A Guide to Year Round Golf in Florida
What most golfers picture when they think of Florida golf, TPC Sawgrass, PGA National, the Pete Dye resort tracks, is not what defines Florida at its best in 2026.
Two destinations have changed the conversation entirely. Streamsong Resort, built on a reclaimed phosphate mine in central Florida, opened in 2012 and immediately proved that genuinely elite golf architecture was possible in the flat, featureless Florida landscape. Cabot Citrus Farms, which opened in early 2025 on rolling citrus farm terrain near Brooksville, proved it could happen twice. These are not just good Florida courses. They are courses that belong in any serious national ranking.
This guide covers both destinations in depth, plus the other Florida names worth knowing, and everything you need to plan the trip: when to go, how to get there, and how to pair multiple stops into a single Florida loop.
Streamsong Resort
Streamsong sits on 16,000 acres near Bowling Green, roughly 90 minutes south of Tampa and two hours southwest of Orlando. The land was mined for phosphate for decades, and when the mining stopped it left behind an extraordinary landscape: massive sandy waste areas, dramatic elevation changes by Florida standards, exposed ridgelines, and natural lakes scattered across the property. Three golf course architects were given parcels of this land and told to build the best course they could. The results are among the best public golf experiences in the United States.
Streamsong Red, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is the course that put the resort on the national map when it opened in 2012. Coore and Crenshaw are the architects of Bandon Trails, Sand Hills, and Friar's Head, and their philosophy is minimal intervention with the land. At Streamsong Red, that approach produced wide fairways with enormous sandy waste areas framing every hole, massive green complexes that allow multiple lines of attack, and a routing that feels completely unlike any other Florida golf. There are no palm trees, no water hazards forced into the design for visual effect, no Florida resort clichés. Golf Digest and Golf Magazine both rank it among the top 25 public courses in the country.
Streamsong Blue, designed by Tom Doak, plays harder than the Red. Doak's target areas are smaller, his green complexes more demanding, and his routing requires more accurate ball-striking to score. Golfers who want to be tested will find the Blue more satisfying. Golfers who want to enjoy the landscape and move freely around the course will have more fun on the Red.
Streamsong Black, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner and opened in 2017, is built on the most dramatic terrain on the property. The back nine runs along an exposed ridge overlooking the phosphate pits, with views that are genuinely spectacular by any standard, not just by Florida standards. Hanse built a course that uses that drama: long carries over waste areas, exposed green sites, and a finish that is as memorable as anything in the state.
The on-site experience matches the golf. The Lodge at Streamsong is a modern lakeside property with good rooms, an excellent bar and restaurant, a spa, and two separate clubhouses serving the courses. There is no destination town outside the resort gates, which is fine, and in some ways a feature. Groups that want to focus entirely on golf will find Streamsong ideal. Day guests are welcome but must book within a 30-day window.
Pricing (2026): Resort guest green fees run $375/round during peak season (January 15 through April 30 and October through December). Shoulder season rates (May 1 through May 22 and September 15 through September 30) drop to $265. Summer rates (June through mid-September) fall to $150-$220. Cart fees are an additional $35 per player, and caddies are available (single bag: $120 plus gratuity; group caddie with cart: $45 per player plus gratuity). A realistic three-day stay covering three rounds runs $1,400-$2,000 per person during peak season including lodging, and meaningfully less in shoulder season.
Streamsong is best for architecture enthusiasts, walking golfers, and groups who want to play three genuinely different high-quality courses at one resort. The sweet spot for value and conditions is April, when rates drop from peak pricing but course conditions remain excellent and morning temperatures are comfortable. Read the full Streamsong review on GTI.
Cabot Citrus Farms
Cabot Citrus Farms opened in January 2025, making it the newest major golf destination in Florida and the first U.S. property in the Cabot Collection, the brand behind Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia and Cabot Saint Lucia. The resort sits near Brooksville, about 60 miles north of Tampa off the Suncoast Parkway, on 1,200 acres of former citrus farm land.
The land is the story. Florida does not have mountain terrain or dramatic coastal topography, but the citrus farm region north of Tampa offers something rare in the state: actual elevation change, rolling terrain, and the sandy, well-draining soil that produces great turf and allows course designers to build features that hold their shape. The architects who worked at Cabot Citrus Farms found the best piece of ground available in Florida and built on it.
The two main 18-hole courses are Karoo, designed by Kyle Franz, and Roost, a collaboration between Franz, Ran Morrissett, Rod Whitman, and Mike Nuzzo. Karoo features wide Bermuda fairways, extensive waste area bunkering, and severely undulating green complexes that reward local knowledge on repeat visits. Golf Magazine ranks it No. 32 on its list of the top 100 public courses in the U.S., a remarkable ranking for a course that opened its doors less than two years ago. Roost is slightly more conventional in design but plays through open meadows bordered by moss-draped oaks and includes one of the more unusual hole features in American golf: a genuine 40-foot Florida sinkhole integrated into the routing. The resort also offers The Squeeze, a 10-hole short course, and The Wedge, an 11-hole par-3 course with night lighting for evening play.
