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Central Florida is theme park heaven. Places like Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Cypress Gardens provide an irresistible lure to families seeking fun and adventure. But what about the golf enthusiast? Is there anything for him or her in this region to set the heart pumping? You betcha!
Golf around Orlando, Florida
Let's start in the Orlando area at the Bay Hill Club, where Arnold Palmer plays and near where he lives. In addition to the right kind of golf, the club boasts a spa, fitness center, pool, and tennis courts.
Nearby you'll find the Shingle Creek Golf Club, whose natural backdrop of dense oaks and pines provides a beautiful and water-full (remember, it is named after a creek) golf experience.
If it's a fantasy experience you're after, you'll find it at the Grand Cypress New Course, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus to honor the famed Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. Double greens? Yes. Stone bridges and walls? Yes. Twelve-foot-deep pot bunkers? Yikes! Errrr…. Yes again!
Mystic Dunes provides roller coaster adventure in the way it combines two unique 9-hole experiences. The first is a British-style links course design, complete with elevation changes and dunes, while the second is a forest setting surrounding Carolina-like wetlands.
Spend a fantasy-like day on the Arnold Palmer-designed Reunion Resort Legacy Course, in which you'll wander through natural preserves of wood, water, and palm. It's a truly amazing landscape that thankfully includes wide fairways. Right next door is the Reunion Resort Independence Course, designed by Tom Watson, the five-time British Open champion.
We can't promise any “normal” golf around Orlando where the theme park is king, but we can state that Southern Dunes comes close. All you have do to is stay away from the bunkers (called dunes) and employ your best course management skills.
Golf around Tampa, Florida
Up in Deland, not far from the region's Atlantic coast, you'll find the beautiful and tranquil Victoria Hills Golf Club. Rolling hills may keep your lies slightly off-kilter, but you'll hardly notice given the stunning foliage all around.
The Lake Jovita South Course in Dade City offers something very unique to Florida golf - substantial elevation changes. You'll also enjoy smooth greens and friendly fairways.
For exotic beauty you'll definitely want to play the World Woods Golf Club Rolling Oaks Course, which features oak trees draped with Spanish moss.
Finally, there's the Copperhead Course at the Westin Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. The course's elevation changes are almost similar to those found in the Carolinas, something rarely seen in Florida. This alone makes the course is a must-play.
So you see, you don't have to go to one of the traditional theme parks to enjoy a wild ride in Central Florida. One of these golf courses is sure to provide all the thrills you need.
Golf Courses in Orlando, Tampa, Cape Canaveral and Central Florida
Golf
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