Public golf in Central Florida
Public courses around Orlando side by side, and twelve short guides to the weather, the rules and life on the course.
Orlando golf is best early. Mornings are cooler, the greens are fresh and summer storms usually build later in the day. If you are new to the game or new to Florida grass, a lesson with a local golf instructor before your trip is time well spent.
Many golfers who come for a week end up looking at homes along a fairway. If that is you, read the community’s documents before you fall for the view, and talk to a local real estate agent who knows golf communities and their associations.
The card
Holes 1 to 6 plan the round and put you on the course. Holes 7 to 12 cover the carts, the wildlife and living by the fairway. Par is the reading time in minutes.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guide | Weather by month | Lightning | Summer heat | Flying with clubs | Choosing a course | Nine holes | |
| Topic | Plan Your Round | Plan Your Round | Plan Your Round | Plan Your Round | On the Course | On the Course | |
| Par (min) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 26 |
| Hole | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guide | Carts on roads | Gators & wildlife | Buying a home | HOA fines | Homestead | Carts at home | |
| Topic | On the Course | On the Course | Golf Community Living | Golf Community Living | Golf Community Living | Golf Community Living | |
| Par (min) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 26 |
Twelve holes, about 52 minutes of reading. Start anywhere: every guide stands on its own.
Course finder
Pick an area, then tick what matters to you. Every tag comes from the course’s own website.
8 public courses
Orlando & Winter Park
18 holes · opened 1924
549 West Par Street, Orlando, FL 32804
Orlando & Winter Park
18 holes · par 72
2100 S Hiawassee Road, Orlando, FL 32835
Orlando & Winter Park
9 holes · par 35 · built 1914
761 Old England Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
West Orange
Two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole short course
16301 Phil Ritson Way, Winter Garden, FL
Kissimmee & Celebration
18 holes · opened 1996
701 Golf Park Drive, Celebration, FL 34747
Kissimmee & Celebration
18 holes · over 7,000 yards
3200 Seralago Boulevard, Kissimmee, FL 34746
Kissimmee & Celebration
18 holes · par 71 · 6,830 yards
2801 Kissimmee Bay Blvd, Kissimmee, FL 34744
Sanford
18 holes · par 72 · opened 1922
3536 Country Club Rd, Sanford, FL 32773
No course in this area lists that on its website. Try another area.
Checked against each course’s own website. Hours, tee-time windows and practice facilities change, so call the golf shop before you go. Planning a summer round? Read Lightning on the Golf Course: What to Do When Thunder Rolls in Orlando first.
Yardage book
Five notes that help more than a new driver.
Orlando's climate rewards early starters. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Orlando International Airport put the average high at about 92°F in July and August, and June through September each average more than six inches of rain. Summer thunderstorms tend to build in the afternoon, so a first tee time after sunrise usually means the coolest and driest part of the day. From November through March highs sit in the 70s, which is when many visitors come to play.
If you only have one round in summer, book the earliest time you can manage and plan to be off the course by early afternoon.
The National Weather Service is blunt about lightning: there is no safe place outside when a thunderstorm is nearby, and if you can hear thunder you are close enough to be struck. Open golf carts and small rain shelters are not safe. A substantial building or a hard-topped car with the windows up is. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out, even if the sun is shining.
Around Orlando you can play a historic city-owned course, a nine-hole walking course in the middle of a town, a resort-style championship layout or a practice complex big enough to spend a whole day on. The course finder sorts them by area and by what each course says it offers. A nine-hole course is a good choice for a short evening, for beginners or for anyone who wants to walk.
Most Central Florida courses are built around ponds, lakes and canals, and alligators live in many of them. Florida's wildlife rules make it unlawful to feed or entice an alligator, and a first violation of the feeding rules carries a $100 civil penalty. Leave balls that land at the water's edge, keep a good distance from any alligator and keep children and pets well back from the bank.
Buying a home in a golf community in Florida usually means joining a homeowners' association. State law requires a disclosure summary before you sign a contract, gives owners access to the association's records and sets limits on fines. If the home will be your permanent residence, the homestead exemption must be applied for by March 1. Our community guides walk through each step.
Questions from the clubhouse
Many golfers prefer November through April, when NOAA's normal highs for Orlando run from the low 70s to the low 80s and monthly rainfall is lower. Summer golf is possible, but it is hot and humid, with frequent afternoon storms, so early tee times make a big difference.
No. The TSA's guidance is that golf clubs are not allowed in carry-on bags and are allowed in checked bags. Check your airline's rules for size, weight and fees for sports equipment before you fly.
Stop playing and go to a substantial building or a hard-topped vehicle with the windows up. The National Weather Service says no place outside is safe during a thunderstorm and advises waiting 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out. A golf cart is not a safe shelter.
Yes. The course finder lists Dubsdread in Orlando, bought by the City of Orlando in 1978, the nine-hole Winter Park Golf Course run by the City of Winter Park, and Mayfair in Sanford, bought by the City of Sanford in 1924.
Only where the law allows it. Under Florida Statute 316.212, a golf cart may run on a public road only if the county or city has designated that road for golf carts and posted signs, with a few narrow exceptions, and generally only between sunrise and sunset.
Alligators live in many Central Florida ponds and lakes, including those on golf courses. Keep your distance, never feed one, which is against state rules, and do not reach for a ball at the water's edge. Report an alligator that seems a threat to the course staff.
If the community has a mandatory homeowners' association, Florida law requires the seller to give you a disclosure summary before you sign. Read the covenants, the budget and the rules, and ask what dues and assessments apply, including any fees for the golf course or clubhouse.
You apply with the county property appraiser by March 1 of the first year, as the owner and permanent resident on January 1. Florida lets counties waive the yearly application, so the exemption usually carries forward, but you must tell the appraiser promptly if you rent the home out or move.
