Best Golf Courses in Florida: The 2026 Guide (Public, Resort, and Hidden Gems)

Published April 2026 · 15 min read

Florida has more golf courses than any other state in the country. Over 1,100 of them. That's not a typo — you could play a different course every day for three years and still have options left.

But here's the thing: not all 1,100 are worth your tee time. Some are flat, overpriced tourist traps. Others are aging retirement-community tracks that haven't seen an aerator since the Obama administration. And some? Some are legitimately world-class, unforgettable rounds of golf that you'll be talking about at the 19th hole for years.

This guide is about finding those courses. We've broken down the best golf courses in Florida by region — South Florida, Central Florida, and North Florida/Panhandle — so you can plan your trip around wherever you're headed. We cover the big-name resort courses, the best public golf courses in Florida that anyone can walk up and play, and the hidden gems that even locals sometimes overlook.

Whether you're a snowbird escaping February in Michigan, a golf trip crew looking for your next destination, or a Florida resident who's tired of playing the same three courses — this one's for you.

South Florida: Where the Golf Scene Runs Deep

South Florida is the glamour region of Florida golf. From Miami up through Palm Beach, you'll find courses designed by legends, views that hit different, and — yeah — prices that can climb in peak season. But there are genuine values here too if you know where to look.

The Park West Palm Beach

Location: West Palm Beach  |  Green Fees: $55–$150  |  Best For: Everyone — seriously everyone

The Park is the most exciting thing to happen to public golf in Florida in years. Built on the bones of the old West Palm Beach Municipal Golf Course, this Gil Hanse redesign opened in 2023 with Tiger Woods showing up for the grand opening (always a good sign). It's a walking-friendly, minimalist design that plays firm and fast — more like a links course than a typical Florida track. The green fees are shockingly reasonable for what you get. If you play one public course in South Florida, make it this one.

Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne

Location: Key Biscayne, Miami  |  Green Fees: $60–$200  |  Best For: Golfers who want a stunning setting

Ten minutes from downtown Miami but it feels like another world. Crandon is surrounded by water and mangroves on the edge of Biscayne Bay, with views that make you forget you're hacking it around in 85-degree heat. This course hosted PGA Tour Champions events for 18 years and reopened in 2025 after a $5 million renovation. The back nine along the water is special.

Trump National Doral — Blue Monster

Location: Doral, Miami  |  Green Fees: $200–$395  |  Best For: Bucket-list seekers and resort golfers

The Blue Monster at Doral is one of the most famous courses in Florida. Gil Hanse redesigned it in 2014, and the result is a challenging, dramatic layout that hosted PGA Tour events for decades. The closing stretch — especially the 18th with its massive water carry — is pure theater. Peak season rates are steep, but summer deals drop significantly.

PGA Golf Club

Location: Port St. Lucie  |  Green Fees: $50–$150  |  Best For: Groups and value seekers

Three completely different 18-hole courses (Dye, Ryder, and Wanamaker) at a facility run by the PGA of America itself. The Dye Course is the headliner — a Tom Fazio/Bobby Weed collaboration with teeth — but all three are well-maintained and offer tremendous variety. One of the best values in South Florida golf.

Palm Beach Par 3

Location: Palm Beach  |  Green Fees: $30–$65  |  Best For: Casual rounds and short-game sharpening

Sitting right on Palm Beach island with views of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, this Dick Wilson design (opened in 1961) is a legitimate test of your short game in one of the most beautiful settings in the state. Perfect for a quick afternoon round or warming up before a bigger day.

Osprey Point Golf Course

Location: Boca Raton  |  Green Fees: $35–$75  |  Best For: Eco-conscious golfers and wildlife lovers

Florida's first golf course to earn Audubon International Classic Sanctuary designation. This Palm Beach County municipal course winds through wetland preserves, and you'll see more birds, turtles, and gators than other golfers. It's a genuinely unique experience — peaceful, pretty, and affordable.

Miami Springs Golf Club

Location: Miami Springs  |  Green Fees: $30–$60  |  Best For: History buffs and locals

Opened in 1923, this is one of the oldest golf clubs in South Florida. Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson played tournaments here back in the day. It's not fancy — it's an old-school muni with character. A genuine hidden gem in a city known for flash.

