Bella Collina Golf Club

Bella Collina sits in Montverde, roughly 35 minutes northwest of International Drive, along the shores of Lake Apopka and Lake Siena. Sir Nick Faldo designed the course in 2008, and it remains his only design in North America. The exclusivity of the design pedigree is matched by the exclusivity of access: Bella Collina operates primarily as a private club, with non-member play available through stay-and-play packages that must be arranged directly with the property.

The course's physical setting is its most immediately striking feature. Elevation changes along the lakeside terrain produce dramatic tee shots and approach shots that feel removed from the typical Florida golf landscape. At 7,617 yards from the tips with a rating of 76.8 and a slope of 136, the course is the longest in the Orlando area and carries the highest raw rating, though the relatively modest slope suggests that the difficulty is concentrated in distance rather than in penal hazard placement.

Faldo's design philosophy, informed by decades of competing at the highest level of professional golf, emphasises course management and strategic thinking. The routing exploits the natural terrain rather than imposing artificial features onto it, which gives the course an organic quality that manufactured elevation changes rarely achieve. The views across Lake Apopka from several elevated tee boxes are among the most expansive in the Orlando market.

The limited access is both the course's constraint and part of its appeal. Golfers who arrange a stay-and-play package encounter a property that operates at a pace and with an attentiveness that public and resort courses cannot match. The conditioning benefits from lower traffic volumes, and the experience carries a quietness that reflects the private club setting.

Rates are not publicly listed and must be obtained by contacting the club directly at 407-469-4961. For golfers who can arrange access, Bella Collina offers a playing experience distinct from anything else in the Orlando area: a Faldo design on dramatic terrain with a privacy and exclusivity that the resort courses do not provide.