Best Florida Golf Course Reviews & Rating
If you’re looking for some of the best golf courses in Florida then check out Florida Golf Course Ratings and Reviews on this page. Florida is loaded with award winning courses that are some of the best and top ranked golf courses in the United States. Florida is home to over 1400 golf courses and Orlando, Fort Myers, and Naples are the cities with the largest population of some of the best golf courses in Florida. This page has our list of the best courses we have played in Florida
You might also be interested in our articles on golf vacations to Orlando and Panama City Beach Beach- where to stay, where to play, and what else to see and do – which are listed on our Golf Vacations Page. And if you’re planning a golfing trip, you’ll find some fantastic deals on our Stay & Play Packages page.
Orlando Area Golf Course Reviews & Ratings |
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ChampionsGate Golf Club International Course Champions Gate, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.1
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ChampionsGate Golf Club features two premier 18-hole championship golf courses designed by accomplished architect and golfer, Greg Norman. This premier golf club features an impressive clubhouse, excellent service, and near perfect conditions, some demanding holes, and lots of bunkers to test your game. The International course is 7,363 yards from the tips and has one of the highest course rating in Florida – boasting a challenging 76.3 and a slope of 143. This 18 has the look and feel of a links-style layout in the British Isles except for the addition of water hazards. |
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Grand Cypress Golf Club North & South Course Orlando, FL Texas Outside North Course Rating 7.5 Grand Cypress North Course Review Texas Outside South Course Rating 9.3 Grand Cypress South Course Review
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With 27 holes, the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed North, South, and East Nines provide three distinctly unique 18-hole masterpieces.The North, South, and East Nines offer a variety of mental and physical stimuli that test accuracy rather than strength and distance. The original North-South combination, marked by sharply ledged fairways, tall shaggy mounds, and plateau greens perched above water or sand, is a demanding, target-style test. The sportier, more wooded East Nine is more generous, with less bunkering (particularly in front of the greens) allowing for more run-up shots. Each combination provides a distinctive playing experience, which will challenge even the best of golfers. |
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Renowned golf course architect Steve Smyers has designed one of Central Florida’s most dynamic new golf courses. In partnership with six-time major champion Nick Faldo, Smyers created each hole of Grande Pines Golf Club to be a strategic challenge that will bring out the best in each player’s game. Nestled among lakes, tall pines, oaks and palms, Grande Pines Golf Club peacefully coexists with the native flora and wetlands. |
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Mission Inn Resort – El Campeon Course Howey In The Hills , FL Texas Outside Rating 8.9
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Voted the #1 Golf Course of 2009 by the National Golf Course Owners Association, El Campeon (“the Champion”) was built in 1917 and is one of the south’s oldest golf courses. What makes El Campeon fun and unique are elevation changes of more than 85 feet, rolling fairways, undulating greens, and an abundance of natural beauty. And Mission Inn is home to a great Stay & Play package with excellent food, great amenities, and good lodging.
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Mission Inn Resort – Las Colinas Course Howey In The Hills , FL Texas Outside Rating 8.9
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Las Colinas (The Hills) was named “Best Places to Play – 4 star” by Golf Digest, nominated as “Best New Resort Course” by Golf Digest in 1992, and a recipient of the “Top Fairways” recognition by Golf for Women. Its wide-open fairways and gentle rolling hills create an inland links design. The greens are large and undulating and if you keep the ball in the fairway, you’ll have a fun, relaxing, and memorable round. |
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Falcon’s Fire Golf Club is recognized both regionally and nationally as one of the finest public golf courses in Orlando. This Rees Jones designed championship golf course that features classic architecture, an exquisitely maintained course and year round playing conditions stretching nearly 7,000 yards from the back tees and providing golfers four sets of tees to choose from. Falcon’s Fire offers a challenging yet playable course for a relaxing round. |
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Lake Buena Vista Golf Course Lake Buena Vista, FL
Lake Buena Vista Golf Course Review
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Rated 4 Stars by Golf Digest, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course presents meandering fairways that wind their way through pastel villas, pine forests, palmettos and sparkling lakes. You can experience the pleasures of a classic country-club course with a distinctive atmosphere and tee off next to boats, navigating scenic canals while taking in views of an enchanting lighthouse. |
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MetroWest Golf Club, a masterpiece designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was voted the best golf course in Orlando. The course design features spring-fed lakes, mature native trees, expansive rolling fairways with dramatic elevation changes, and large undulating greens surrounded by sculpted bunkers. MetroWest provides a fair, yet demanding challenge to make a pleasurable golf experience for players of all skill levels. MetroWest Golf Club has received numerous awards and accolades for being âOrlando’s Best Golf Experience.â |
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Osprey Ridge Golf Course Lake Buena Vista, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.0 Osprey Ridge Golf Course Review
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Disney’s Osprey Ridge Golf Course at Walt Disney World Resort features dramatic golf holes that cut through stands of live oak, pine, palmetto, cypress and bay trees. The surrounding vegetation and wetlands serve as a breathtaking backdrop for a championship course that blends all the majesty of nature with the superb design by Tom Fazio. Golf Digest recognizes Disney’s Osprey Ridge as one of the best in Florida, rating it 4½ stars. |
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This majestic course is both a pleasure to play, as well as an exciting test of skill. Golfers will appreciate the course design, which features shimmering lakes and tropical sands, all across a golf landscape that’s dotted with strategically placed palm trees. Elevated greens, 9 water holes, 94 bunkers plus a fair sprinkling of water and woods make this course distinctive. Disney’s Palm Golf Course has received an excellent rating of 4 stars by Golf Digest and it is home to the 40th year of PGA Tour at Walt Disney World Resort. |
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The Watson Course at Reunion Resort Reunion, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.3
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One of the great things about staying at the outstanding Reunion Resort is you can play an Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson course – each of which is fantastic with it’s own unique personality and characteristics. The Watson Course offers undulating terrain highlighted by fast and firm wide rolling fairways with elevation changes as much as 45 feet from tee to green. The Watson course offers beauty and challenge and demands strategic and well thought out approach shots and a creative short game.
