Southern Dunes Golf & Country Club

Wow, being from the Philly area I felt right at home. This is totally not your typical Florida course. There are many elevation changes, the likes of which I haven’t seen in Florida before. This was easily the best of the courses I played around Orlando and was also a good bit cheaper as well. This probably moved into my top 10 anywhere and it’s definitely my favorite that I’ve played around Orlando.

Top notch experience from conditions to staff. The layout is unlike anything I have played in Florida and is totally worth the trip if you are in the Orlando area. I would certainly play again.

The course conditions at Southern Dunes are amazing. Grasses were cut, greens were in great condition, and the many, many bunkers were raked and clean. The course is definitely challenging, in part to the bunkers but also the pin placement - all seemed to be in tough locations guarded by bunkers or near an edge. It was a fun challenge if you can stay out of the sand.

I would give Southern Dunes a 5 star rating, but the we had a number of negative interactions with the staff that would make me reconsider recommending it to others. The restaurant was very slow and rude - it took our first group 20 minutes to get hot dogs, and when they finally got them they were chewed out by the starter for taking too long, even though no other groups were held up. Our second group was also chewed out by the starter for slow pace of play (my group was behind them and finished in under 5 hours). Even when we called ahead for food on hole 8, the bartender was rude about splitting the bill and getting us drinks. Fortunately the beverage cart was coming around regularly and she was great.

I would play here again because the course was in such great shape, but would avoid the restaurant. If I'm paying $12 for a hot dog at a course that cost $130 I don't need to get yelled at too.

Played 10/11, 13, & 16, 2022. Lots of large bunkers, hence the “Dunes.” name. Enjoyed the Gold tees much more than Whites. Earlier rounds played in less than 3 1/2 hours, but weekend round took more than four. Greens very fast, especially for the many contours on them. Expect some three puts, maybe four! Only minor complaint is that the flagsticks don’t seem to match up well with the cup receptacle: flagstick not seating well and not standing straight in the holes.
Course is very difficult because of the many bunkers (large) and speedy contoured greens. Price is right though.

Southern Dunes is a quality course, and one of the best in the area west of Orlando. Tees are excellent and greens are well presented, if a bit slower than they look, unless you’re the wrong side of the flag. Speed of play was lethargic at best, and would be improved if they had a course Marshall or two.
There are, I understand, 180 or more sand traps - if only they had enough rakes! They surely don’t cost a lot. They are sadly lacking, resulting in many, many unraked areas with footprints galore.

We had booked two separate tee times but due to travel issues two friends were unable to make it on time. The pro shop was accommodating and we did not have to pay for them which was much appreciated and immediately gave us a great feeling about the club’s sense of hospitality. Starter was very friendly and informative too.

I believe there are 183 sand traps but the number alone doesn’t do justice. They are typically very expansive also and you will get to use them.

We found greens slower than we expected perhaps due to recent sand but they rolled true. The course certainly looked in great shape and as a fan of links golf I enjoyed the opportunity to bump and run using the course’s contours on many occasions. With 20mph two club winds the course was challenging but fair and you can see the holes laid out in front of you which I personally appreciate relative to blind hazards. Shot my index from the blues which speaks to playability for a first time round.

Pace of play was four and a quarter hours for our fourball, we had no one in front and one group got close on the final holes.

We are playing three other courses near Orlando in the next few days, this has set a high bar already! Appreciated the warm welcome and look forward to playing Southern Dunes again.

Played this with 7 other buddies. We were all completely blown away from very beginning to end. Every hole was beautiful. Every aspect of the course blew expectations away- and we had high expectations!! Felt more like a high end WI country club then a busy typical FL track. Drinks also much cheaper then the resort courses we played. Favorite Orlando course to date.

First, the course. Greens were fantastic! Fairways quite good for this time of year and the rough was think.

It is really important that players select the right tees in order to enjoys the round.

