Florida's Hands-Down 5 Best Golf Courses In Orlando, According To Golfers

If you're coming to Orlando, you'll find that there are several incredible things to do in the city besides visiting Disney World – including playing a round or two of golf. Golfers who are looking to head to The City Beautiful do have one big problem, though — there are a lot of courses to choose from. According to Links Magazine, Florida is, hands-down, the best state for golf.  Golfers will find more than 1,200 golf courses there. That's more than any other state – and more than 170 of those courses in the Orlando area. You obviously can't play that many if you're planning an Orlando golf getaway, and it can be hard to narrow down that long list. We've done the research for you, though, and have put together a handy list of the five best golf courses in Orlando. 

Who better to choose Orlando's top golf courses than golfers themselves? We combed through Tripadvisor's list of top-ranked golf courses in Orlando, and also looked at Reddit and Google reviews to see what real golfers were saying about the courses in the area. We've diligently scoured through comments from those who have experienced these courses firsthand to make sure these are indeed the five best golf courses in Orlando, according to golfers.

We also took into account the opinions of one of the sport's greatest golfers, who happens to have an affiliation with one of the courses on this list. Finally, although there are many great courses in central Florida, we've also whittled this list down to only include golf courses within the city of Orlando, excluding those located within the surrounding communities. 

Grand Cypress Golf is located at the Evermore Orlando Resort. Golfers will find two Par-72, 18-hole courses at this Florida resort: The Links Course and the Cypress Course. Both were designed by Jack Nicklaus, yet have unique layouts. The Links was inspired by a course in Scotland, and has some interesting features, including bridges constructed from stone. However, according to this this golfer who shared a review on Tripadvisor, the Cypress Course is the "best golf experience in Orlando, Florida." He shared the elements that factored into that raving review: "Wide fairways, plenty of water, and some massive bunkers placed exactly where you want to hit it. It's a course that keeps you thinking — but never feels unfair." There was also one hole in particular that he loved: Hole 3. It's an island green, and he said, "It's the kind of hole you take a video of before you even tee off."

You don't have to stay on-site at the resort in order to play the courses, but you're not guaranteed a tee time if you aren't. If you're staying at Evermore Orlando Resort or Conrad Orlando, you'll have priority access. If you aren't staying at one of those properties, you'll have to wait until 14 days before the day you're hoping to play in order to book your tee time, assuming there are any left. Those staying on-site at one of the partner properties will also pay less to play, so golfers may find it advantageous to stay overnight there if they're hoping to play this course.

The Hawk's Landing Golf Course is located at the Orlando World Center Marriott, which was ranked as one of the five best Marriott properties in Orlando, according to reviews. It is the largest Marriott in the world, but another notable credential of this course is its location — it is only 2 miles away from Walt Disney World. If your family is dragging you to the theme parks, but you want to sneak away for a round of golf, this is a nearby and convenient option. You can play there even if you aren't staying on-site. The Par-70 course was designed by Robert Cupp, Jr. and golfers will find water features on 15 of the 18 holes. If you decide to play there, you'll even get to wrap up your game with an island green on Hole 18. 

This redditor chose five golf courses in and around Orlando to play, based on recommendations from other golfers. One of those was Hawk's Landing — and that's where he said he played his best round of golf while on his trip. There was one particular part of the course that he especially enjoyed, and shared, "The back nine are all crazy good holes to play, beautiful to look at and good variety of challenges and 'breather' shots to give you a chance to come back. The course plays long for a par 70."

According to one of the world's most renowned golfers, this golf course is the best in Florida. Arnold Palmer played Bay Hill in 1965 and he loved it so much that he eventually bought it. With this legendary golfer vouching for it, there's no way we couldn't include this on our list of the best golf courses in Orlando. It was originally designed by Dick Wilson in 1961, but Palmer made changes and put his special touches on it over the years. That alone makes this a great place to play. 

