Mayfair Country Club, Sanford, FL

Although best known for its world-class theme parks such as Disney World and Universal Studios, the Orlando area is home to some of the best golf courses in the state of Florida, including one that hosts a PGA TOUR event every year. Many of these courses are accessible to the public and for the most part, they are in great shape and extremely playable year-round.

One area of Orlando that is often overlooked for golf is Seminole County, north and west of downtown. After a recent visit to the area and the opportunity to play both some public and private courses, I find that hard to believe. The topography of the land is not what you typically see in Florida – flat and boring; it has some roll and undulation to it – naturally! That can make for some interesting golf shots, especially the dreaded uneven lie.

Mayfair Country Club in Sanford is one of the oldest golf clubs in the area, dating back to 1922. It’s famous for being the site of Arnold Palmer’s first professional victory. There is a lot of speculation as to whether or not Mayfair is a Donald Ross design, the consensus seems to be that it is. Mayfair did host a professional tour event from 1958 to 1961 and attracted some of the top players of the day, including Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Don January, Doug Ford, Tony Lema, Moe Norman, and Gene Littler. The great Moe Norman has been quoted as saying that “Hole #7 was the best par 3 in Central Florida.” At only 6,403 yards from the back tees, Mayfair isn’t going to overwhelm a lot of players and for the most part, the fairways off the tee are generous. Where Mayfair gets tough is on the approach shots into small, sometimes crowned greens – another Ross trademark. You’re sure to enjoy your round out here. Numbers 2 & 12 are short par 5s if you’re playing from the back tees; 443 and 430 yards respectfully

These are just a few of the courses you can play in Seminole County; there are several more listed under the golf tab on their website. You’ll also find that the greens fees at the public-accessible courses tend to be considerably less than what you’ll find at courses out near the theme parks.

When you’re not on one of Seminole County’s fine golf courses, there is plenty to do in the area without hitting one of the nearby theme parks! Eat, drink, and shop in Historic Sanford, visit the Central Florida Zoo, go kayaking in search of manatees or just sit outside and soak up that Florida sun. Seminole County is flush with restaurants too, offering just about every cuisine imaginable.

For more information on the great golf opportunities and a lot of other activities in Seminole County, Florida, visit the tourism department’s website at www.doorlandonorth.com.

Difulcult but forgiving. Played recently, April 2013, the course is in very bad shape.

I was looking forward to playing this "old time" course where Snead played. We show up on time, at the box 1 min before our round. We have to wait 15 because they're backed up. On the 4th, the ranger tells us to hurry up. On the 5th, he tells us to play from the golds because we're slow. At that point, we are on track for a 3 hour 50 minute foursome round. We tell this to the ranger and he smugly says "the guys behind you play in the 70's and this is my yard so move it". I may not be a great golfer, but give me a break!
We finished the round in 3 hours 45 minutes, and his "yard" plays next to sewage treatment plants with horrendous cart paths and fairways. Looked like someone drove on some greens and peeled out. If you're gonna treat your non-members like crap, make this dump private. I'll be happy to play one of the numerous courses around that are much nicer and have better managed and maintained facilities.

I've played several courses in the area in the $15-$30 price range (Rolling Hills, Wekiva Springs, Magnolia Plantation, & Rock Springs Ridge) and this place is my favorite due to the beauty, condition, staff, and fun factor. The course is over 90 years old (see their website), designed by famous old-school designer Donald Ross, and it's much different than any courses in the area. It's a healthy mix of links-style with some trees and dog legs thrown in to make sure you don't forget you're in Florida. The course was very lush and green, even though it has been a little dry lately, which was a surprise. The way the holes are laid out, from tee to 200 yards is completely wide open, but then the trees start to ensure you're honest. So when you're standing on the tee box, you get to see the beautiful surrounding holes and don't have to worry about hitting down a tight tree-lined fairway like most courses. I also liked being able to see the other greens and golfers from most places on the course without feeling clustered at the same time; I get bored just looking at trees and houses on every hole, so this was a welcomed variation. While there's not a lot of water or OB, you still have to hit quality shots or you'll be playing from the trees or having to hit over/under them to get to the greens. There were some subtle elevation changes that also was a surprise; a blind tee shot over and down a hill was fun, as well as teeing off from on top of the hill a few holes later. If you're looking for a super-challenging course that's real long, look elsewhere but I rather enjoyed hitting shorter irons, bump and runs, and reaching par 5s in 2. The staff was also very friendly and even picked me up in a cart in the parking lot when I pulled in and told me a little bit about the course while we rode to the clubhouse. The only bad thing I can say is 2 holes had some sand on the greens, and some of the greens were a little bumpy giving some inconsistent rolls, but if you can get passed that then this course is a must while in Central Florida.

We played the course on 02/02/10 after 2 days of torrential rain. We'd heard some bad press on the place and were beginning to question our decision to play there. Being here on vacation from Binghamton NY however, we'd have been happy for anything without snow on it. We were pleasantly surprised at the conditioning of the course. The fairways and greens were better than anything we'd played up to this point on our trip (Magnolia Plantation, Dubsdread, Lake Orlando). There is alot of history on this course and it's worth reading on their website. Beautiful old oaks line some of the fairways and can block you out if you really spray it. There's a little water that comes into play in the way of forced carries, but for the most part, the course is devoid of any major hazards. The bunkers were clean and raked, and the greens were in nice shape (small to average size-and ALL elevated). The fairways appeared to have been overseeded and were fairly dense considering the time of year. Length is not this course's major defense, but a couple of the par 3's were in the 185 range from the white tees. The clubhouse had a bar/grille and the pro-shop had the basics. The only disappointment was the gas powered carts and lack of cart paths.