any info would be appreciated.. Orlando and surrounding areas

[LeeWev]

afternoon all,

I'm visiting Florida 16th - 25th November with 11 other friends, the plan is to play 6 or 7 rounds.

we are staying in Kissimmee (stayed in same villa last three visits) and don't mind travelling upto 75miles.

we do enjoy playing Mission Inn and we've played LPGA and World Woods before.

can anyone give me some information on any of these courses please?

BlackBear

The Club@Eaglebrooke

Lake Jovita

Celebration 

are there any hidden gems that are more in the mid range price category?

 

any info would be appreciated

 

[chisag]

... Some of my favorites close by are Champions Gate International and Champions Gate Country Club. But I think the hidden gem is Legends at Orange Lake. Lots of wildlife including an Osprey that frequents the lake on the 12th hole. But also a fun, challenging lay out that is always in good shape. 

Edited September 26, 2022 by chisag

[Eric49er]

do check out this topic - it has a ton of reviews:   

 

 

 

 

 

Don't miss out on Southern Dunes in Haines City

 

Others that I would recommend:

 

Royal St Cloud - best for the money in the area

Deer Island - only drawback is location; also a great value for the money in the Orlando area

Championsgate - as mentioned above, both are great

Shingle Creek - very nice but can be expensive

 

 

 

of the ones you asked about, my opinions are:

 

BlackBear --- a long way from Kissimmee, you can find better, if you are going to go that far, just do Mission Inn that you talked about

The Club@Eaglebrooke - never been

Lake Jovita - never been

Celebration - overpriced, but a lot of people like it, and it is usually in good shape, easy to get to from Kissimmee

[sabram]

On 9/26/2022 at 1:31 PM, LeeWev said:

BlackBear

The Club@Eaglebrooke

Lake Jovita

Celebration 

are there any hidden gems that are more in the mid range price category?

Black Bear is okay, but not great. It's not expensive. If you are going that far north check out Deltona, Victoria Hills and Red Tail. They are really good courses (especially Deltona), but conditions can be iffy. They can be really good bargains  as long as they are in decent shape.

 

Lake Jovita is a pretty far drive from Kissimmee, about 90 minutes. They have two nice courses there that are worth playing if you are okay with the time in the car

 

Eaglebrooke is probably the best choice on your list, but it's also a pretty far drive... about an hour from Kissimmee.

 

Celebration is a good choice and is in close proximity.

 

Some good  mid price choices are Royal St Cloud, Harmony, Legends at Clermont and Highlands Reserve. Legends at Clermont and Highlands reserve have a lot of elevation change which is unusual for courses around Orlando. I play both of them fairly often as they aren't too expensive. Highlands Reserve just re-did their greens so should be in good condition.

 

If you have not played Southern Dunes, it's a must play course. The best in the area.

 

Click on a photo below for links to photo tours of the courses:

 

Eaglebrooke

 

Lake Jovita South course

 

Lake Jovita North course

 

Celebration

 

 

Black Bear

 

Link to photo tours of90 Orlando region courses:  Orlando area golf course photo tours

[LeeWev]

HI Guys

thanks for the info.

 

We don't mind travelling 1 - 1.5 hrs as we make a day of it. A stop for breakfast then the golf a few drinks and then stop for dinner on the way home. It all makes the experience.

 

Any others??

 

Dubsdread

Cypress Head

Big Cypress

 

[Eric49er]

Since you asked about a couple more, here is my two cents on those...

