Bella Collina Golf Club

Bella Collina is a Nick Faldo and Steve Smyers design from 2008 in Montverde, roughly 35 minutes northwest of International Drive, on lakeside terrain along Lake Apopka and Lake Siena. It is Faldo's only North American design, which is the headline that brings most golfers here. Access is the second thing to know. The course operates primarily as a private club, with non-member play available through stay-and-play packages arranged directly with the property.

You're playing 7,617 yards, par 72, course rating 76.8, slope 136. That makes it the longest course in the Orlando area with the highest raw rating, but the relatively modest slope tells you the difficulty sits in distance rather than in penal hazard placement. Elevation changes along the lakeside terrain produce dramatic tee shots and approach views that feel removed from the typical Florida golf landscape.

Faldo's design philosophy, shaped by decades at the top of professional golf, emphasises course management and strategic thinking. The routing exploits 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 tees are among the most expansive in the Orlando market.