Golfers may be most familiar with Bay Hill because it serves as the location of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a PGA event in Orlando. While visitors flock to Orlando to see the pros play, you can book a tee time to play on the Par-72 Championship Golf Course and the Par-36 nine-hole Charger Course if you're staying at the on-site lodge. If you're not a member, that's the only way you'll be able to book a tee time there. Golfers seem to love it, though. This Tripadvisor reviewer said, "The course is absolutely pristine, especially as the tournament approaches... It is incredible to be able to experience the course and clubhouse of such an amazing facility." If you plan to visit, make sure you pack appropriately. There is a dress code that you must follow both on and off the course. 

The Shingle Creek Golf Club is located at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. One of the best things about this course is its location, as it is easy to take advantage of many of the other amenities in the area. It's only about 5 miles down the road from Universal Studios, and 3 miles from the Orange County Convention Center and Pointe Orlando — an entertainment complex in the heart of the city with top-notch eats and vibrant nightlife. 

The proximity to other attractions isn't all that makes Shingle Creek one of the best golf courses in Orlando, though. According to golfers, the Par-72 course itself is just as impressive. It was first designed by David Harmon, but was redesigned by the Arnold Palmer Design Company in 2016. Golfers seem to love it. Most of the reviews on Google are outstanding, including the one from this golfer who said, "Every bit of the course and experience is perfect.... The fairways and general area [were] perfectly maintained with great views of the resort and over water bodies. The architect also did a great job with the trees, bunkers, and length, keeping the round difficult." If you're hoping to play a round of golf at Shingle Creek, you can book a tee time up to 90 days before you're planning to come. 

The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes golf course has perhaps gained the most notoriety because it is home to the PNC Championship. Fans can attend this unique tournament and see professional golfers playing alongside one of their family members. However, non-professional golfers can also bring along their own family or friends and play this esteemed Par-72 course that was designed by Greg Norman. You don't have to stay at the resort to play, but you will save a little money on your round of golf if you are staying overnight. There's also an extra perk that you get if you play this course from November 1 through April 30 — you'll have a professional forecaddie included in your fee to play a round of golf.  

This golfer gave it a 5-star rating on Google and shared, "The Ritz Carlton golf course is excellent. I play here only a few times a year, but [it's] always manicured to perfection. The greens roll like a pool table, the fairways are plush, the practice area is awesome, and the golf staff is very professional."

One of the defining features of Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Orlando Grande Lakes is its impressive status as an environmentally-friendly golf course. The course is a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary," indicating its commitment to sustainable practices and conserving wildlife areas.  This certification from Audubon International looks at a golf course's environmental efforts in areas such as wildlife habitat, water quality and conservation, reduction in the use of chemicals, and more when determining if a course is worthy of this designation.

When trying to determine the five best golf courses in Orlando, we first perused Tripadvisor's list of top-ranked golf courses in Orlando. We wanted this list to be based on what golfers recommended, and this review site served as a starting point. We took that list and weeded out ones that weren't actually in Orlando, as well as listings that were for things such as golf schools. We removed another that is undergoing maintenance during the summer of 2026 and will only have nine holes you can play for almost four months. Of course, miniature golf courses on Tripadvisor's list were also excluded. Orlando has some great places to play mini golf, but we'll let Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, keep the title of Mini Golf Capital of the World. 

After looking at the rankings, we also looked at information compiled by U.S. News and World Report and Golf Digest and reviewed their recommendations for Orlando golf courses. Many of the same courses popped up there as well. We started studying these courses that made the short list, and looked at what made each one special, paying attention to what golfers were saying on Tripadvisor, Reddit, and Google. We also took into account the opinion of one of the world's most prestigious golfers of all time, as his credibility had weight as well. 

Our goal was to make sure real golfers had great things to say about these courses. We've diligently scoured through golfers' comments to make sure these are the courses that should be on this list. These are hands-down the best five best golf courses in Orlando, according to golfers.