Cabot brings the same brand standards to Florida that define their other properties: immaculate course conditioning, a structured caddie program (forecaddie: $35 base plus minimum $40 gratuity; bag carrier caddie: $75 base plus minimum $80 gratuity), quality lodging, and the kind of hospitality operation that makes a multi-day stay feel effortless. Accommodations start at $1,250 per night during peak season.
Pricing (2026): Karoo and Roost run $330/round for resort guests during peak season (January 16 through April 19). Day guest rates range from $165 (Sunday through Thursday) to $197.50 (Friday and Saturday) during peak season. Spring season rates (April 20 through May 31) step down to $137.50-$165. Summer rates drop further. The Squeeze short course runs $95-$60 depending on season. A three-day peak-season stay at Cabot with two rounds on the main courses runs $2,000-$2,500 per person all in.
Cabot Citrus Farms is best for golfers who want the full Cabot brand experience without traveling to Cape Breton or the Caribbean, groups who prioritize course quality and service over value, and anyone interested in what Florida golf looks like when it is done at the highest level. The resort is walking-only from November through early March, which is actually the best time to visit both for conditions and the traditional golf experience. See the full Cabot Citrus Farms guide on GTI.
Other Notable Florida Golf Destinations
TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, just south of Jacksonville, is the home of THE PLAYERS Championship and the most recognizable course in Florida. The 17th hole, a short par 3 playing over water to an island green, is the most photographed hole in American golf. The Stadium Course is accessible to daily fee players when not in tournament use, booked through the Marriott at Sawgrass. It is worth playing once for the bucket list and the experience of a Tour venue. It is not one of the architecturally elite courses in the state, but the setting and the tournament history give it weight. Plan your TPC Sawgrass trip on GTI.
Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, 30 miles northwest of Tampa, hosts the Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course each spring. The resort has four courses, strong lodging and amenity infrastructure, and genuinely good golf at significantly lower price points than Streamsong or Cabot. For groups that want a full resort experience with multiple rounds, family amenities, and good food without the premium pricing of the top-tier destinations, Innisbrook is the right answer. Explore the Innisbrook golf trip on GTI.
PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens hosts the Honda Classic on the Champion Course. The Bear Trap, holes 15 through 17, is one of the most demanding stretches of holes on Tour. A resort stay provides access to the Champion Course and four additional layouts. Classic South Florida resort experience with strong amenity infrastructure.
World Golf Village near St. Augustine offers a more affordable multi-round experience with several courses in close proximity to the Historic District. Good option for groups focused on volume play at lower price points, or for combining golf with the cultural and culinary attractions of St. Augustine.
How to Plan Your Florida Golf Trip
The ideal window is November through March. Temperatures are mild, humidity is manageable, and the courses are in peak condition. April extends the season with slightly warmer days but still comfortable morning tee times, and pricing at most resorts drops meaningfully from peak rates. Avoid June through September: afternoon heat regularly reaches the mid-90s, afternoon thunderstorms shut courses down several days per week, and the conditions are simply not what you traveled for.
For flights, Tampa (TPA) is the hub for central Florida golf. Streamsong is 90 minutes south of Tampa, and Cabot Citrus Farms is 60 miles north, making TPA the right airport for both. Orlando (MCO) works for Streamsong at a two-hour drive. Jacksonville (JAX) is the right airport for TPC Sawgrass and World Golf Village.
The Florida loop is worth planning specifically: Streamsong and Cabot Citrus Farms are about two hours apart on Florida's west coast corridor. A five or six day trip covering both destinations gives you five elite courses (Red, Blue, Black, Karoo, Roost) across two stops, with a transfer day between properties. This is one of the better multi-destination golf itineraries available in the continental U.S. for groups who want course quality without international travel logistics.
April shoulder season at Streamsong deserves a specific note. The $375 peak rate drops to $265 in early May, and conditions at that time of year are still excellent. Starting times before 9 a.m. make even April comfortable for walking golfers. For groups with flexibility on dates, an April Streamsong trip represents the best price-to-quality ratio in the state.
For more on building a golf trip from scratch, see how to plan a golf trip. And if you are comparing Florida to other destinations, best golf trips in North Carolina is worth reading for the contrast.
Florida is the most accessible year-round golf state in the country, and Streamsong proves that genuinely great architecture is available here. Start there. Come back for Cabot Citrus Farms. Layer in Sawgrass for the bucket list round you can tell the story about. Browse all GTI trip rankings to see how Florida stacks up nationally.