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…
Southern Hills Plantation Club is a big, exciting Pete Dye design at the heart of a growing community in Brooksville, Florida. Its group of on-site villas allow visiting golfers a taste of the lifestyle here, as well as the opportunity to play a golf course that features considerable elevation change by Sunshine State standards.
From Ocala, it's no more than a 90-minute drive to the Gulf Coast, Atlantic Ocean or Orlando's theme parks but it's a much shorter trip to the 20 or so solid golf courses located in this north central Florida community.
You sort of know what to expect with Mission Inn Resort & Club just north of Orlando. As their director of sales and marketing says unapologetically, "This isn't the Ritz-Carlton," so you might expect a pretty blue-collar resort. And that's true, to a point, until you realize that the clientele runs the gamut. There's something about this place that appeals to everyone. You can't underestimate the value of a personal touch. And you'll feel like you're part of that family when you're here.
Just northwest of Orlando, Mission Inn Resort & Club's El Campeon was the top-rated course on Golf Advisor for the week of Dec. 14. View the complete top 10.
Tripp Davis and Tom Lehman are crafting one of the most unique short courses in America. Developers say the Trilogy at Ocala Preserve in Florida will play in at least a dozen configurations.
We're wrapping up the 2015 golf season, and these courses have saved their best reviews for last, finishing off the year strong with top ratings and reviews on Golf Advisor in Q4.
World Woods Golf Club's location is remote, and its entrance is humble. But the golf, as the name implies, is nothing short of world class. Tom Fazio brought his artful eye to this large, untouched piece of wooded and sandy property and delivered two very different courses that are among the most accessible and affordable course in his entire portfolio, not to mention among his best works in the U.S.
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.
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.
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.
Located 45 minutes north of Tampa, Florida, Tom Fazio's Pine Barrens Course at World Woods Golf Club is a peaceful walk through nature, albeit a difficult one at times.
One of the most affordable and accessible Tom Fazio designs in existence can be found an hour's drive north of Tampa at the World Woods Golf Club in Brooksville. Home to two Fazio designs, the Pine Barrens is a dramatic course set in the mold of Pine Valley and is a mainstay on top 100 public courses lists.