Florida Golf Courses - Villas of Grand Cypress Orlando

The Magnolia is a traditional classic golf course – a real heart-winner - with generous magnolia tree-lined fairways, natural lakes and water features.

With elevated tees and greens and wide rolling terrain, the Magnolia course is the most demanding at Disney and anything but an easy-going resort play. The only reminder in fact of the Disney World Resort here is that the 6th hole does feature a sand trap in the form of a Mickey Mouse silhouette!

The New Course is Jack Nicklaus's tribute and homage to the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. This Scottish links-style masterpiece is complete with double greens, stone bridges and walls, gorse mounds, burns, and pot bunkers! The course even replicates the white railings that frame the first and eighteenth holes of the Old Course. Many of the holes are designed to recreate holes in St Andrews - although not necessarily in the same order of play.

Water comes into play on the first, as you cross the “swilken burn”, and on the very challenging number 10. Very few trees are located within the interior of the course, creating room, and also a remarkable similarity to playing on the links at St Andrews. The starter and staff at Grand Cypress also join in with tradition by wearing tartan plus-4’s as standard attire!

The 27-hole North, South, and East Nines provide a test of accuracy over strength and distance. The original North-South combination, marked by sharply ledged fairways, tall shaggy mounds, and plateau greens above water or sand, is a demanding, target-style test. The East Nine is more generous, with less bunkering (particularly in front of the greens) allowing for more run-up shots.

For 18 holes, courses can be combined as the North-South, South-East, or East-North Course. In the summer of 2007, the South Course was renovated and redesigned by Jack Nicklaus adding length and bunkering in particular.

OCN Crooked Cat features significant elevation changes, rolling fairways and large, contoured greens. But with fewer trees, wider landing areas, native heather and mounding framing the fairways, Crooked Cat presents golfers more of a links-style look.

It may well be the most naturally beautiful Orlando Florida golf course. The course’s open feel encourages golfers to grip it and rip it off the tee, and there is certainly more room for error and multiple options for playing a hole - both off the tee and into the greens. But, as with links-style courses, there is an element of chance, and a wayward shot can end up in one of many seemingly randomly placed grass bunkers.

Crooked Cat is more exposed and the layout does twist and turn, so the wind can be an important factor. The back nine of Crooked Cat may be the best nine on the property and is the favourite of many low handicap golfers due to its length and challenge. Crooked Cat is a lot of fun to play because of its unique design.

OCN's Panther Lake Course was the first course ever designed to feature 18 signature holes, showcasing the native beauty of the Florida landscape.

Panther Lake plays over rolling meadows, through native pines, around and over wetlands and lakes, and up and down elevation changes of up to 60 feet - it is first and foremost a visual delight - with zero development on or around the course allowing native species of birds and wildlife to flourish. The sheer variety of the holes is astounding.

Off the tee, gently sloping fairways are guarded by strategically placed fairway bunkers, trees and water hazards that frame the holes and provide a clear line of play. From the fairway, approaches face into well-guarded elevated and contoured greens. When you play #10, look at the shot from 150 yards to the green. That’s the spot where Tiger Woods was told to “Get more forgiving irons, the Nike Pro-Combos” by his talking headcover, Frank, during the very popular commercial. Will you be able to hit the elevated green from there with your irons?