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GOLF COURSES
Well, where do we start?
Firstly our villas are not situated on a golf course - so there is no danger of being surprised by a wayward shot or the need to duck or lift up a child to protect yourself when you hear the dreaded 'Fore'..... Only joking you don't need to lift a child just crouch beside you wife!!
If you decide that while you are in Florida a round of golf sounds like a good idea, but you haven't bought any equipment, don't worry, all courses rent out clubs and shoes. They also normally provide a box of balls complimentary when hiring. Equipment is reasonably cheap so buying a pair of shoes, some balls etc. won't break the bank. The standard package usually include a buggy and practice range balls. Prices vary but can be from a little as $40 to well over $100 for a quality championship course. Follows is a short look at some of the local courses.
The nearest course to our villas is:-
Highland Reserve: which is situated a couple of hundred yards away on highway 27. It is an 18 hole par 72, 6673 yard course and was nominated by Golf For Women Magazine as one of their 50 top courses for 2002. Rated 3.5 Stars by Golf Digest's "Places to Play" guide, Golf Pac, one of the country's largest golf vacation travel companies, ranks Highlands Reserve as one of their most requested golf courses year after year as chosen by their customers. It is only a couple of minutes from our villas. (We have played it several times and have found it to be a great course to warm up on).
Champions Gate: is an easy course to find as it is only 5 minutes away from our villas. It is a nationally acclaimed golf facility for world-class golf, offers 36 holes designed by International Golf Champion Greg Norman and is the World Headquarters of David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Situated just off the I4, it is unmissable with its distictive gates. It features two premier 18-hole, par 72 championship golf courses, One 'The National' a 7128 yard, off the competition tee, is a traditional American style and the other 'The International' a 7363 yard, off the competition Tee, is an authentic Scottish links style course. It is only a short 5 minute drive from our villas (Two great courses to play again and again).
Celebration: is a Championship 18 hole, 6772 yard course which has hosted several high profile tournaments. It is rated by golf Digest's "Best Places to Play" in 2006-2007 , and in 2006 was rated number 12 by The Florida Golf News. It is only 15 minutes from our villas (It has several testing holes and is one of the friendliest courses you will play)
Southern Dunes: is a Championship 18 hole, 7200 yard course which has hosted several high profile tournaments. In March 2004 it was rated number 6 in "Florida by Golfweeks America's best Courses you can play". It is situated around 20 minutes from our villas. (It is a gem of a course and we can't wait to play it again )
Orange County National: has 36 World Class Holes as well as a 9 hole short course. It hosted the 2003 and 2005 PGA Tours and was rated "a four and a half star course in Golf Digest in 1999 - 2005". Both the Panther Lake and the Crooked Cat courses are Par 72 and with several Tees caters for all levels of players. It is situated around 20 minutes from our villas. (It is carved out of the rich Florida landscape and is a joy to play)
Falcons Fire Golf Club: is advertised as The Orlando areas Best Public Golf Course. It is a natural, classic 18 hole, par 72 golf course boasting tournament playing conditions 12 months a year, Falcon's Fire is arguably not only one of the finest maintained golf facility in Central Florida but also nationally. It is rated as a four star Course by Golf Digest Magazine and also one of North America's Top 10 Golf Tournament Facilities. It has played host to the Oldsmobile Scramble National Finals and the Senior PGA Tour Regional Qualifying Tournament 1993 - 2001. With its mix of green, green grass and lots of water and sand must be one of the most appealing courses you will play. It is situated around 25 minutes from our villas. (It is a course we have not yet played but it is at the top of our list to play).
Disney World Golf Courses: now consist of five, yes five championship and one 9 hole courses. They are 'Eagle Pines', 'Osprey Ridge', 'Lake Buena Vista', 'Palm' and their Championship Course 'Magnolia'. Add to that the 9 Hole 'Oak Trail' and you could spend an entire holiday playing the Disney Courses alone! They are all perfectly manicured and rated four and five star by Golf Digest and with yardage of up to 7550 yards they are all a fine test of golf. Magnolia is the home to the final rounds of the PGA TOUR FUNAI Classic. which is televised Worldwide. All the courses are situated 15 - 20 minutes from our villas. (A great choice of excellent courses)
There are several good golf guides produced locally listing the dozens of fantastic courses you can play. Edwin Watts Golf Shops always have these guides available and you will find they are only too pleased to offer advice on which courses are in best condition, where to play, value for money etc. especially when you've shopped in their store....
Follow the links below to find out more about these are other great courses - all within a 30 minute drive of the villas.
We have listed just a few of the many courses you can play, but to get a feel of how many Courses there are in Central Florida do an internet search. We did and stopped when we realised how many there are.