 

Dubsdread - meh; not terrible; not great.  Plenty of better options around, unless you just want to go near downtown Orlando

Big Cypress - always wanted to play there; heard great things

Cypress Head - my retired friend plays there a lot, and swears by it.  Too far for me from where I am in Clermont, but would make a good day trip from Kissimmee

Edited September 29, 2022 by Eric49er
screw up

[sabram]

8 hours ago, LeeWev said:

Dubsdread

Cypress Head

Big Cypress

Haven't played Cypress Head.  Dubsdread is nothing special. Big Cypress is pretty good, but for me it would be a lower priority than Lake Jovita, Eaglebrooke or Celebration. I'd also play Legends at Clermont or Highlands Reserve before Big Cypress. Big Cypress is in a mobile home retirement community in the middle of nowhere. It's inexpensive and has a lot of big gators. Click on the photo below to link to a photo tour

 

 

[LeeWev]

Thank you for all the comments and suggestions 

 

I have picked 10 courses for my group to look at, they get to pick 6 from this list and from that we'll get the most popular 6 to play

 

Mission Inn

Southern Dunes

LPGA

Lake Jovita

Royal St Cloud

Eaglebrooke

Cypress Head

Deer Island

Juliette Falls

OCN

[sabram]

3 hours ago, LeeWev said:

I have picked 10 courses for my group to look at, they get to pick 6 from this list and from that we'll get the most popular 6 to play

If you choose some of the venues that have two courses will you play them both?  That might make a difference in which places they will vote for. Mission Inn, LPGA, Lake Jovita and OCN each have two 18 hole courses. Royal St Cloud has 27 holes. 

[negolfking]

Juliette Falls should be moved way up that list.

[LeeWev]

The 6 courses that were chosen by my group

 

Lake Jovita

Mission Inn

Deer Island

Juliette Falls

Southern Dunes

Royal St Cloud

 

2 reserves just in case we can't get booked at the 6 above

LPGA

Big Cypress

[sabram]

22 hours ago, LeeWev said:

The 6 courses that were chosen by my group

 

Lake Jovita

Mission Inn

Deer Island

Juliette Falls

Southern Dunes

Royal St Cloud

That's a really nice list, although a little too much driving for me. I like all of those courses (except can't comment on Deer Island as I haven't played it.) I don't know if you plan to play both courses at Mission Inn and/or Lake Jovita. If you only play one, I prefer the South at Lake Jovita slightly over the North. At Mission Inn, I prefer El Campeon over Las Colinas.

[LeeWev]

On 10/6/2022 at 1:54 PM, sabram said:

That's a really nice list, although a little too much driving for me. I like all of those courses (except can't comment on Deer Island as I haven't played it.) I don't know if you plan to play both courses at Mission Inn and/or Lake Jovita. If you only play one, I prefer the South at Lake Jovita slightly over the North. At Mission Inn, I prefer El Campeon over Las Colinas.

Hi Sabram,

 

Yes we will be playing El Campeon and the south course at Lake Jovita.

we have played El Campeon nearly every time we visit as everyone really enjoys it.

 

here in the UK we do drive around to play some very good courses and a 100 mile journey isn't unknown for us so we can play these types of courses.

as I mentioned we always make a day of it, breakfast stop and a dinner stop just make the whole day something more worthwhile.

[LeeWev]

Just to reply to everyone who originally commented on my post.

 

We played,

Mission Inn (El Campeon)

Deer Island

Juliette Falls

Lake Jovita (North)

Royal St.Cloud

Celebration

 

my thoughts.

I'll go down the list.

Mission Inn - I do really like this place, We have played the course when it's been in better condition, but it was still in very good health, The guys who work on the cart rental need to chill a bit, they'll end up having a heart attack!! . cost $82 inc tax

Deer Island - Hidden Gem, what an enjoyable experience, loved every minute of it. Definitely a must-play again. cost $58 inc tax

Juliette Falls - really worth the drive from Kissimmee, very hospitable and the course was a joy to play. cost $64 inc tax

Lake Jovita (North) - had to play the North course because of course maintenance on the South course, again a good course and worth the drive from Kissimmee. Cost $88 inc tax

Royal St Cloud - second time playing here, It's a good budget course, I've played worse for more money - but I think that may be our last round here, it's just a bit bland. cost $47 inc tax

Celebration - I've played here probably 4 times and I always play the course well, it's always in good condition, It's a very steady golf course, again it's just a bit bland, We did get a deal from the pro shop that gave us $10 off, but it did still cost us $83 inc tax I'm not sure I'd pay $93 to play it??