Orlando is full of lodging options for golfers, but few can match The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes for luxury. Recently renovated, the resort overlooks the Greg Norman-designed Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes, which hosts the annual PNC Father-Son golf tournament. Families enjoy the resort for its proximity both to Walt Disney World (10…
Located in the middle of the action in Orlando, the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes overlooks the 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes, which hosts professional golf's annual PNC Father-Son Championship. A large pool complex, including a lazy river, is a favorite of families.
This massive hotel of more than 1,000 rooms is popular for corporate conferences, as well as savvy golfers who appreciate the recently renovated golf course, courtesy of Arnold Palmer Golf Design associate Thad Layton. Shingle Creek's central location makes it perfect for guests looking to enjoy area nightlife, as well as the parks of nearby…
Part of the global Marriott Vacation Club, Grande Vista is a centrally-located Orlando resort with much to offer guests, including families and golf groups. The on-site Grande Vista Golf Club is a perfect place to hone one's golf game, thanks to a 35-acre practice facility and the Marriott Golf Academy, which offers private lessons and group golf…
Arnold Palmer left his indelible mark all over the game of golf, and perhaps the best place to feel his spirit and appreciate his legacy is in Orlando, at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge. The PGA Tour-host golf course is full of memorable holes and is a bucket-list play for lovers of the professional game. The 70-room Lodge is one of golf's…
Visitors looking to experience the energy of Orlando, amidst the theme parks and golf opportunities, enjoy the Orlando World Center Marriott and its more than 2,000 rooms and suites. Its main tower reaches upward 28 stories, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding area. Also located on-site is Hawk's Landing Golf Club, designed by Bob Cupp…
The former Grand Cypress Resort, which featured the luxurious Villas at Grand Cypress, has been a popular part of the Orlando resort and golf scene since the 1980s. It is in the midst of a comprehensive long-term renovation and rebranding to become the Evermore Orlando Resort. Both the Villas of Grand Cypress and the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus course…
Four Seasons is one of the world's leading luxury resort brands, and its Orlando outpost is no exception. The resort, part of Disney's high-end Golden Oak real estate development, is a place for discerning Disney fans to use as a base from which to enjoy the Most Magical Place On Earth. Golfers can have their fun, too, as the Tom Fazio-designed…
Invoking its famous New York forebear, this Waldorf Astoria Property serves up similarly gracious luxury in a quiet corner between Orlando proper and the uber-popular Disney resort. Indeed, visitors to its parks will often choose this resort for its convenient location and quieter feel in the Bonnet Creek development. The Rees Jones-designed golf…
What more can be said about The Happiest Place on Earth? It is a dreamland for children and families the world over, offering nearly every amenity imaginable, plus some only Disney's Imagineers could conceive. Golfers have their pick of three "big" courses, plus the junior-friendly Oak Trail routing...if the kids can be pried away from the parks,…
Part of the Holiday Inn Vacations family, Orange Lake is one of Orlando's most comprehensive family-oriented resorts. The Arnold Palmer Signature golf course anchors the resort's East Village, while the West Village is home to 36 holes of Putt-Putt golf. A lazy river, kids club and outdoor sports courts offer plenty of fun for all.
Located just minutes from the entrance to Walt Disney World, this resort, part of the Diamond Resorts family, appeals to families looking for easy access to The Happiest Place on Earth, as well as avid golfers. Mystic Dunes' Gary Koch-designed golf course is one of Central Florida's most popular. This resort's complimentary shuttle brings guests…
Known for having one of the largest practice facilities on the planet, Orange County National has a small but comfortable Lodge for overnight guests who want to hone their golf games from sunup to sundown. The muscular Crooked Cat and Panther Lake 18s are complemented by the 9-hole, executive-length Tooth Course.
Originally developed by Bobby Ginn, Reunion makes a big impression, not just on first-timers but repeat visitors as well. All three golf courses - by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson - stimulate the senses, and the luxe lodgings range from hotel-style suites to rental houses with 10 or more bedrooms. Proximity to Disney makes Reunion…
ChampionsGate is a master-planned community west of Orlando that revolves around the Greg Norman-designed National and International courses at this Omni-flagged resort. Recent expansion projects have introduced villa-style accommodations that are particularly attractive to buddies groups. Relative proximity to Disney makes this an attractive…
Located on Florida's Space Coast, The Great Outdoors is a popular destination spot for RV enthusiasts, offering hundreds of well-amenitized places to park a vehicle and enjoy the resort for a few days. The golf course, designed by Ron Garl, opened in 1988.
The family-owned Mission Inn is one of Florida's friendliest and most value-forward resorts. With two golf courses, including the century-old El Campeon layout, it is an ideal setting for buddies trips and, at about 45 minutes from Orlando International Airport (MCO), remains convenient to reach from afar while removed from O-town's occasionally…
Grown-ups can have a good time in the land of Mickey Mouse, too. Dozens of premier golf courses and luxurious resorts -- coupled with the nightlife of Downtown Disney, CityWalk at Universal Studios, and Orlando Magic games -- solidify Orlando as one of golf's most diverse destinations.
Yes, there are places to escape Orlando's theme-park screams. Rest assured, luxury golf courses for the vacationer exist here, too. If you're willing to pay a premium for quiet, high-end accommodations and, of course, the best golf, Orlando has a handful of upscale options as good as anywhere in Florida.
