One of the best things about living in Orlando is that you can’t throw a rock without hitting a golf course or two. That expression also applies to tourists and the elderly, the rock throwing and hitting thing, but hey, we all play with the hands we’re dealt… 🙂
Having such a high concentration of golf courses in the greater Orlando area means that you can always find a cheap tee time or two and many times you can play some of the nicer resort golf courses in the area and still have enough left over to pay the mortgage AND buy groceries! 🙂
Below I’ve listed some Orlando Golf courses that are not only cheap, but also fun to play and in good condition. If you’re vacationing in Orlando, I’d recommend checking some of these courses out and apply the money you saved towards upgraded hotels.
I should probably mention ahead of time, some of these are a bit off the beaten path, but worth the trip.
If I had to identify a course as my “home course” it’d be Hunters Creek Golf Course. It’s a short drive for me and they always have some good rates or specials going on. This Lloyd Clifton design plays 7,268 yards from the tips, has some very large putting surfaces, 13 lakes to swallow your tee shot and some fun challenging layouts. Off peak rates can run you $20-$40.
One of my newly coined favorite Orlando golf courses. It has three nine hole courses for you to mix and match, depending on your golf mood. Just recently I played the Grove and Lake courses and I was impressed with the character each course possessed. The Grove is the toughest of the layouts and features narrow fairways, strategically placed trees and hills. Lake is the easiest and longest, with (as the name implies) a fair amount of water. There’s some inconvenient vegetation that your stray balls might find, but for the most part it’s pretty wide open and an enjoyable experience.
One of the only local 18-hole municipal golf courses in Orlando. It originally opened its doors to the public in 1924 and back in 2008 completed a two year renovation project that touched every hole and modified the original course layout. Dubsdread Golf Club hosts over 50,000 rounds annually and rounds will run you $30-$40.
Located minutes from the Orlando International Airport, North Shore Golf Club is a fun little track that offers you two different styles of play. The course is 6900 yards of fun by course designer Mike Dasher. The front nine features the “Modern” nine which is reminiscent of links-style golf and winds through native wetlands. The back “classic” nine is carved through a century-old oak grove creating a Carolina feel. The rates begin at $35.
In my opinion, one of the most underrated courses in the area. Victoria Hills Golf Club is a Ron Garl design that opened its doors in 2000. PGA Tour player Chris DiMarco holds the course record of a 65. Staying true to the designer’s intent, playing a round of golf at Victoria Hills Golf Club is reminiscent of a peaceful walk through the woods where you’ll come in contact with the sights, sounds and smells of mother nature and one heck of a golf course. Rates begin at $35.
Black Bear is one of the few links style courses in the area. It’s a wide open undulating course layout with tons of soft sand and some tricky putting surfaces. One of my favorite golf moments was playing the first morning tee time out at Black Bear one Saturday morning. It was, I believe the second hole and collected in one of the undulation valleys (I think that’s correct) was all the mist that had yet to burn off. It was an awesome image and quite a spiritual golf moment for me. It’s also a great course and worth the trip. Rates begin at $20.
Harmony Golf Preserve is in my top five golf courses in Orlando. It’s a bit of a haul to get there, but it is definitely worth the trip. The whole town of Harmony is a eco-friendly, green-certified area. The golf course is a Johnny Miller signature design that earned certification as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, achieved only by courses that maintain the highest degree of environmental quality. It’s built on a 260 acre wildlife preserve and it’s one of the top ten longest courses in Orlando, measuring 7,428 yards from the back tees with a painful 76.1 course rating. Rates begin at $25.
Another great thing about Orlando is that being a tourist hot spot, there’s tons of cheap hotels that makes visiting affordable and another option is to save some cash on the lodging and splurge on a higher dollar course like Grand Cypress or Falcon’s Fire.
What are some of your favorite cheap Orlando Golf Courses?
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