Mystic Dunes Golf Club

There is nothing mystic or supernatural about the Mystic Dunes Golf Club in Orlando. Although, it would only be truthful to say there is nothing ordinary human about it. There is an air of divine-like beauty in its layout. It seems as if the gods themselves have set foot on earth to create a beautiful mash-up of some of the best courses the world in the Carolinas, the British Isles, and the world-renowned classic the Augusta National. This is one golf vacation destination where there is not a need to summon the good spirits.

The Mystic Dunes Golf Club, a Gary Koch design, does not hold a 4.5 star-rating from Golf Digest for no reason. It is a whooping 7,012-yards, par 71 layout. Four other sets of tees make the course playable for golfers of varied skill levels should the championship tees prove too overwhelming. And then there are very distinct nines – a glimpse of the Carolinas to open the game with – native wetlands and marsh areas, old growth cypresses and oaks – and travel to the British Isles – links-style, bunker-laden back nine – to close it with. If that is not enough a golf trip surprise delight, one need not wait long or think hard to find the Augusta National flavor to it.

Paired with the 80-feet elevation changes, the greens here which are of prime kind and perfect maintenance are almost exactly that of the famed Georgia golf course. That’s primera classe greens carpeting rolling terrain bordered by even more rolling sand dunes and natural vegetation. Nowhere else is there a golf vacation creation that brings together golf world’s bests. There is no need for good spirits at the Mystic Dunes Golf Club, the best are already here.

Metrowest Golf Club

The Metrowest Golf Club in Orlando, Florida could easily be the Audrey Hepburn of today’s array of golf vacation destinations. When all the others are getting rough and edgy, this golf course is effortless, fluid, graceful. While the others are in contention for beauty and scenery, no one could question that this is one golf course that has perfected grace.

Ironically, this course is the handiwork of the top pioneer of today’s rough and edgy designs, the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr. He created a true breather of a course – a break from his usual designs, and an break from the cookie-cutter designs. The course measures more than 7,000 yards from the longest tees and plays for a par of 72. Five sets of tees are available for golfers of all skill levels. The Metrowest Golf Club flows, almost literally, with its layout of dramatic but smooth elevation changes of up to 100 feet. The holes wind around mature forests, spring-fed lakes, and wide fairways. Large, undulating greens along with shaped bunkers define the attitude of this course – a more than perfect complimenting element. And they all combine to create a golf vacation whose greatness is just incomparable.

In this modern age of golfing, where roughness and grace cannot seem to exist in the same world, the Metrowest Golf Club proves otherwise. There seems to be no natural and effortless and quiet calmness to any course that has a view of the city’s skyline except here. Whilst Orlando’s downtown area and its many, many amenities are but a stone’s throw away, guests are assured that they will get a great, peaceful golf trip here. Like a true lady, her beauty stands out even when caught in a pile of urban mess.

Harmony Golf Preserve

The things that are hardest to find are the most valuable. That’s why the rarest gems are the priciest. The Harmony Golf Preserve in Florida is a rare one. What is so special about this golf vacation destination, and what is most loved is the fact that it has as much solitude as there is accessibility. Where else does one see a course that is actually part of a housing community with no houses in sight? And that is not because no one wants to live there! This had just been so well planned that perfect balance was created.

Well, not surprisingly though. The Harmony Golf Preserve is the handiwork of renowned golfing personality, Johnny Miller. This is his only one in Florida, thus, the additional merits on rarity. It is a golfer’s haven sitting on an 11,000 acre property that’s bordered by thick forests of towering southern pines and broad meadows. Not only do there features create a picture-perfect aspect to the course, it has also made a part in creating a real challenge for golfers of all skill levels. And like icing to cake, making things even more delicious around here, there are two large, sparkling lakes that make its way into several holes. The course is built wrapped in natural wetlands, thus the harmony between nature and human genius. The result is, without a doubt, superb. And golf trips here are never shortchanged.

The Harmony Golf Preserve measures a whooping 7,428 yards from the longest tees, par 72, with several sets of tees to satisfy all golfers of all skill levels. And downtown Orlando is just a stone’s throw away. A golf vacation here will turn out to be one of the most unforgettable for anyone. And most valuable.

Eagle Creek Golf Club

There can only be so much of Scotland that can be channeled to Florida right? Wrong. There is as much Scotland as there is on this Ron Garl/Howard Swan golf vacation destination creation. The Eagle Creek Golf Club has everything Scotland in their brand of golfing that it feels like golfers have been transported to a time and place where nothing else matters but just the golfer and the sport.