The master planners of Grande Lakes Orlando Resort made a concerted effort to include every type of recreational amenity imaginable: a Greg Norman-designed signature golf course, an expansive Lazy River Pool swim complex, lighted tennis courts and more. Set on 500 acres about a five-minute drive from SeaWorld Orlando, Grande Lakes Orlando encompasses two hotels, a 40,000-square-foot spa, 6,000-square-foot Wellness Center and 13 restaurants and lounges.
Not only does Orlando host two PGA Tour events each year, it's also a hotbed for many of the game's top PGA Tour and LPGA pros, not to mention thousands more aspiring golfers. So it makes sense the city is going to have some beastly golf courses. The visiting golfer has access to just about all of the best courses in town for scratch golfers, so make sure you pack your A-game on your flight to Orlando.
Most golfers who take an Orlando vacation aren't going just for golf. When you consider Disney, Universal, Sea World and all the other attractions Central Florida has to offer, golf can sometimes get squeezed. If you need to cram 36 holes into one day, here are your best options for multi-course facilities that will satisfy your double-looping desire.
We looked at Golf Advisor ratings to find the best resort courses in Orlando, Fla. Tranquilo G.C. at Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria G.C. and El Campeon at Mission Inn finished atop the leaderboard. Here are the best of the rest ...
If you're planning a trip to Orlando to visit Mickey Mouse or are coming in for business, be sure to bring your golf clubs. In fact, Disney itself has four golf courses, three of which have been used for the PGA Tour. Here's a look at some of the must-play golf courses in the Orlando area.
There are countless reasons to visit Orlando. The no. 1 tourist destination in the world -- thanks in large part to Walt Disney World Resort -- makes life easy for visitors with a variety of resorts, theme parks, restaurants and golf courses that cater to all ages, tastes and budgets. Here are the top 10 reasons golfers should put Orlando on their wish list for 2014 ...
There are several excellent golf courses in the Orlando area where you can immerse in the private club experience. These bastions of well conditioned courses and top-notch service welcome non-member play at a less-hurried pace.
With the new year comes new promises of distance, accuracy and innovations. Mike Bailey strolled the PGA Merchandise Show floor in Orlando to see which new products are worth a look.
In a nod to the golf industry's big week in Orlando, the PGA Merchandise Show, we've dug into recent ratings to find the top courses in Orlando so far this winter.
Bay Hill Golf Club & Lodge holds a unique place in Orlando as a private club that also doubles as 70-room lodge open to visitors. It's combination of intimacy and luxury is tough to find in Orlando, where courses are either ultra-exclusive or huge golf resorts.
From Bay Hill to Winter Park C.C., there's golf for a variety of skill-sets and budgets. Here are a few of my favorites, as well as dining and nightlife.
Stadium courses became a thing when the TPC Sawgrass emerged from a Florida swamp in 1981. Now there is a network of TPC courses around the country, but only the best three made Matt Ginella's list of the best 'stadium' courses in golf.
We checked out the PGA Show last week in search of the good, the bad, and the downright strange from the realm of golf equipment, products and services.
A photo gallery of interesting sights and thoughts on the 2018 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida. Here's what Senior Writer Tim Gavrich discovered.
Located just a couple of minutes from International Drive and the Orange County Convention Center, Shingle Creek Golf Club is one of Orlando's most popular daily-fee and resort courses not only because of its location but also because of its beauty, playability and conditioning.
Renovated and redesigned in 2016 by Arnold Palmer Design, see what's new at Orlando's Shingle Creek Golf Club near the Orange County Convention Center.
Narrow fairways and small greens bring the challenge at fun Dubsdread Golf Course, an Orlando-area muni that dates back to the 1920s and has hosted legendary players such as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Babe Zaharias.
The New Course at Grand Cypress Resort is Jack Nicklaus' tribute to the Old Course at St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf. While it's not a copy hole-for-hole, the feel of the golf course does indeed invoke the feel of the Old Course. Bring plenty of imagination and short-game skill, and you'll have a lot of fun.
Take a tour of the Watson Course, one of three courses at the Salamander-owned and operated Reunion Resort & Club near Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
The International Course at Orlando's ChampionsGate resort is as challenging as it gets. It's one of the toughest golf courses in Florida, especially when the wind is blowing. Designer Greg Norman brought in elements of British and Australian links to create a windswept look around natural wetlands.
Overlooking vineyards and Lake Apopka and Lake Siena, Bella Collina is positioned in a setting that more resembles Italy than central Florida. And it all starts with an enormous Tuscan-inspired clubhouse. The golf course befits the clubhouse with its elevated tees, wide fairways and rolling hills.
With the possible exception of exclusive Mountain Lake, there is nothing quite like the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club when it comes to golf in Florida. One of the hilliest courses in the state, El Campeon is also one of the oldest, dating back to 1917. Simply put, it has plenty of character with a finishing stretch among the toughest in central Florida.
Also known as "The Hills," Mission Inn Resort and Club's Las Colinas Course was designed by former PGA Tour player Gary Koch. Opened in 1992, the course contrasts with the resort's other course, El Campeon, which is actually hillier and opened in 1917. Las Colinas has six sets of tees and measures 7,230 yards from the tips. Spread out through a development, the course features large greens, plenty of water and sand, and thick trees guarding many of the fairways.