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The Palmer Course at Reunion Resort Reunion, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.0
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Both challenging and beautiful, Arnold Palmer’s course at the outstanding Reunion Resort is highlighted by expansive waste area, strategically placed bunkers, and generously wide fairways. Arnold utilized a combination of natural rolling terrain with mature trees, a pristine natural preserve, and extensive landscaping to provide a varied menu of shot-making opportunities across all 18 holes. |
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Certain to test even the most accomplished player’s shot-making ability, RedTail offers a challenge at every turn. RedTail is well-known as one of the finest natural golf settings Florida has to offer. RedTail will throw a little bit of everything to keep you on your “A” game. The layout comes close to making RedTail a shot makers course requiring both strategy off the tee as well as target golf to some of the greens. With 5 sets of tee boxes you can bite off as much as you want to challenge or pick a tee box and have an enjoyable and very memorable round. |
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Florida East Coast Golf Course Reviews & Ratings |
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The Breakers Resort Palm Beach, FL Ocean Course & Rees Jones Course
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The Breakers Resort is home to two courses – the Ocean Course and the Rees Jones Course. The Ocean Course is the oldest golf course in Florida. A complete renovation of the Ocean Course by Rees Jones and a rich variety of contours, shapes and depths, along with all new salt-tolerant grass and unique water features, helped bring the Ocean Course to an exciting and challenging new level. The Rees Jones Course is a contemporary course that caters to every level of golfer and provides multiple options, thanks to its large fairways, challenging water carries, varied pin positions, and five sets of tees. |
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The Ocean Course Palm Coast, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.3
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Florida’s only ocean-side golf course since the 1920s, The Ocean Course is one of those courses that you need to add to your “Let’s Play a Beautiful Ocean Course” list. Six holes play along the Atlantic Ocean and the prevailing winds, sprawling white sand bunkers, water on 11 holes, and 79 bunkers can all cause you to have to pay for the drinks in the 19th hole. A great course with excellent conditions, a reasonable rate, top notch service, and a fantastic resort (Hammock Beach Resort) with everything you would expect from a first class operation.
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The Conservatory Course Palm Coast, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.2 The Conservatory Course Review
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Wow, what a fun and challenging Tom Watson’s links style course with over 140 bunkers, rolling and contoured fairways, water on 15 holes, demanding green complexes, and near perfect conditions. It’s not surprising that The Conservatory Course has won a number of awards and is ranked as the hardest course in Florida – rating of 150! Choose from any of the 7 tee boxes and don’t bite off more than you can chew and you’ll have a blast. You need to be a member or guest at the outstanding Hammock Beach Resort to play this great course.
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Florida’s West Coast Golf Course Reviews |
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Innisbrook Resort – North Course Palm Harbor, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.2  |
The North Course at Innisbrook is similar in terrain to the Copperhead Course – undulating and rolling tree lined fairways and lots of water. Although the North Course is short from tee boxes (4955 to 6325 yards) it is Innisbrook’s most challenging course. Known for its daunting par 3s, North features tight fairways, an abundance of trees and well-bunkered greens, placing a premium on accuracy from tee to green. Eleven holes at North present water hazards, making club selection a critical decision when trying to break par. Recent course enhancements include additional yardage to selected par 4s and 5s, along with strategically placed bunkers and “waste bunkers”. The North Course was one of our favorites at Innisbrook. |
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Innisbrook Resort – South Course Palm Harbor, FL Texas Outside Rating 8.7 Review of Innisbrook South Course
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The South Course at Innisbrook Resort has it’s own unique personality and characteristics that are very different from the other three courses. The first few holes on the South course are tight and tree lined while the rest of the course is reminiscent of a links-style design, both in terms of rolling terrain and numerous fairway bunkering. This 18 is typically regarded as the easiest of the four courses but it’s no walk in the park. You’ll find some huge waste bunkers, a total of 10 water hazards, undulating fairways with mounding that can cause uneven lies, and the ever present Gulf of Mexico breezes that can play havoc with your golf shots.
