Southern Dunes Golf & Country Club

Our group of 8 golfers has played Southern Dunes many times over the past years on an annual golf trip to Orlando area. We all thought the course was in excellent condition for our outing on February 23, 2025. Practice facilities were very good, and the staff was friendly. At bit pricey for a weekend round, but worth it.

I have been playing golf in Florida in the winter for 30 years and have played southern dunes over 20 times. I can't believe the price to play this so called public course. No way is it or any public golf course in Florida worth 190.00 US. Very disappointed. Go private and put us out of our misery. I will certainly miss the course as it is top notch but my salary hasn't gone up 400% in the last 4 years like the rates have at this course and others.

Should have played Grand Cypress!! Had the choice, but I read reviews saying this course was worth it. Don't believe it. Pay the extra hundred and play grand Cypress...Southern Dunes has no marshall to be seen and back was backed up 2 groups every hole.. the starter voiced his political views very belligerently. Just not what I expected from reading reviews. Course was ok....but sanded greens were a little slow....plus the maintenance workers turning on their equipment during our swings was a little unprofessional. Just overall....this is a $75 course at best from what I experienced.

I have played this course several times through the years, and it has always been a favorite of mine in the Orlando area. So, I was very disappointed to play a 5-hour round where we finished in absolute darkness. We teed off at 1:10 pm and waited on the very first hole and on every hole. As we stood on the tee of a couple of par 5's, there were four groups on the hole including us on the tee and a group on the green. I have never run into this before at Southern Dunes, so I assume they have shortened the tee time spacing so that they can jam more golfers on the course and increase their revenue. Totally inconsiderate of the people who come and pay to play there. The problem is all those huge sand traps. Players get in them, and it takes time to walk to the ball, hit, then rake the long walk back to the grass. The traps are great and are a great feature of this course, but no one wants to play a 5-hour round. It would be a big help just to move to 10 minutes between tee times. I hope they will consider it. Oh, I almost forgot, our 1:10 group was the last to finish on 18 (in the dark) at 6:20 pm.

Very cool golf course with an unusual layout for Florida. Giant sand dunes strategically placed to create many challenging shots. Great elevation changes. Plays through a neighborhood…. A little more signage would be helpful. It’s a gated community. Be sure to ask at the guard house directions to the club house ..we had a very tough time finding it because there are literally no signs in the neighborhood when you pull in telling you where to go. We literally had to ask a guy taking his trash out how to get to the clubhouse. Once we finally got there the course was wonderful.

This course doesn’t get enough reviews. It needs to.
I play here about once a month, year round. It continues to be one of the best maintained courses around Central Florida. Just beautiful shape every time. Wonderful facility including Trackman Range, restaurant/bar area, and the course itself. Best bang for the buck for just about the entire year. Every year. If you haven’t played it, do so! If you have played it, you will want to go back. Just don’t think it’ll be easy. Tough to score on but beautiful conditions. Do it!

Nice course, no towels, no drinkable water on the course, toilets smelled like out outhouses

The only down side of Southern Dunes GC is its geographic location. It's located roughly 9 miles east of I-4 on Route 27 south of Orlando. Unfortunately, the traffic on I-4 is horrendous & nearly as bad on that portion of Rte 27. That said, Southern Dunes is a wonderful course. I've played most courses in Central Florida over the past 9 years & I've found none better. The layout is challenging and the course is immaculate including the 150+ bunkers. Be prepared to use every club in your bag. After golf you must visit the club's restaurant for a nice meal. Pre-golf warmup facilities are excellent too. The course is pricey but definitely worth it. Beginners maybe skip this one.

Wow, being from the Philly area I felt right at home. This is totally not your typical Florida course. There are many elevation changes, the likes of which I haven’t seen in Florida before. This was easily the best of the courses I played around Orlando and was also a good bit cheaper as well. This probably moved into my top 10 anywhere and it’s definitely my favorite that I’ve played around Orlando.

Top notch experience from conditions to staff. The layout is unlike anything I have played in Florida and is totally worth the trip if you are in the Orlando area. I would certainly play again.

The course conditions at Southern Dunes are amazing. Grasses were cut, greens were in great condition, and the many, many bunkers were raked and clean. The course is definitely challenging, in part to the bunkers but also the pin placement - all seemed to be in tough locations guarded by bunkers or near an edge. It was a fun challenge if you can stay out of the sand.

