central Central For all that goes on in the middle of the state, golf more than holds its own on the list of activities at the fi ngertips of visitors and residents alike. That speaks to the quality of the courses available, including well-known favorites and head-turning newcomers. Ocala Dunnellon 75 Sanford Winter Garden Orlando Clermont Lake Buena Vista 4 Kissimmee Haines City Lakeland Sebring Lake Placid Top-Ranked Courses Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Challenger/Champion Orlando “Arnie’s Place.” No other course in Florida is as closely associated with the game’s royalty as this one is to the late Arnold Palmer. “The King” purchased the property in 1976 and famously tweaked its design. With nine-hole links labeled Challenger, Champion and Charger, it's the fi rst two that make up the course played by the PGA TOUR pros each March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Greens were updated in time for the tournament’s 2016 edition, leaving those putting surfaces truer and faster. Finishing holes No. 17 and No. 18 both include a daunting water presence a nd challenge a golfer's judgment. PAR: 72, YARDS: 7,381 38 | OFFICIAL FLORIDA GOLF GUIDE of lf o Gu exic M Grand Cypress Resort, New Course Orlando Jack Nicklaus designed this course in 1988, following the build of the property's two other courses. The Golden Bear’s fi nal work here is the one that has solidifi ed its spot most fi rmly in the overflowing Orlando market. The idea was a tribute to the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, where Nicklaus won the fi nal two of his three Open Championships. The specifi c touches are what get it done–a pot bunker here or a stone bridge there, double greens and the sparse inclusion of trees throughout. It’s just as wide open as it sounds, with all the smiles of relief or wandering into trouble that can bring. PAR: 72, YARDS: 6,851
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