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Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead Course Palm Harbor, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.4 Review of Innisbrook Copperhead Course
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Copperhead is host to the world’s greatest golfers during the PGA TOUR’s annual visit to the resort for the Transitions Championship. Tree-lined fairways and rolling terrain define the course and you can add to that stunning scenery, very demanding holes, lakes and ponds, and abundant wildlife including fox squirrels, bald eagles, alligators, blue herons, and many other types of water fowl. When we played the conditions were absolutely perfect with excellent putting surfaces, lush fairways, great sand, and thick challenging roughs. There are several memorable holes but the last four – Snake Bite, Moccasin, The Rattler, and The Copperhead – have a nasty bite with strategically placed bunkers, challenging green complexes, risk reward opportunities, dog legs with tight fairways, and some tough approach shots.
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Innisbrook Resort – Island Course Palm Harbor, FL Texas Outside Rating 8.9 Review of Innisbrook Island Course
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With tight fairways, intimidating water hazards, abundant bunkers, and extraordinary elevation changes, the Island Course is considered by many to be as equally demanding as Copperhead. The Island Course has been ranked among the country’s top 50 resort courses by Golf Digest and is a real joy to play – demanding but fair, excellent conditions, and some fantastic holes. The Island’s first six holes are bordered by beautiful Lake Innisbrook and lateral water hazards that require pinpoint accuracy on tee shots and approaches. The middle six holes feature rolling hills dominated by cypress and pine trees. The final third of this course boasts a mixture of holes designed to reward the bold and penalize the errant golf shot. |
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Lost Key Golf Club Perdido Key, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.3
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Lost Key Golf Club’s 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course provides players with an unsurpassed golf experience as it plays through a nature preserve loaded with a variety of fauna, wildlife, and potential hazards. Lost Key is probably one of the most, if not the most, challenging courses in Florida. With a slope and rating of 144 and 72.6, Lost Key is a shot makers course and demands excellent club selection and course management skills if you want to score well. You’ll encounter plenty of bunkers, wetlands, ponds, tight fairways, challenging greens, twists and turns, and more. But don’t let that scare you away from playing Lost Key – it’s fair, scenic, and a blast to play.
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Tiburon is carved out of 800 acres of native Florida foliage and plays like a classic links course. Golf legend and course designer Greg Norman blended traditional and modern elements to create an elegant and stunningly beautiful golf experience that is challenging for any player. Nowhere else will you find the combination of stacked sod-wall bunkers, approaches cut to the height of most greens, and tricky coquina waste bunkers. From your first drive to your last putt, you will find yourself at one with nature and a part of the world’s ultimate golf experience.
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Naples Grande Golf Club Naples, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.0
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Rated 4.5 out of 5-Star rating by Golf Magazine and voted one of the “10 Best New Golf Courses in Florida” by Travel & Leisure Golf plus rated “One of North America’s Top 100 Resort Courses” by Golfweek Magazine, Naples Grande Golf Club is home to near perfect conditions, colorful and meticulously maintained indigenous Florida foliage, surprising elevation changes, and unique water features – all of which result in a fun and memorable round of golf.
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Destin Florida Area Golf Course Reviews & Ratings |
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Regatta Bay Golf Club Destin, FL Texas Outside Rating 9 Review of Regatta Bay Golf Club
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Named by Golf Digest as one of the Top 15 Florida Courses, Regatta Bay has some of everything that makes golf both fun and challenging – lots of sand bunkers and water, some tight fairways, fast contoured greens, several risk reward opportunities, dog legs, and more plus first class service, excellent facilities, and great conditions.
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Emerald Bay Golf Course
Destin, FL Texas Outside Rating 8.8
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Views of the bay, some challenging water hazards, bunkers, big greens, good conditions, 5 sets of tee boxes, great service, some fun holes, and more make Emerald Bay Golf Course a must play if you’re near the Destin area. Emerald Bay Golf Club was voted “Best Golf Course in Destin” in 2016. Check out their golf course flyover.
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Windswept Dunes Freeport, FL Texas Outside Rating 8.8
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Windswept sand dunes, peace and quiet, unique golf holes, good conditions, reasonable rates, wide sweeping fairways, and a challenging but fair course define a round of golf at Windswept Dunes. Located a short drive from Destin or Panama City Beach, Windswept Dunes was rated 4 stars by Golf Digest and its a must play if you’re in the area.
