Are you looking for a change from the theme park attractions in Orlando? There are many courses in Florida that you can choose from, whether you want to be close to home or willing to travel a little.
It’s not easy to pull up our state by state rankings. They list Florida courses which may be a day’s drive from Central Florida. We focused on eight of the top-ranked golf courses, which, although they may require golfers to spend up to 90 minute in the car, were within reasonable driving range.
We limited the driving time for this exercise to 90 minutes from Disney World. Why 90 minutes? It can be a long drive to anywhere in Orlando, especially on Interstate 4. So 90 minutes in the car seemed reasonable to reach great golf.
Why Walt Disney World Resort, you ask? You’re likely to be staying near the theme parks of this entertainment giant or Universal Orlando if you are visiting Orlando.
Google Maps was used to calculate the drive time. We selected Walt Disney World Resort and a time when there were no major traffic delays. Drive times in Orlando and Central Florida should be taken with a grain, since backups are common.
This is not to say that there aren’t other great places to play in Orlando. Winter Park Golf Course, also known as WP9, is located just north of Downtown Orlando. This author lives nearby and can attest to its simple pleasures. This short nine-hole course is one of the best golf courses to play for two hours.
This list includes a map that shows where you can find each of these courses. The map below shows the number of each course on the list. Scroll down to see them.
Each course’s position on Golfweek’s list of the Best public-access courses in Florida is also included. The positions of any courses that appear on our other popular ranking lists are also included.
- Find out where to play golf in Chicago, New York City, and Phoenix/Scottsdale
Background: Our course-rating panel, which consists of hundreds of members, continuously rates courses on the basis of 10 criteria. The points are assigned on a scale of 1-10. Each course is also given a single overall rating. These ratings are then averaged out to create our Golfweek Best Course rankings.
These courses are open to the public in one way or another, whether it’s through standard green fees per day, a resort, or staying at an affiliate hotel. There’s no need to be a member if you want to play golf.
(Google Earth/Golfweek)