Now the bad....we spent all day with the group behind us on the tee boxes with us. They obviously didn't see the group right in front of us as they continually hit into us.

Group in front played most of the day with a full hole open in front of them, nobody there to get them moving and they just didn't care. We were just under 5 hours!!!

Can't say I would go back if this is the normal pace of play. Lots of great golf in the area without having the round take 5 hours!!!

First off, WOW. As you pull into the community you can see just how green and lush the course is. Clubhouse/pro shop were super nice and friendly, answered all my questions with no issues. Once I went to the first tee, the starter gave us a quick breakdown of the local rules and what the green speeds were. They were rolling 11.5!!!! It was a challenge to get the downhill putts to stop hahaha. Along with the speed, they were in pristine shape. If you hit your putt good, it was ruling true to that line.

The layout of the course was challenging for some holes, but there are holes where you can have some good looks for birdie. There are 180+ bunkers on the course, so you will be in one lol. Local rule allows you to lift, clean, and place in them, so it was pretty easy to escape them. Despite being tucked into a neighborhood, the fairways were relatively wide, so there is plenty of room to hit driver on most holes.

I will be returning to this course. 10/10

This is a nice course, but during this pandemic they are making people ride together. This is outrageous at this time, they are just trying to get an extra $10 for riding by yourself. I suggest waiting until summer to play here. Your life isn't worth it.

Great course. Excellant conditions. Defintely target golf. If you miss your spot, you'll be in a bunker. Fairly wide fairways and large greens.....but not flat. It was a fun but challenging round. Well worth playing. Looking forward to returning.

The course was in absolutely spectacular condition. The tee boxes and fairways were lush and green, even coming out of the overseed. The greens were true and thick with grass, a little on the slower side though. If you want a good test of golf with a ton of sand...it's in play on every hole, but water is only on two holes...it's a great spot. One of the best values around.

This course is beautiful in its layout and conditions. It has to be one of the best public courses in he state . It is worth the price to see it. Coming back next month

If you are questioning your wisdom to spend a few dollars more, this is where to go. The fellows at the bag drop welcome you, the pro shop staff couldn’t be more helpful and the golf course is simply wonderful. You will get plenty of practice from the sand traps, there are many. The greens have come back beautifully and are a pleasure to putt on. The range is available for every club in your bag and the practice green in out in front of the shop. There is no question as to why you would want to play Southern Dunes. The experience is excellent.

This was our second week of golf at Southern Dunes in 2019 and our foursome was unanimous in rating the course highly with respect to layout, variety of holes, green conditioning and playability. It has much more in the way of elevation changes and bunkers and less water hazards than most Florida courses and that makes for a very interesting game.

Unfortunately the pro shop staff was unfriendly and seemed to feel that they were doing you a favour by serving you.

In summary, the course is one you can play every day and thoroughly enjoy if you can put up with a surly reception in the pro shop.

The cart staff is excellent by the way. Only the pro shop staff (and by inference the senior management) seem to have a negative attitude to their clientele. Disappointing indeed and not in keeping with the quality of the golf course.

We had a group of four playing 6 days of golf for our second year in a row
The golf course is positively unique to the traditional Florida golf course and absolutely challenging and enjoyable.
However, the staff in the pro shop was the polar opposite.
They seemed to be a very unhappy group of people and assisted only when pressed to do so
If it was not for the golf course quality, we would have played elsewhere.
We wondered if this might be a top down cultural issue???

The course is always in fantastic shape. The greens were recovering from a punching about two weeks ago. You can hardly notice. The greens were rolling very nicely and with all of the rain in the area lately, you couldn't even tell.

Stopped in for lunch after our round. Highly recommend the Chicken Parm Sandwich!

Don't miss the chance to play this hidden gem outside of Orlando!

The course is coming back from the disease in their greens. One of my favorite layouts in the area. Certainly worth the price if you haven't played here before. Greens were a little sandy as they may have been punched a month or so ago. Fairways were in good shape along with the bunkers.