A premium is put on your 2nd shot here as most greens are protected by deep bunkers and the greens are large and can be tricky.  We played this course in the afternoon and thankfully avoided all the summer afternoon rain.  The course was in great condition from tees to green, I don't recall any complaints.  I hover around a 10 handicap and shot an 84.

 

Round 2, Mission Inn El Campeon:

Saturday morning and a day after the NCAA women's tournament that went viral for being a disaster of pin placement and fast greens.  I'd been wanting to play El Campeon for a few years and missed an opportunity a few years back.  Conditioning was what I would expect for a resort course, not perfect, but not bad.  Lots of mature trees on property and a much tougher course with the massive elevation changes.  There are some memorable holes on this course, the two uphill tee shots that play directly next to each other were a lot of fun, 17 was a difficult par 5, and the tee shot on 18.  The difficult 2nd shots at this course were made harder by the fast greens and tucked pins.  We enjoyed the challenge but none of us played to our handicaps.  I shot a 92 and felt fairly lucky to have done that.  My only saving grace in my mind was we played from the blue tees and the NCAA tournament was played from the whites...

 

Round 3, Mission Inn Las Colinas:

Saturday afternoon after a nice lunch in the clubhouse.  As we ate we stared at the tee shot on hole 1.  Lots of water down the right, which of course means I pulled my shot hard left...SMH!  The course was empty and it seemed like we had it to ourselves.  Wider fairways and easier greens.  This course seemed to be a bit of an after thought and the routing was all over the place.  This makes sense as this course was built 20-30 years ago and El Campeon was just over 100.  I don't really have anything that stands out to me about this round, it wasn't necessarily a bad course just not a memorable one.  All in all it served its purpose of being a 2nd course on property so that we could play 36 that day.  Score was a 91 which I attribute to being tired and not focused.  Better golf was to come.

 

Round 4, White Heron:

Picked this course on a whim.  Had never played it or heard of it.  From a satellite views it didn't appear to be to much of a neighborhood course and looked like it could be a fun routing.  This was a shorter course that played very hard and fast.  I'd been told they had gone through a remodel recently and that played into the fast playing conditions.  Most holes were fairly tight and honestly I could have left the driver in the bag as I played my driving iron on many of the holes.  Course conditioning was pretty good, no areas of dirt where grass should have been except for areas where that is to be expected like under some large oak trees.  The greens were in great condition and rolled very true.  Pace of play was a little on the slow side but we played on Mother's Day and there were some groups of what you could tell were family that were just taking mom out so we had to give that a pass for the day.  Our group decided to play a stableford style match as we have handicaps ranging from 8-20.  The match came down to 18 where I (8 handicap) was tied with the 20 handicap player at 36 points.  I went on to par the hole and he got a bogey for a pretty exciting finish.  I shot an 83 with 38 points.  

 

Recap:

Every course we played I have nothing bad to say about the staff and our overall experience.  I will say going forward the only course I think the group all decided that we would go back to is Southern Dunes.  It was best overall as the staff, range, course (routing and conditioning), and restaurant were all great.  The Mission Inn courses were nice but for our group of varying handicaps it proved a bit tough for most of us.  White Heron, frankly speaking, there was nothing special about.  Was it bad, no...was it good, eh.  There are too many other courses in the Orlando area to play to justify putting that one back on the itinerary.

 

 

 

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CADF0319-C8BF-4B2C-9CF6-1C4F8597CF2E.heic

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5 hours ago, outgolfing said:

Just got back from our yearly summer buddies trip to Orlando.  This year we played 4 rounds, Southern Dunes, Mission Inn El Campeon and Las Colinas, and White Heron. 

Good reviews.  Sounds like all of the players enjoyed the trip. It's a hot time of year to be visiting Orlando area, although the green fees are better this time of year. I live in the development where White Heron is located, but the nearby Southern Dunes is my go-to course. Your reviews of all four courses are spot on.

 

Southern Dunes is a super course, lots of fun, always in great condition, challenging yet hard to lose a ball. A must play when in the area.

 

White Heron is an average course, in good shape, new greens are good. It's very tight with lots of water in play and not too expensive, so a decent choice as an add on to a trip to the area.

 

Mission Inn has two nice courses, good elevation changes, challenging and in decent shape.

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  • 1 month later...

Heading to Orlando/Disney for a work conference in a couple of weeks. Best courses within 20ish mins? Staying at/near Coronado Springs.  

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4-48* Titleist T150 w/Project X LZ 6.0
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7 hours ago, Go_Blue! said:

Heading to Orlando/Disney for a work conference in a couple of weeks. Best courses within 20ish mins? Staying at/near Coronado Springs.  

You can stay on the Disney premises and play any of their three courses or Waldorf  Astoria, or go a few minutes drive offsite and play Grand Cypress Links

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23 hours ago, doglegs said:

Short trip coming up a few weeks.  Gonna play OCN Crooked Cat, Southern Dunes, Grand Cypress Links.  Any adjusting or does that look OK?  Panther Lake or Crooked Cat?  Will report when I'm back. 

Those are three really good choices. I prefer Panther Lake at OCN, but I play them both several times a year. Many players prefer Crooked Cat so no need to change the itinerary

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13 hours ago, sabram said:

My neighbor played SD last week and said it eas in good shape I'm playing there Monday morning and can post an update. I'm playing Streamsong in 10 days

 

That would be awesome, thanks. I know they punched greens early this month but apparently they use the DryJect system and it heals super quick.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Justmuckit said:

@sabram how was Southern Dunes yesterday?

Excellent. It was hot. We played in 3 hrs 35 min. Teed off at 8 am. Everyone ahead of us played fast. The entire course was in really good condition. But note that the greens in summer do not run as fast as they do the rest of the year. They don't cut them as tight as the rest of the year so as to avoid stressing them. They are still faster than many of the courses in the area, but not the speeds that SD is known for.

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On 8/22/2023 at 4:09 PM, sabram said:

Excellent. It was hot. We played in 3 hrs 35 min. Teed off at 8 am. Everyone ahead of us played fast. The entire course was in really good condition. But note that the greens in summer do not run as fast as they do the rest of the year. They don't cut them as tight as the rest of the year so as to avoid stressing them. They are still faster than many of the courses in the area, but not the speeds that SD is known for.


Perfect, thanks for the info, I’ll be there tomorrow (Friday 8/25)!  

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