LPGA International delivers 36 Tour-conditioned holes at a rate the market doesn't justify by name recognition alone -- the Jones Course earned its conditioning standards through Tour competition history, and the price reflects the city's ownership model rather than a resort premium. Cypress Head and Victoria Hills are both legitimate courses that would carry more recognition in markets with more active golf tourism infrastructure. Daytona Beach works as a four-round trip because the golf holds up, not because the setting demands attention.
Courses included
The trip experience
Daytona Beach doesn't carry the prestige of the Florida Gulf Coast markets, and LPGA International doesn't get the name-recognition treatment of courses that attract national Top-100 attention. What it has instead is 36 holes that hosted Tour competition for years, maintained to a standard the local market doesn't demand and doesn't charge for accordingly. Groups willing to look past the Speedway and the spring break geography find a golf week that works on the numbers without leaning on a resort backdrop to justify itself.
The Jones Course is the anchor. Rees Jones designed it in 1994 at 7,088 yards, routing the back nine through wetland corridors that tighten the driving windows and move the water closer to the line of play. The back nine doesn't forgive positional errors -- groups with mixed accuracy ratings will find it demanding in the right places. The conditioning reflects the course's LPGA Tour history rather than the surrounding market. Most captains put the Jones on Day One to set expectations for the week.
"The Jones Course conditions to a standard the surrounding market doesn't require -- which is the short explanation for why Daytona Beach keeps coming up when captains run the math on a Florida trip that doesn't require a resort rate."
The Hills Course shares the LPGA International property and Arthur Hills's design credit, but plays differently enough to justify a second visit. More open off the tee, slightly shorter, with less marsh exposure on the inward nine -- it's the natural second-day option on the same property for groups that want Tour-conditioned turf without repeating the same routing. For a three-round trip, the captain has to choose between a clean double-dip on the LPGA property or one round elsewhere. Both are reasonable calls depending on the group's priorities.
Cypress Head in Port Orange makes a strong case for the round off-property. The City of Port Orange owns it, Arthur Hills and Drew Dasher redesigned it in 2015, and local golfers have been voting it Volusia County's top public layout consistently since 2009. The terrain moves in a way the LPGA courses don't -- tree corridors, elevation changes, fairways that require genuine shot-shaping decisions rather than straight commitment. The renovation sharpened the routing without reinventing it. A captain building a three-round trip around Jones, Hills, and Cypress Head has a clean week without a weak link in the rotation.
Victoria Hills in DeLand is the inland option for groups going four rounds or wanting a break from the coastal terrain. Ron Garl built it in 2002 on elevated, sandy ground that reads more like the North Carolina Sandhills than anything else in Volusia County -- mature oaks framing the fairways, topography the routing works with rather than around, a layout that Golfweek has placed consistently in the top fifteen Florida public courses since it opened.
"Victoria Hills sits on elevated, sandy terrain thirty minutes southwest of the beach corridor -- a different landscape from the coastal golf, which is what makes it the right fourth round for a group that wants variety without a long drive to find it."
Halifax Plantation in Ormond Beach is worth naming for groups running five rounds or captains who want a backup in the rotation. Bill Amick's 1992 design conditions well and plays as a fair test. In a market where Jones, Hills, Cypress Head, and Victoria Hills are all within thirty minutes and operating at a high level, Halifax is a fifth round rather than a fourth -- useful for larger groups splitting tee windows but not a required stop on a standard four-day trip.
The non-golf infrastructure in Daytona Beach is practical rather than aspirational. The beach strip covers evenings without planning or advance reservations. Midrange ocean hotels keep the nightly cost of the trip reasonable. Fly into Daytona Beach International (DAB) for a direct airport experience or into Orlando (MCO) for broader flight options with an hour's drive north on I-95.
Side trips & bonus golf
If you want a day off the golf course, Daytona Beach proper is 15 minutes away and delivers exactly what you expect: a wide hard-packed beach, the Main Street Pier, and enough bars and diners along the oceanfront to fill an evening without trying too hard. It is not Hilton Head, but the beach is free and accessible in ways that resort strips are not.
The Daytona International Speedway sits 10 minutes from LPGA International and offers tours year-round even outside of race week. If your group has any crossover interest in NASCAR, the Richard Petty Driving Experience lets you ride along at speed for a few laps, which tends to be a memorable mid-trip detour that costs less than a greens fee.
Ormond Beach and New Smyrna Beach are both within 30 minutes and offer a quieter, more residential version of the Florida coastline. New Smyrna in particular has a small downtown with independent restaurants that outperform anything on the main Daytona strip.
For groups who want a full-day excursion, St. Augustine is 60 miles north and gives you a legitimate historic city with good seafood and a walkable old quarter. It pairs cleanly with a morning round followed by an afternoon drive and dinner before returning to Daytona.
Is this trip right for your group?
- ✓Book this trip if you want four rounds of Florida golf for under $100 a round.
- ✓Book this trip if you value having two notably different 18-hole designs in one facility.
- ✓Book this trip if your group drives from Orlando, Jacksonville, or anywhere in Central Florida.
- ✓Book this trip if you want walkable Florida courses without a cart mandatory policy.