The Eagle Creek Golf Club measures 7,198-yards from the longest tees, par-73. Some of the best and most interesting features of this golf course is that there 5 par-5s on course that golfers have to contend with. And the rest of the holes are even more so challenged by the bulkheads, over 90 bunkers and incessant Florida wind. For the challenge-seeking golfer, that is beauty right there – in its sheerest, cleanest, most beautiful form. Beauty of beauties. For the skill-challenged, there is not a reason to fret thought. The layout has five sets of tees to choose from. This is one golf vacation that’s worth more than its green fees – it’s the cheapest way to get an unforgettable Scottish golfing experience sans the transatlantic plane flight and the need for passports!

And speak of beauty, there is literally a huge helping of beautiful sights here too. It has preserved its nature endowments so well that the course is actually a holder of an Audubon International Sanctuary certification. Supposedly, there are only 600 of them around the world, handpicked, for being eco-friendly. There can only be so much beauty and value in a golf trip right? Wrong. The Eagle Creek Golf Club has it all in large quantities.

Royal St. Cloud Golf Links Course

27 holes, more than 7,000 yards, five sets of tees, and all the best of anything Orlando, Florida golfing – this sneak peek of what Royal St Cloud Golf Links Course has to bring in golf vacations are enough a reason to bring a tiara with the rest of the golf paraphernalia. Why, that’s some quality golfing worthy of the blue bloods! Well, it must really live up to its name, and to all the legendary golf courses it paid homage to in its many replica bunkers and holes on course.

The true links style layout has pot bunkers reminiscent in those of the European greats – Irish, Scottish, and even British (thus, the name for the nines). Some are even reminiscent of those in St Andrew’s. The rolling mounds, more sand dunes and treeless, wide fairways of the Royal St Cloud Golf Links Course make it an even more authentic links course, something that is mostly unheard of in Central Florida. The authentic part, at least. And the holes here are just as diverse from one another. Or from any other hole elsewhere. That’s one Florida golf trip that is unlike any Florida golf trip! And it doesn’t hurt that it’s beautiful too.

What’s more, there are no houses in sight! Na-da. Zilch. There is only the endless blowing of the Florida breeze and an array of 27 of the best holes in Florida bordered by world class bunkers that just brings the best features of the best links courses in the world. Now that is, without a doubt, one golf vacation destination that almost literally rolls out the red carpet. On this case, green carpet. Hear ye! Hear ye! Let the games begin at the Royal St Cloud Golf Links Course!

Providence Golf Club

Not a few golfers seek solace in the arms of Mother Nature when they head out on their golf vacations. Most, if not all, look for courses that have as much of nature without necessarily having to go into the woods or on a ten-hour drive outside the city. In Orlando, for example, finding a peaceful, decent, and beautiful course within close range may seem impossible. But it’s not entirely impossible. The Providence Golf Club is the answer.

This 18-hole, par 72 Mike Dasher creation is a mere 15-minute drive from the themed resorts of Orlando, but there is not a trace of the bustling city anywhere. There are, only healthy servings of natural wetlands, old-growth oaks and other forest trees, and a lot of nature’s sights and sounds that include but are not limited to gators, egrets, cranes, and otters. There’s a lot of golf here, too, and very few houses. The layout is a combination of European, some parkland, and some more Florida. Water plays on 13 of the 18 holes, and there are about 35 native sand bunkers on course that creates that generally fair play on whichever tee set it is being played on. And to complete the golf vacation package, the Providence Golf Club has made sure the service quality matches that of the layout and scenery.

Here, the staff and pros have both the right amounts of warmth and expertise to perfect the service. That brings the best of everything any golfer would desire for in a golf trip. As for the Providence Golf Club, it enjoys the best of both worlds: great golf course basking in nature’s glory and divine peace as well as the best of Orlando’s tourist favorites without one getting ahead of or over the other’s line.

Eastwood Golf Club

“Affordable, beautiful, and always a fun golf experience everytime.” This is probably the easiest description that would roll off of golfers’ tongues when asked about the Eastwood Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. The golf vacation destination is favored by guest and locals alike, loving the perfect balance of layout, play quality, scenery, and yes, budget savvy green fees hereabouts.

The Eastwood Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 layout that stretches to more than 7,100 yards from the longest tees. It enjoys its fair share of elevation changes in a rather flat Orlando terrain. This layout which sits on 190 acres of prime Central Florida land has approximately 66 bunkers gracing the game with their treacherous presence. The course is bordered by a lush helping of stunning lakes and other water features, making its way into 13 holes, 8 of which are in the front nine, the other 5 in the back nine. There are four sets of tees to choose from, making it a golf trip for everyone, skill-level regardless. It is challenging to the skilled without being so much as an intimidation to the learning golfer.