I would give Southern Dunes a 5 star rating, but the we had a number of negative interactions with the staff that would make me reconsider recommending it to others. The restaurant was very slow and rude - it took our first group 20 minutes to get hot dogs, and when they finally got them they were chewed out by the starter for taking too long, even though no other groups were held up. Our second group was also chewed out by the starter for slow pace of play (my group was behind them and finished in under 5 hours). Even when we called ahead for food on hole 8, the bartender was rude about splitting the bill and getting us drinks. Fortunately the beverage cart was coming around regularly and she was great.

I would play here again because the course was in such great shape, but would avoid the restaurant. If I'm paying $12 for a hot dog at a course that cost $130 I don't need to get yelled at too.

Played 10/11, 13, & 16, 2022. Lots of large bunkers, hence the “Dunes.” name. Enjoyed the Gold tees much more than Whites. Earlier rounds played in less than 3 1/2 hours, but weekend round took more than four. Greens very fast, especially for the many contours on them. Expect some three puts, maybe four! Only minor complaint is that the flagsticks don’t seem to match up well with the cup receptacle: flagstick not seating well and not standing straight in the holes.
Course is very difficult because of the many bunkers (large) and speedy contoured greens. Price is right though.

Southern Dunes is a quality course, and one of the best in the area west of Orlando. Tees are excellent and greens are well presented, if a bit slower than they look, unless you’re the wrong side of the flag. Speed of play was lethargic at best, and would be improved if they had a course Marshall or two.
There are, I understand, 180 or more sand traps - if only they had enough rakes! They surely don’t cost a lot. They are sadly lacking, resulting in many, many unraked areas with footprints galore.

We had booked two separate tee times but due to travel issues two friends were unable to make it on time. The pro shop was accommodating and we did not have to pay for them which was much appreciated and immediately gave us a great feeling about the club’s sense of hospitality. Starter was very friendly and informative too.

I believe there are 183 sand traps but the number alone doesn’t do justice. They are typically very expansive also and you will get to use them.

We found greens slower than we expected perhaps due to recent sand but they rolled true. The course certainly looked in great shape and as a fan of links golf I enjoyed the opportunity to bump and run using the course’s contours on many occasions. With 20mph two club winds the course was challenging but fair and you can see the holes laid out in front of you which I personally appreciate relative to blind hazards. Shot my index from the blues which speaks to playability for a first time round.

Pace of play was four and a quarter hours for our fourball, we had no one in front and one group got close on the final holes.

We are playing three other courses near Orlando in the next few days, this has set a high bar already! Appreciated the warm welcome and look forward to playing Southern Dunes again.

Played this with 7 other buddies. We were all completely blown away from very beginning to end. Every hole was beautiful. Every aspect of the course blew expectations away- and we had high expectations!! Felt more like a high end WI country club then a busy typical FL track. Drinks also much cheaper then the resort courses we played. Favorite Orlando course to date.

First, the course. Greens were fantastic! Fairways quite good for this time of year and the rough was think.

It is really important that players select the right tees in order to enjoys the round.

Now the bad....we spent all day with the group behind us on the tee boxes with us. They obviously didn't see the group right in front of us as they continually hit into us.

Group in front played most of the day with a full hole open in front of them, nobody there to get them moving and they just didn't care. We were just under 5 hours!!!

Can't say I would go back if this is the normal pace of play. Lots of great golf in the area without having the round take 5 hours!!!

First off, WOW. As you pull into the community you can see just how green and lush the course is. Clubhouse/pro shop were super nice and friendly, answered all my questions with no issues. Once I went to the first tee, the starter gave us a quick breakdown of the local rules and what the green speeds were. They were rolling 11.5!!!! It was a challenge to get the downhill putts to stop hahaha. Along with the speed, they were in pristine shape. If you hit your putt good, it was ruling true to that line.

The layout of the course was challenging for some holes, but there are holes where you can have some good looks for birdie. There are 180+ bunkers on the course, so you will be in one lol. Local rule allows you to lift, clean, and place in them, so it was pretty easy to escape them. Despite being tucked into a neighborhood, the fairways were relatively wide, so there is plenty of room to hit driver on most holes.

I will be returning to this course. 10/10

This is a nice course, but during this pandemic they are making people ride together. This is outrageous at this time, they are just trying to get an extra $10 for riding by yourself. I suggest waiting until summer to play here. Your life isn't worth it.

Great course. Excellant conditions. Defintely target golf. If you miss your spot, you'll be in a bunker. Fairly wide fairways and large greens.....but not flat. It was a fun but challenging round. Well worth playing. Looking forward to returning.