hi all,
a little while back i posted a question on the viabilty of taking a golf trip in january. well, that's now turned into february but i've narrowed down the details with the exception of 1 round.
i plan on getting in 3 rounds.

1 round i decided early that i'm going to play OCN panther lake based on many suggestions.

the other round i wanted to be in the "good value" range (i know at this time of year in florida the term "value" is a bit of an oxymoron when it pertains to golf) and that is going to be harmony preserve.

and the final round is gonna be my sort of "upper tier" round. early on, i pretty much decided on championsgate international, but have since been doubting that decision due to a few people giving me lukewarm reviews of the course and have been told i'm better off spending my money elsewhere. what i'll be paying for championsgate is pretty much my limit as far as i'm willing to spend (which i believe is ~ $140 booked through golforlando.com).

what i'm asking now is, for those of you locals or those who've taken this trip before, what would you recommend over championsgate?
here are some options i'm playing with right now, but i'm open to other suggestions: grand cypress new, falcon's fire, shingle creek, eagle creek, celebration, and southern dunes. courses like ginn are pretty much out of my range.

your help is much appreciated.

I just got back from Orlando and played Harmony, both OCN courses, Mystic Dunes, and Mission Inn El Campeon. Previously, I've played 15-20 others in Orlando. First, you need to be aware that OCN and Harmony are about 1 hour away from each other. If you're staying at OCN, you should play OCN Crooked Cat. It's almost as good as Panther Lake. Both courses at Grand Cypress are great. Southern Dunes is very good, but has lots of houses. Falcon's Fire is very nice but not very challenging. Both Championsgate courses are flat and mediocre. Celebration is too tight. You can't hit driver off alot of tees, even from the tips. Even though I haven't played it, from what I've heard, I'd play Eagle Creek if I were you, but that's only because I've played both courses at Grand Cypress. Make sure you allow time to eat at Harmony, the chicken sandwich is awesome.

Being a local I don’t play the upper tier that often, but I have played most of them from time to time in a tourney or charity event and you might want to consider shingle creek, its both fun and challenging.

Southern Dunes....in Haynes City, about twenty minutes outside Orlando, in my opinion is one of the nest courses I have ever played. I always hit up that track at least once when I go down their.

I've played Championsgate International a few times, and I'm lukewarm on it, too. The Grand Cypress courses are excellent, and it's a top notch facility. IMO, any course there would be a good choice. Keep in mind that the 'New Course' is a links style track, with double greens. The North, South, and East are more traditional, but with interest. All are Nicklaus designs. I will second your choice of OCN, either course.

Watch out for the I-4 pile-ups which can happen for no apparent reason ! Anybody play Zach's home course Timacuan in Lake Mary ?

Orange County National

Grand Cypress New, mainly because it is a pretty unique experience for a Florida course. It is Jack's tribute to the Old Course at St. Andrews, with the holes being as reasonable a copy as you can get with Florida terrain.

i greatly appreciate everyone's responses. but i was thrown a curveball option and decided to run with it. i'm sure most guys here would have agreed that it would be the best option...if i was willing to drive, and i decided i am.

so i decided to take the 1.5 hr drive and play 36 at world woods.
so my itinerary looks like this: 1st day - harmony, 2nd - 36 at WW, 3rd day off, last day - ocn panther lake. what do you guys think?

You cant go wrong with those choices. Shingle is your typical resort course, some water, not very challenging. Champions Gate is a tough course, but I liked it because I was playing well at the time. I havent been there in probably 4 or 5 months so I would check on the seeding, arietion of the greens, its about time for that. Grand Cypress is very nice. To be honest there are a ton of solid courses, its all about what you like. I didnt like Southern Dunes, but it was just playing rediculous the day I played. Timacuan is very nice, very tough- where Zach Johnson plays out of.

You can't go wrong with your choices, but with regard to logistics (assuming you're staying between OCN and WW) , you are going way out of your way to include Harmony. It's great, but not really any better than Crooked Cat at OCN. Harmony and WW have to be more than 1.5 hours away from each other. That said, as long as you allow enough driving time, you've picked some great courses. I've played all on your list except Pine Barrens in the last several months. They all have impressive elevation changes for Florida with the exception of Harmony, although Harmony will be in the best condition.

You made good choices. Orange County National Panther is a must! Crooked Cat is pretty good but option but I understand why you want to try other courses/resorts.

I like Champions Gate. I don't like Falcons Fire or Grand Cypress. I think both those resort courses are easy and over priced considering the other courses in the area. Mystic Dunes is nice and challenging, but the greens are gimmicky...but it's a memorable experience.

If you want a good course cheap, play Stoney Brook West...great greens.

-Steve

Does anyone have any opinion on the Ritz Carlton Golf Club? We are considering playing there while in Orlando next week. Trying to decide between that, Harmony Preserve and Championsgate National. Thanks for any help.

Kirk