|
Even the most confident of women can get all tied up in knots when they find themselves on the first tee, especially when playing with men or someone they don't know very well.
Full story | Also: Can ladies save golf?
The Walt Disney World Resort is known for its amusement parks and attractions. But its golf courses - the Magnolia, the Palm, Oak Trail, and the nine-hole Osprey - also have a strong reputation, boasting diverse layouts and have been around as long as Cinderella's Castle. The PGA Tour has long made a Disney a stomping ground, as have golf travelers from around the globe who recognize Orlando as a top golf destination. Because Walt Disney Resort will give you all the fun a family can handle, while giving golfers challenges that are far from being Mickey Mouse.
Golfers in Orlando always know they are just a quick drive to quality golf at a low price. In fact, the Sunshine State is loaded with quality municipal courses and Central Florida helps lead the way with courses like Ironwood Golf Course and Cleveland Heights Golf Course, both a short drive from Orlando. As this list shows you, Florida is the perfect state to get in a quality round of golf for much less than a C note.
Ever since the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail started pouring money into Alabama's state retirement system, copy-cat concepts have popped up sporadically. Florida has its own golf trail in the Orlando area that includes 17 courses, 12 restaurants and five lodging facilities, and gets members discounts on golf and other products potentially worth hundreds of dollars a year. All this makes the Florida Golf Trail a great way of getting good deals on golf in the Sunshine State.
Also: St. Andrews: no fishing but great golf
The Golf Club at Bridgewater is younger than new — it hasn't even been born yet. This course not far from Orlando in Lakeland is raring to go, it just needs someone to play it. This Steve Smyers design has the looks of an instant classic, and is scheduled to make its grand opening either later this year or early next year, but it is basically ready to go now, though some planting of native grasses remains to be done. Tim McDonald played the course and lets you know that you should too when it finally opens.
Just 45 minutes from Orlando, Highlands Reserve near Lakeland likes to highlight its elevation, which makes sense, because in the bursting Florida golf scene, sometimes a golf course needs to go the extra distance to stand out from the crowd. Highland Reserve does just that, sitting up high with elevated tees and spectacular views of Orlando to give golfers a quality scenic golf outing.
Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club in Haines City has won several awards from most of the major golf magazines, and it is indeed a wonderful day of golf. The course boasts a whopping 182 bunkers, but Southern Dunes is much more than just a giant sand trap. The greens are large and very fast, with good undulation, so even if you can survive the bunkers, you have quite an adventure waiting for you at Southern Dunes.
Orlando can be a great place for a family golf vacation, but with expensive attractions such as Disney World and the Mall at Millenia, the wife and kids may run through your wallet so fast there's little money left over for greens fees. But don't sweat it. The Orlando golf scene doesn't just offer high-priced resorts and upscale daily-fee golf courses. You can play in Orlando on the relative cheap and still have a challenging, fun time.
Set out in the wide, empty spaces of rural Polk Country, Diamondback Golf Club in Haines City is a punishing parkland course. The track squeezes itself into these wide-open spaces, with its tight, narrow, tree-lined fairways with tiny, hard-to-hit landing areas. The first time you play here, you'll lose many golf balls, unless of course you're Fred Funk or a laser-guided smart bomb - so better leave your driver at home.
More Orlando golf course reviews >>
|
Myrtle
Beach guide
Free 220-page Grand Strand golf planner.
Las
Vegas golfing
Excitement awaits on the courses of Vegas! Download free.
Arizona
golf guide
Experience the best golf in the country!
Orlando
golf guide
Free comprehensive guide to Orlando's top golf courses.
Scottsdale
Golf
This free golf guide contains course stats, photos, descriptions
and more!
|