Central Florida: The Heart of Florida Golf

Central Florida is where you'll find some of the biggest names in Florida golf, from Streamsong's remote desert-scape to the PGA Tour's backyard courses near Orlando. This region has everything from world-class resorts to killer value tracks.

Streamsong Resort (Red, Blue, and Black)

Location: Bowling Green (between Tampa and Orlando)  |  Green Fees: $125–$370  |  Best For: Serious golfers making a pilgrimage

Streamsong is the real deal. Built on a former phosphate mine in the middle of nowhere, this resort features three jaw-dropping courses: Red (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw), Blue (Tom Doak), and Black (Gil Hanse). Each one is ranked among the best public courses in the country. The terrain looks nothing like typical Florida — it's rolling, sandy, and plays more like Scotland than the Sunshine State. If you only make one golf trip in Florida, Streamsong should be at the top of your list.

Bay Hill Club & Lodge

Location: Orlando  |  Green Fees: $250–$450 (resort guests)  |  Best For: Arnold Palmer fans and PGA Tour enthusiasts

Arnold Palmer's home course. Bay Hill hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational every year and the course — a Dick Wilson original that Palmer himself redesigned — is in impeccable shape. You need to be a resort guest to play, but the lodge is comfortable and the experience is bucket-list caliber.

Hammock Beach Resort (Ocean Course and Conservatory)

Location: Palm Coast  |  Green Fees: $100–$250  |  Best For: Resort golfers who want ocean views

Two Golf Digest Editors' Choice courses at one resort. The Ocean Course (Jack Nicklaus design) gives you six holes along the Atlantic — a rarity in Florida. The Conservatory (Tom Watson design) is an inland links-style layout with pot bunkers and firm conditions. Together they're one of the best two-course combos in the state.

Victoria Hills Golf Club

Location: DeLand  |  Green Fees: $40–$90  |  Best For: Golfers who want elevation changes (in Florida!)

Wait — rolling hills in Florida? Victoria Hills is a Ron Garl design that looks more like West Virginia than central Florida. Elevated tees, Augusta-style pines, oak hammocks, and actual topography. About 35 minutes from Orlando and completely off the beaten path.

World Woods Golf Club

Location: Brooksville  |  Green Fees: $40–$90  |  Best For: Architecture nerds and Pine Valley dreamers

World Woods features two Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole courses — Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks — and Pine Barrens is widely considered one of the best public courses in the country. It's modeled after New Jersey's Pine Valley, with sandy waste areas, dramatic bunkering, and a layout that demands strategy. The green fees are laughably low for what you get.

Dunedin Golf Club

Location: Dunedin (near Clearwater)  |  Green Fees: $50–$140  |  Best For: Golf history lovers

A recently restored Donald Ross original. Dunedin Golf Club has been around since the 1920s, and the restoration brought back Ross's original green contours and bunker placements. At well under half the price of nearby private clubs, this is one of the best value plays on the Gulf Coast.

Deer Island Golf Club

Location: Tavares (near Orlando)  |  Green Fees: $50–$95  |  Best For: Value hunters looking for top-50 quality

Deer Island has cracked the U.S. Top 50 public course rankings multiple times — insane for a course that rarely costs triple digits. It's a Joe Lee design with rolling terrain, water on nearly every hole, and greens that will test your putting. One of the best-kept secrets near Orlando.

North Florida and the Panhandle: Where Golf History Lives

North Florida doesn't get the attention that South and Central Florida do, but it absolutely should. The Jacksonville/Ponte Vedra area is the spiritual home of professional golf — the PGA Tour and The Players Championship are based here.

TPC Sawgrass — Stadium Course

Location: Ponte Vedra Beach  |  Green Fees: $550–$750  |  Best For: Bucket-list golfers who want to take on the Island Green

Yes, it's expensive. But this is the home of The Players Championship and one of the most recognizable courses on the planet. Pete Dye designed the Stadium Course with the famous Island Green on 17 — every bit as intimidating in person as it looks on TV. If you've dreamed about standing on that 17th tee, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass

Location: Ponte Vedra Beach  |  Green Fees: $200–$350  |  Best For: The TPC experience without the Stadium price tag

Often overshadowed by its famous sibling, the Valley Course was designed by Pete Dye and Bobby Weed and is an excellent course in its own right. Narrower and more tree-lined than the Stadium Course, it rewards accuracy over power.