It is this quality of play that makes the Eastwood Golf Club an ultimate favorite for golf outings. Add to that the fact that it is reasonably priced, there are no questions as to whether a golf vacation hereabouts is underway or not. It will, without a doubt. Why, this course is in Golf Digest’s list of Top 100 Courses in the world! That is one plan that would roll off just as easily into action.

Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club

The Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club in Minneola, 40 minutes outside Orlando, in Florida, is one really sweet treat without being too sickly sweet. It is like a low-calorie soda – you enjoy the best of it while dodging its worst end. Why, this golf vacation destination enjoys seclusion and exclusivity without being too far from the fun of downtown Orlando! And it’s a beautiful seclusion. Very beautiful, in fact.

With significantly dramatic elevation changes as much as 250 feet, the Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club owes this unique golfing surface to the naturally hilly terrain of Minneola. This makes it a perfect, most welcome breather to the usual flat Florida golfing experience. This golf vacation favorite is a Ben Crenshaw/Bill Coore creation – the duo’s first in the Sunshine State. The mountain course features a lot of bunkers and is accentuated by lush natural forests of oaks and other native vegetation. And the best part? This place is well-secluded that there is not a single house in sight! Yes, all 7,076 yards from the longest tees, par 72, is an undisturbed, unparalleled view of the mountainous part of Orlando.

Now that’s a truly memorable golf trip. This is a love affair between the golfer, the sport, and the best of nature – and nothing else. And all that is just a little more than a stone’s throw away from everything that makes Orlando one of the most celebrated vacation hotspots in the US. This is the sweet life, not some gone-too-soon sugar rush. The Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club opened in 2008 and has six sets of tees for play.

Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club

It would actually be hard to define how to exactly feel when playing the Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club. It feels like Florida and Scotland and somewhere else in that little piece of golf heaven in Orlando. There is nothing like this anywhere else in Central Florida, and that alone is reason enough to actually pack that golf bag and head on a golf trip hereabouts. Breaking them down in details will leave golfers scrambling off already.

 The Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club, ladies and gentlemen, is a rare mountain course. The 270 feet elevation will tell this part of the story. And since there are a lot of sand on this golf vacation destination, naturally, designer Terrill LaGree created bunkers and a links style layout. He made sure too that there are no parallel fairways on course, thereby giving golfers true solitude while going at their game. The only thing, perhaps, that is more Scottish than this is a kilt. And at over 7000 yards from the longest tees, with five sets of tees to choose from, par 72, there is something to marvel at in this place.

On top of all its marvelous layout features, the course is surrounded with so much beauty it is heartwarming. And so close to other fun amenities, but without jeopardizing quality and almost holy seclusion that a game of golf promises its dear patrons. The Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club is located in Clermont, the heart of Florida where everything else fun about the Sunshine State is in close proximity making it perfect in general for all family getaways, not just golf vacations. Something as good as this should never be enclosed in a piece of reading material; it calls for revving up the engine and heading to this little piece of golf paradise.

Bella Collina

Big could not even begin to describe the Bella Collina Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. Neither could it fully encompass every aspect of it. This golf vacation destination is big on size yes, but that would be forgetting all the merits of its layout, scenery, and the totality of the incredible job that designer Nick Faldo did here. That would be unjust and unacceptable. Now all that needs to be done is to figure out where to begin describing this one of a kind creation.

The Bella Collina, to begin with, is yes, big. Massive. From the longest tees, it is more than 7,500 yards, par 72. And only to match its length, golfers are given six sets of tees to play from thereby accommodating pretty much most every golfer, handicap regardless. This layout sits on a rolling hill, a highland design that is nowhere near anything found in the Central Florida area – all 1900 acres of it. As golfers go through this course, they are taken in and around sweeping hillsides, thick forests and a former limestone quarry that adds a different flavor to the scenery. But what brings the ‘extra’ in extra special for golf trips here go beyond the 18-holes of the course.

Golfers will play in this course surrounded with views of orange groves and overlooking views of vineyards. If that is not visually stimulating enough, the sight of the two lakes, Apopka and Siena, will cover that. The Bella Collina is truly way beyond everything that anyone expects to see hereabouts. And golf vacations are exactly the same. Now, that makes ‘happy’ an insufficient adjective.