Flo

	LJCS Villa's
	Eagle Pointe, Kissimmee, Florida
	A family owned villa for family holidays

Orlando Golf Courses

The only time I really ever play golf is in Florida. I do not get the time in the UK but love to be stood New Years day in 78 degrees watching my ball sail into a lake :-)

There are lots and lots of courses in central Florida so I thought I would give you my take on the ones I have played.

General Advice

• The prices range from $35 to as high as you want to go!

• You always get a golf buggy included in the price.  If you are playing in the summer you will absolutely need this!

• To hire clubs is about $16-$50 per set.  You need to leave some sort of ID with the professional (driving licence or passport)

• If you forget anything, Walmart do an amazing range of very cheap stuff so no panic

• You should call the club and reserve a tee time.  You can get most of their phone numbers off the web site.

Courses I have played

The course nearest to the villa and offering the most reasonable rates is Kissimmee Golf Club www.kissgolfclub.com. You can rent clubs at this course for $16 per round and play from $34 June through September. I have played this course a couple of times and have found it one of the best.  The odd thing about the course is the aircraft taking off over the top of you on the first few holes! Not only do you get the usual jets and private aircraft but also a steady stream of World War II fighters from the nearby air museum! Several of the members from my dad's golf course take out membership at Kissimmee Golf Course for January so you can tell the course is reasonable.  Good amount of water and sand and some good dog legs.  If you are only going to play one game from our villa - go here.

 If you fancy splashing out you can play a PGA course not too far from the villa called Champions Gate. www.championsgategolf.com  We played in August and it cost $80 per person plus $30 to rent clubs. We played the International course and it was like links course in Scotland or Ireland - except for the 103 degree heat.  No trees, lots of sand and some water.  We kept losing balls just getting slightly off the fairway - they just vanished into the grass never to be seen again!  This took some doing as all the holes seemed very, very straight to me. The buggies had GPS systems which were very cool.  You pulled up to your ball in the buggy and it told you exactly how many yards you were from the hole, and drew you a nice map as well!! The staff were extremely courteous and even brought us iced towels at one point.  There was a girl going round with drinks and food.  All in all, a very nice day out if you want to play a Greg Norman designed course.

A very popular course with the British is Highlands Reserve www.highlandsreserve-golf.com.  I have played this course 3 times now and the front few holes and the 18th are possibly the most like UK courses I have come across.  Tree lined, with some bends and lots and lots of sand.  Not much water - cannot remember playing over any come to think of it - but massive, Sahara like stretches of sand! It costs between $35 in the summer to $69 in the New Year to play here and well worth every penny. Club rental is $25.  You need to call in advance to book and make sure you arrive on time as they will not hold your tee time for you. The odd experience for you, if you have not played in Florida before, is the Villa lined holes.  All down the side of almost every hole is a range of villa's and pools.  See how far you can bounce a ball off one :-)

The other course I have played and really enjoyed was Southern Dunes. A little more expensive than Highlands Reserve ($50-$100), it has been voted one of the most original and outstanding golf courses in Florida. The Steve Smyers design is awash in expressive bunkering and strategic options and there's enough going on between the ropes to keep your eyes off the tract housing lining many of the holes. My Dad, who plays a lot of golf, really liked this course in preference to Highlands reserve, but they all look the same to me from the trees or the bunker.