Mayfair Country Club

I was looking forward to playing this "old time" course where Snead played. We show up on time, at the box 1 min before our round. We have to wait 15 because they're backed up. On the 4th, the ranger tells us to hurry up. On the 5th, he tells us to play from the golds because we're slow. At that point, we are on track for a 3 hour 50 minute foursome round. We tell this to the ranger and he smugly says "the guys behind you play in the 70's and this is my yard so move it". I may not be a great golfer, but give me a break!
We finished the round in 3 hours 45 minutes, and his "yard" plays next to sewage treatment plants with horrendous cart paths and fairways. Looked like someone drove on some greens and peeled out. If you're gonna treat your non-members like crap, make this dump private. I'll be happy to play one of the numerous courses around that are much nicer and have better managed and maintained facilities.

I've played several courses in the area in the $15-$30 price range (Rolling Hills, Wekiva Springs, Magnolia Plantation, & Rock Springs Ridge) and this place is my favorite due to the beauty, condition, staff, and fun factor. The course is over 90 years old (see their website), designed by famous old-school designer Donald Ross, and it's much different than any courses in the area. It's a healthy mix of links-style with some trees and dog legs thrown in to make sure you don't forget you're in Florida. The course was very lush and green, even though it has been a little dry lately, which was a surprise. The way the holes are laid out, from tee to 200 yards is completely wide open, but then the trees start to ensure you're honest. So when you're standing on the tee box, you get to see the beautiful surrounding holes and don't have to worry about hitting down a tight tree-lined fairway like most courses. I also liked being able to see the other greens and golfers from most places on the course without feeling clustered at the same time; I get bored just looking at trees and houses on every hole, so this was a welcomed variation. While there's not a lot of water or OB, you still have to hit quality shots or you'll be playing from the trees or having to hit over/under them to get to the greens. There were some subtle elevation changes that also was a surprise; a blind tee shot over and down a hill was fun, as well as teeing off from on top of the hill a few holes later. If you're looking for a super-challenging course that's real long, look elsewhere but I rather enjoyed hitting shorter irons, bump and runs, and reaching par 5s in 2. The staff was also very friendly and even picked me up in a cart in the parking lot when I pulled in and told me a little bit about the course while we rode to the clubhouse. The only bad thing I can say is 2 holes had some sand on the greens, and some of the greens were a little bumpy giving some inconsistent rolls, but if you can get passed that then this course is a must while in Central Florida.

We played the course on 02/02/10 after 2 days of torrential rain. We'd heard some bad press on the place and were beginning to question our decision to play there. Being here on vacation from Binghamton NY however, we'd have been happy for anything without snow on it. We were pleasantly surprised at the conditioning of the course. The fairways and greens were better than anything we'd played up to this point on our trip (Magnolia Plantation, Dubsdread, Lake Orlando). There is alot of history on this course and it's worth reading on their website. Beautiful old oaks line some of the fairways and can block you out if you really spray it. There's a little water that comes into play in the way of forced carries, but for the most part, the course is devoid of any major hazards. The bunkers were clean and raked, and the greens were in nice shape (small to average size-and ALL elevated). The fairways appeared to have been overseeded and were fairly dense considering the time of year. Length is not this course's major defense, but a couple of the par 3's were in the 185 range from the white tees. The clubhouse had a bar/grille and the pro-shop had the basics. The only disappointment was the gas powered carts and lack of cart paths.