- ✓Book this trip if the Jones Course at LPGA International (75.0/142 from the tips) sounds like a fair test.
- ✓Book this trip if you want beach access without paying resort prices for lodging.
- ✓Book this trip if your group has at least one NASCAR fan who will remember the Speedway visit longer than any round.
- ✗Skip this trip if you need a Top 100 course on the itinerary.
- ✗Skip this trip if your group wants an oceanfront resort experience with golf on property.
- ✗Skip this trip if you are traveling June through August and have no tolerance for Florida heat and humidity above 90 degrees.
- ✗Skip this trip if you are looking for a destination dining and nightlife scene.
- ✗Skip this trip if you need a bucket-list course to justify the travel.
When to go
- January through April is the prime window for Daytona Beach golf.
- Winter temperatures stay in the mid-60s to low 70s with low humidity.
- This is also when Florida snowbirds fill the tee sheets, so weekend tee times book quickly.
- Conditions on the Jones and Hills courses are typically at their firmest and best-maintained.
- Speed of play slows slightly in peak season due to visitor volume.
- October and November bring cooler temperatures and dramatically lower course volume.
- Greens fees at LPGA International hold near the same rate year-round, so the savings come from lodging, not golf.
- Conditions remain good through November, and the humidity drops to tolerable levels by late October.
- Fall is the best time for walking the courses, particularly the Jones Course, without heat being a factor.
What a Daytona Beach trip costs
| Item | Peak | Shoulder | Off-Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tee fees (4 rounds) | $220-$380 | $170-$295 | $140-$240 |
| Lodging (4 nights) | $400-$900 | $280-$650 | $200-$480 |
| Food & drink | $200-$380 | $160-$300 | $130-$250 |
| Rental car (4 days) | $180-$320 | $150-$260 | $120-$210 |
| Total (est.) | $1,000–$1,980 | $760–$1,505 | $590–$1,180 |
| Item | Peak |
|---|---|
| Tee fees (4 rounds) | $220-$380 |
| Lodging (4 nights) | $400-$900 |
| Food & drink | $200-$380 |
| Rental car (4 days) | $180-$320 |
| Total (est.) | $1,000–$1,980 |
Per-person estimates for a 4-round, 4-night trip (LPGA Jones, LPGA Hills, DBGC Championship, DBGC Lakes). Excludes flights. Drive from Orlando (1 hr) or Jacksonville (1 hr). All-in: $1,000-2,000 peak (Dec-Apr), $750-1,500 shoulder.
How tee times and lodging actually work
- 1LPGA International advance bookingThe club allows tee time booking in advance online or by phone at (386) 274-5742. Groups of eight or more should call directly to coordinate back-to-back tee times.
- 2Cypress Head bookingCypress Head is a City of Port Orange municipal course. Weekend morning slots fill first, so book online or by phone at least a week out.
- 3Cancellation policy at LPGAA 24-hour cancellation window is enforced. No-shows are charged the full reservation amount, so notify the pro shop the night before if weather forces a change.
- 4Cart vs. walkingLPGA International, Cypress Head, and Victoria Hills all allow walking. If the group is fit and conditions are firm, walking saves on cart fees and plays faster.
- 5Summer morning windowsJune through August, tee off before 8am or accept that the back nine becomes genuinely uncomfortable by 11am. Afternoon rounds are not recommended in peak summer.
Common mistakes
- !Skipping the Jones CourseGolfers default to the Hills Course because it looks more like a traditional Florida layout. The Jones Course is the more interesting design and plays harder from every tee. Play it first before the group gets complacent.
- !Underestimating LPGA difficultyThe 75.0/142 rating on the Jones Course from the back tees is not a marketing number. First-time visitors routinely lose balls in the marsh areas on holes 3, 7, and 14. Drop down a tee box if course management is not your group's strength.
- !Underrating Victoria HillsIt is a 35-minute drive west to DeLand, but Ron Garl's rolling sandhill layout is the most distinctive non-LPGA round in the area. Do not skip it to save the drive.
- !Ignoring the practice facility at LPGAThe 3-hole championship practice course and double-ended range are included with your round. Use them before the first tee rather than cold-starting on a course that immediately asks you to carry water.
- !Booking summer without checking the heat indexDaytona in July runs 90 degrees with 75% humidity by 10am. Groups who arrive expecting pleasant Florida weather in peak summer are consistently disappointed.
What to pack
Sample itinerary
- Day 1Arrive + LPGA Hills CourseArrive DAB or drive from MCO/JAX. Afternoon LPGA Hills Course -- the more accessible of the two LPGA layouts as the opener.
- Day 2LPGA Jones CourseMorning LPGA Jones Course -- 6,922 yards at Tour conditioning. The prestige round.
- Day 3Cypress HeadMorning Cypress Head Golf Club, the City of Port Orange municipal value round. Afternoon Daytona Speedway tour or beach.
- Day 4Victoria Hills + DepartMorning Victoria Hills Golf Club, Ron Garl's rolling sandhill layout in DeLand, 35 minutes west. Afternoon DAB departure.
Where to stay & eat
Know before you book.
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