World Golf Village — King & Bear and Slammer & Squire

Location: St. Augustine  |  Green Fees: $60–$150  |  Best For: Golf historians and families

King & Bear is the only course co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus — two legends who never collaborated on anything else. Slammer & Squire (named for Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen) is a Bobby Weed design with a more traditional Florida feel.

Amelia Island — Oak Marsh

Location: Amelia Island  |  Green Fees: $80–$180  |  Best For: Pete Dye fans and resort golfers

A Pete Dye design from 1972, featuring tight fairways, small greens, salt marsh creeks, and moss-draped heritage oaks that make it feel like a different state entirely. Beau Welling updated the course in 2025, sharpening it up without losing the character.

Camp Creek Golf Club

Location: Panama City Beach  |  Green Fees: $100–$200  |  Best For: Panhandle vacationers

Tom Fazio designed Camp Creek, and it's widely considered the best course on the Panhandle. Set among towering pines and natural dunes, it's a resort course that feels like a private club. If you're doing a 30A or Destin beach trip, this is the course to play.

Sandridge Golf Club — The Dunes Course

Location: Vero Beach  |  Green Fees: $25–$55  |  Best For: Budget golfers who still want quality

A municipal course with conditions that embarrass some private clubs. The Dunes Course at Sandridge is consistently ranked among the best municipal courses in Florida, with rolling terrain, strategic bunkering, and green fees that max out under $55.

Best Value Golf Courses in Florida

If you want great golf without torching your wallet, these courses deliver the best bang for your buck:

• The Park West Palm Beach — Gil Hanse design, walking-friendly, $55–$150. The best value in Florida golf right now.
• World Woods (Pine Barrens) — Tom Fazio's masterpiece for under $90. Borders on criminal how affordable this is.
• Sandridge Golf Club — Municipal course, immaculate conditions, under $55. Vero Beach's best-kept secret.
• PGA Golf Club — Three courses, PGA of America pedigree, $50–$150.
• Osprey Point — Audubon Sanctuary course, under $75. Golf and wildlife in Boca Raton.

Best Resort Golf Courses in Florida

Planning a full golf resort trip? These are the ones worth booking your stay around:

• Streamsong Resort — Three courses, remote location, all-in golf experience. The best pure golf resort in Florida.
• Bay Hill Club & Lodge — Arnold Palmer's legacy, PGA Tour venue, classic Orlando resort golf.
• Hammock Beach Resort — Ocean views plus a links-style inland course. Two distinct 18s at one property.
• TPC Sawgrass (Sawgrass Marriott) — The Island Green, the Valley Course, and full resort amenities.
• Amelia Island (Omni Resort) — Pete Dye design, beach town setting, recently refreshed.
• Camp Creek (WaterColor Inn) — Tom Fazio Panhandle beauty paired with 30A beach life.

Hidden Gems: Florida Courses You Haven't Heard Of (But Should)

• World Woods (Pine Barrens) — Brooksville. Tom Fazio's Pine Valley tribute. Arguably the most underrated course in the state.
• Victoria Hills — DeLand. Rolling hills and elevation changes that defy Florida geography.
• Dunedin Golf Club — Dunedin. Restored Donald Ross. Golf history for a fraction of the cost.
• Miami Springs — Miami Springs. Nearly 100 years old, no pretense, great golf.
• Deer Island — Tavares. Top-50 quality near Orlando that somehow flies under the radar.

Tips for Visiting Golfers in Florida

Time your trip right. Peak season (December through April) means the best weather but the highest prices. May and early June offer great conditions at 30–50% lower rates. Summer is hot and humid, but you'll practically have courses to yourself.

Book morning tee times. Florida afternoons can bring thunderstorms in any season. Morning rounds mean better weather and better pace.

Hydrate like your life depends on it. Florida heat and humidity are no joke, even in "winter." Bring water, sunscreen, and a hat.

Ask about twilight rates. Many Florida courses offer heavily discounted twilight rates starting around 1:00–2:00 PM. In summer, you can easily get 18 in at twilight and save 40% or more.

Don't overlook municipal courses. Florida's munis punch way above their weight. Sandridge, The Park, Osprey Point, and Miami Springs all prove that "municipal" doesn't mean "mediocre."

Factor in GPS. A good rangefinder changes the game on unfamiliar courses — especially in Florida where water hazards hide behind mounding and bunkers lurk in blind spots. Knowing your exact yardage to carries and pins takes the guesswork out.