The Best Golf Courses in Florida for a Buddies Trip (Ranked)

1. 1

   Streamsong — Red Course

   Streamsong · Bucket-list

   Coore & Crenshaw’s links masterpiece on reclaimed sand dunes — firm, fast, walkable, and unlike anything else in Florida. Routinely rated among the best public courses in the country, and the headline round of any Streamsong trip.

2. 2

   Streamsong — Blue Course

   Streamsong · Tom Doak

   Tom Doak’s bold, big-scale take on the same wild dunescape, sharing a clubhouse with the Red. Dramatic green sites and long views — pick your favorite of the two over a beer afterward.

3. 3

   Streamsong — Black Course

   Streamsong · Gil Hanse

   Gil Hanse’s sprawling, muscular third course with enormous greens and a wide-open feel. Completes a three-course set that few resorts in America can match.

4. 4

   Tiburón — Gold Course (Naples)

   Naples · Upscale marquee

   A Greg Norman design at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort that hosts LPGA and PGA Tour events. Polished, palm-lined, and the standout round on the upscale southwest coast.

5. 5

   Reunion Resort — courses (Orlando)

   Orlando · Variety hub

   Three championship courses — by Palmer, Watson, and Nicklaus — on one resort near the parks. The easiest way to get marquee-designer variety and group lodging in one Orlando base.

6. 6

   Grande Lakes / Ritz-Carlton Orlando

   Orlando · Resort polish

   A lush, well-conditioned Greg Norman course attached to a top resort, minutes from the airport and the parks. A reliable, high-service round for an Orlando-based group.

7. 7

   Streamsong — The Roundabout (short course)

   Streamsong · Pure fun

   A reversible short course and the Gauntlet putting green round out Streamsong — the perfect way to end a 36-hole day with wedges, putts, and beers.

Florida golf for a buddies trip splits cleanly: the links-style bucket-list of Streamsong, the resort variety of Orlando, and the upscale Gulf-coast scene around Naples. The ranking below leans into Streamsong (it’s the destination most worth building a trip around) while flagging the best of the other two hubs.

How to sequence them

At Streamsong: play the Red and Blue as a two-a-day from the shared clubhouse, make whichever stole your heart the marquee replay, fit in the Black, and close on the short course at sunset.

In Orlando: spread rounds across resort courses (Reunion’s trio, Grande Lakes), and use afternoons and evenings for dinners, nightlife, or a park day.

In Naples: a relaxed round-a-day pace built around Tiburón and the upscale resorts, with the beach in between.

A word on cost

Streamsong is a premium, links-resort splurge; Orlando spans every price point; Naples skews upscale and seasonal. That range is exactly why we build each trip backwards from your budget — matching the hub, the courses, and the round count to your group’s number.

Want the right Florida hub and the rounds locked without the research? Tell us about your group.

Frequently asked

What is the best golf course in Florida?

For a buddies trip, the Streamsong Red Course (Coore & Crenshaw) is the standout — a links-style design routinely ranked among the best public courses in the United States. Its siblings, the Blue (Tom Doak) and Black (Gil Hanse), are nearly as celebrated.

Where is the best place to golf in Florida with a group?

Streamsong, between Tampa and Orlando, is the top pure-golf pick with three world-class links courses. Orlando offers the widest resort-golf variety plus nightlife and parks, and Naples (Tiburón and others) is the upscale southwest-coast option.

Is Streamsong walkable?

Yes — Streamsong is built for walking, with caddies and push carts available, which is part of why it feels so different from typical Florida cart golf. Carts are available too if your group prefers them.