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Burnt Pine Golf Club At Sandestin Sandestin, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.3 Review of Burnt Pine Golf Club At Sandestin
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Deemed the “Crown Jewel of Florida Golf” by Golf Magazine, the award winning Burnt Pine Golf Club is a golf experience unrivaled on Florida’s Northwest coast. Course architect Rees Jones proves in this 7000-yard layout why he is one of the most respected architects in the world. Burnt Pine’s rolling fairways and strategically placed bunkers invite golfers to out duel the course by using a different approach to every hole. |
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Raven Golf Club At Sandestin Sandestin, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.3 Review of Raven Golf Club At Sandestin
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Voted “Best New Course in Florida in 2000”, Raven Golf Club was masterfully carved through the marshes and pine trees of Sandestin by Robert Trent Jones Jr. He crafted this unique and visually stunning 6,900-yard par 71 into what he calls “a true modern traditional”. Raven Golf Club is a natural wonder that presents drama and strategy on every tee. You’ll be presented with a myriad of exciting shot options while experiencing dramatic changes in color and texture throughout the course. Large undulating greens in near perfect condition with challenging slope and undulation make club selection an essential part of each round. Plus you’ll need to manage water, lots of bunkers, dog legs, and forced carries with risk reward opportunities
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Panama City Beach Area Golf Course Reviews and Ratings |
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Bay Point Marriott Golf Club Nicklaus Course Panama City Beach, FL Texas Outside Rating 8.5
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This award-winning course was formerly known as Lagoon Legends (one of the toughest and most challenging courses in America). The course was redesigned and renovated and re-opened as the Nicklaus Course at Bay Point on September 17, 2005. The Nicklaus Course measures more than 7,000 yards with a slope rating of 143 and a course rating of 75.3. The layout lends itself for a truly memorable round, regardless of skill level. It plays along the natural terrain of majestic scrub oaks, towering Florida pine trees, sandy-white waste areas and salt-water marshes. The layout features âillusionaryâ bunkers that are strategically placed to tempt golfers through a ârisk/rewardâ scenario and uncharacteristic elevation changes that are unique to Northwest Florida.
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Camp Creek Golf Club Panama City Beach, FL Texas Outside Rating 9.7
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Ranked No. 6 in Golfweek’s 2008 “Best Courses You Can Play,” it’s clear once you get out onto the course why it has achieved this ranking. The course meanders through lush wetlands that take you back in time, plenty of white sand bunkers keep you on your game, and there are water hazards just waiting for stray golf balls. The plush fairways are generous and fair but the approach shots require accuracy. The greens, which are in perfect condition, are typical Fazio – large and undulating with plenty of trouble if you miss them. A must play if you’re in the area. |
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Holiday Golf Club Panama City Beach, FL Texas Outside Rating 7.5
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Holiday Golf Club has a a semi-private, 18-hole par 72 Championship Course and a fun 9 hole par 3. The Championship Course greens were designed to challenge even the most experienced short game artist and the broad lake-lined fairways and elevated greens are protected by bunkers of silky white sand. The Course has been described in national golf publications as among one of Florida’s most enjoyable yet challenging tracks. The club also features Bay Counties only “Lighted” 9-hole par 3 course designed with the entire family in mind, as well as the scratch golfer. The course offers three sets of tee’s, including junior tees. |
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Hombre Golf Club Bad & Ugly Course Panama City Beach, FL Hombre Bad Course Review – Rating 9.1 Hombre Ugly Course Review – Rated 8.6
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Hombre’s 27 Championship Holes, “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” feature water on 21 of the 27 holes and the course is meticulously manicured to PGA specifications throughout the year. Both scenic and challenging, Hombre is nestled amidst wetlands, marshes, lakes and preserves, and is beautifully framed with a stunning assortment of palms, pines and azaleas. The course names (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) are pretty representative of what you can expect. The Bad is pretty challenging and the Ugly is very scenic but some of the holes can eat your lunch and your score may come close to the course name. |
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The Greg Norman-designed Shark’s Tooth is a private golf course that is the centerpiece of the Wild Heron community in northwest Florida. With acres of preserved wetlands coupled with loblolly pines and majestic live oaks, Shark’s Tooth is among the Southeast’s finest courses. In fact, Golf Digest has repeatedly tabbed Shark’s Tooth in the top-10 golf courses in the Sunshine State. The course stretches 7,209 yards from the back tees and features five fairways that border Lake Powell, two holes that play toward the water and numerous wooden cart path bridges that cross over protected wetlands and uplands. Conditions are near perfect. |
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Author: Mike Sharp
I have a passion for travel and outdoor activities, and now I'm enjoying retired life. I will continue my traveling, golfing, boating, and enjoying life all across the great state of Texas.
