Championsgate Country Club

Greg Norman's fingerprints are all over ChampionsGate Country Club — or more precisely, his design firm's are. The Shark's group laid out 2 courses here, the National and the International, and this sprawling resort complex southwest of Orlando has grown into one of central Florida's most recognized golf destinations. The courses were built to handle serious volume while still offering a quality experience, a balance that's harder to pull off than it sounds, and ChampionsGate has largely delivered on both counts over the years.

The surrounding area tells you a lot about what to expect. ChampionsGate sits in the corridor between Orlando and Disney World, meaning the clientele skews heavily toward resort guests and vacationers rather than a local membership — the kind of crowd that wants big, photogenic golf with wide landing zones and a forgiving layout. Norman's design sensibility fits that bill: open, strategic, with water features doing most of the heavy lifting scenically.

Central Florida's flat terrain and subtropical climate mean year-round playability, afternoon thunderstorms permitting. The landscape leans on sculpted bunkering and lake views rather than dramatic elevation changes, which is standard for this part of the state but handled with more polish here than at many comparable resort stops.