Best Golf Courses in Florida
Florida’s flat terrain hasn’t stopped course designers from creating challenging, imaginative, and scenic layouts. There’s plenty of variety for every golfer’s taste. Here are 15 of the Sunshine State’s finest courses worth putting on any golfer’s must-play list.
Seminole Golf Club
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Located in Juno Beach, Seminole Golf Club is often hailed as Donald Ross’s greatest work. Its clever routing uses two dune ridges and marshland to create a compact but endlessly interesting challenge. Once famously exclusive, it finally appeared on TV in 2020 during the TaylorMade Driving Relief event. The membership remains elite, but the course’s timeless design continues to impress those lucky enough to tee it up.
TPC Sawgrass – Stadium Course
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TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach is known for Pete Dye’s bold design choices and is home to the PGA Tour’s Players Championship. The island green at the par-3 17th is one of golf’s most famous shots, nerve-wracking even for the pros. It was originally criticized as too punishing, so tweaks over the years have made it a balanced test.
Streamsong Red
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Streamsong Red, built on land once mined for phosphate, offers firm, links-style turf uncommon in Florida. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw worked the dunes into a layout that rewards creativity and shot-making. Its standout holes mix strategic bunkering with wide fairways, which allows multiple ways to play each shot. While inland, it still feels coastal in spirit, with wind and firm ground dictating how the course plays on any given day.
Calusa Pines Golf Club
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Elevation changes in Florida are rare, but Calusa Pines in Naples makes the most of them. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry created the club with features like massive sand areas, lakes, and imported trees. It was built by blasting through rock and opened in 2001 as a private sanctuary for just 275 members.
Mountain Lake Country Club
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Dating back to 1917, Mountain Lake in Lake Wales is a Seth Raynor creation on rolling terrain unusual for the state. The design incorporates the designer’s famous template holes, such as the Redan and Biarritz, which camouflage seamlessly into the natural surroundings. Restoration work in recent years has brought back its classic look, which makes it both a piece of golf history and a worthy challenge for modern players.
Jupiter Hills Club – Hills Course
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The Hills Course at Jupiter Hills benefits from one of Florida’s most striking landscapes: a rare 75-foot sand ridge. It was designed by George and Tom Fazio, and plays through pines and palmettos with significant elevation changes. Its resemblance to Pine Valley is no accident, as the Fazios sought to replicate its bold bunkering and natural flow.
Streamsong Blue
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Tom Doak’s Streamsong Blue complements its Red sibling with more movement in the greens and extra water carries. The opening hole, a short par-4 from atop a 75-foot dune, sets the tone. The par-3 7th, played over a lagoon to a heavily contoured green, is a standout. Like the Red, it’s inland but feels open and windswept, which encourages ground-game approaches alongside aerial attacks.
The Concession Golf Club
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This club is named for the famous Ryder Cup sportsmanship moment between Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin. Nicklaus led the design by adding small, contoured greens and routing through wetlands, meadows, and oak hammocks. It hosted the 2021 WGC Workday Championship. The course, which is located south of Tampa, demands precision but rewards smart play. .
ChampionsGate – International Course
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In Orlando, the International Course at ChampionsGate gives golfers a taste of overseas links without leaving Florida. Wide fairways, fast greens, and deep rough make accuracy essential. Water hazards are less frequent than at many Florida layouts, but the wind plays a bigger role in this spot. The course’s scale and openness create a different challenge than the tree-lined designs common across the state.
Belleair Country Club – West Course
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Florida’s oldest golf club, Belleair’s West Course, dates back to 1897 but owes its refined design to Donald Ross. A 2022 renovation restored Ross’ original vision by removing trees to reveal views of Clearwater Harbor and reworking streams that once crossed the course. The new par-3 7th, jutting into the bay, is one to be in awe of.
Medalist Golf Club
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Medalist, located in Hobe Sound, is Greg Norman’s design that reflects his aggressive playing style. The course winds through wetlands and scrubland, with bold bunkering and risk-reward opportunities. It is private but remains one of the most talked-about layouts in the region, especially among those who value strategic shot-making.
McArthur Golf Club
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McArthur in Hobe Sound is a collaboration between Tom Fazio and Nick Price. It mixes wetlands with exposed sand ridges to create striking visuals. Opened in 2004, it has since added a Coore & Crenshaw-designed second course. Fairways are generous, but the approach shots demand precision. The private club’s understated profile hides one of the state’s most engaging and thoughtfully routed courses.
Streamsong Black
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Gil Hanse’s Streamsong Black stands out for its scale: massive greens, wide fairways, and a par-73 layout. It encourages creative play, which allows golfers to attack holes in multiple ways. Despite its openness, tricky contours and wind keep it from being a pushover. It’s the boldest of the Streamsong trio.
Cabot Citrus Farms
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Once known as World Woods, this site in Brooksville has been transformed into Cabot Citrus Farms, which features two new courses by Kyle Franz and Mike Nuzzo. The property’s rolling terrain and sandy soil provide a perfect canvas for modern designs. While still fresh to the scene, it’s already drawing attention for its variety.
Park West Palm
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Park West Palm reopened after Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner remodeled the old West Palm Beach Golf Course. The updated layout combines wide corridors with well-placed bunkers and thoughtful green complexes. It’s a walkable design that welcomes all skill levels while still challenging low-handicap players. The revival has quickly made it a standout among Florida’s public options.