A view of the 7th hole at Deer Island Country Club.
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4.7
2219 Reviews (2219)
5 Stars
1387
4 Stars
676
3 Stars
101
2 Stars
39
1 Stars
16
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.7
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.0
97.0%
Recommend this course
2116 out of 2219 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.7
197 Reviews (197)
5 Stars
150
4 Stars
43
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.7
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.8
99.0%
Recommend this course
195 out of 197 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.7
365 Reviews (365)
5 Stars
275
4 Stars
77
3 Stars
9
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.7
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.6
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.7
97.8%
Recommend this course
357 out of 365 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Par 72
Length 6885 yards
Slope 144
Rating 74.0

Formerly known as Deer Island Golf and Lake Club.

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Deer Island Country Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1994
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Joe Lee (1994)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Proper attire is required.

Food & Beverage

Snacks, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Locker Rooms

Available Activities

Swimming

Accolades

Reviews

4.7
2219 Reviews (2219)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 29
Brunch 17
Watching the Game 9
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 95
Bunkers 67
Forced Carries 60
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 75
Advanced Golfers 62
Locals 35
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 73
In the 'Burbs 21

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Disappointed

Granted we had a super cheap price (a great hot deal price from GolfNow) and we assumed there would be bad greens due to aeration, so that part was expected. What was not expected were the horrible fairways. We have played this course for 20 plus years, and the fairways were the main draw for us - ALWAYS ALWAYS in good shape. This year, they were crabgrass, some weird weed, and lots of dead patches. It was in possibly the worst shape we have ever seen it in, and we definitely will not be going back to this course until they get the fairways under control.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 15
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Hidden gem

A bit out of the way northwest of Orlando, but worth the drive. Be aware, water on every hole makes for a challenging round. Will return.
FYI it was an uncharacteristically windy day, but it was wonderful to watch the sailing regatta of 40+ both also.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

7/10

I travel all over Florida hunting for a Golf Gem.
I have been pining to play this course due to the ratings. Community is cool..it is certainly an island. Driving range is a vacant lot. All the staff were wonderful. I was an extremely windy day(30mph gusts). The greens are small, well guarded and water is in play virtually every shot. Fairways medium width and tee boxes in good condition. Bunkers looked terrible but the sand was surprisingly soft for the dark color. The greens had bald spots and weeds starting to sprout. Didn’t effect the roll but I doubt were a sure sign of decline.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great track

Always fun to play. Slow greens. Lots of challenges

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/27/2024

We're thrilled to hear you enjoy playing at our course and appreciate your feedback on the greens and our course's challenges. Thank you for taking the time to review us!

Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful Course

Nice fairways and greens. Very beautiful scenery. A tremendous amount of water to play around.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/27/2024

Thank you for appreciating our well-kept fairways, greens, and the beauty of our course. We're glad you enjoyed the challenge our water features add to the game!

Played On
Reviews 214
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

Always play,

Ever since I found Deer Island a couple years ago on vacation, I now always play when in the area. With prices thru the roof in town, the regular rate is a steal for a course this good.
Water on every hole and in play on 16 holes. There were a few greens that were a little bit under par, but didn’t deter from an absolute 5 star day. 1000% worth the drive!!EVERYTIME!!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 71
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Tester!

Very challenging course but fair! You see what you get! Water on every hole! Fun to play! You will walk away wanting to come back and play again and do better next time!

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 33
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bring lots of balls!

This is a great layout, same course designer that did Bay Hill. Water on every hole so for the long hitters playing back it is very important to know your carry distances as we rinsed several balls that we thought were quality shots due to not knowing. the course or seeing the layout. GPS on carts would make a ton of difference and help players at every level to visually see what's ahead.

Greens were slow which was our only complaint. The layout is excellent, this is the toughest set of par 3's we've played in a while as we played back and the forced carry is your only option on them so you'd better have your long iron and hybrid games dialed in for this one folks.

Overall, very good, great staff, pace of play was great, weather was awesome. Saw a ton of alligators and wildlife which was great. Views were awesome with the lake on both sides of the course (yes, water on every hole remember?). Overall I give it a "B+" on my rating and would recommend it for sure as a must play.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/20/2024

Thank you for the detailed review and recommendation! We're glad you enjoyed the layout and our wildlife.

Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Love this course

We are twice a year visitors from PA who consider Deer Island a must for every trip. Great course, excellent condition and well worth the reasonable price! See you in the fall!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/20/2024

Thank you for making Deer Island a must-visit on your trips! We look forward to seeing you again in the fall.

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Forgot to add to my review

ZERO drinking water on the golf course and no Cart Girl, other than on the 4th hole and she was hiding under a tree.

They give you a 59¢ bottle of water when you check in. If you get thirsty later, it's tough luck.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Disappointing at best

I read all the reviews and decided to take the hour drive to play Deer Island.

Just average in every way. If Joe Lee really designed this golf course, he must have been pretty desperate for work.

There are about 10 holes, that look like they belong on a 1950's muni. Just a stretch of grass and someone stuck a little green, 350 yards from the start. Poor defined and conditioned bunkers. It looks like they haven't been re-build, since Ben Hogan was playing golf. The greens are tiny and slow. You could play there for 3 years, without a 3 Putt ... the greens aren't big enough to 3 putt.

There's not as many "water hazards" or "features" as I was lead to believe and the ones that are there, are awkward. The course winds around & through a sub-division and they obviously tried to use most of the "junk" land that was left over, for the golf course.

If someone told me they paid $50 to play there, I'd say, "that wasn't bad" ... but I certainly won't go there and pay $50-$75 to play the course again.

Staff was useless. You pay your Greens Fees at the bar. There's no pro shop. Starter wasn't at the 1st Tee when we got there. Saw a Cart Girl on the 4th hole, who said she'd be around all day ... never saw her again and we were looking hard.

A HUGE disappointment, based on the reviews I read and what I was told by a few people who have played it.

There was evidence that they over-seeded some of the Bermuda for the winter, so that was a positive.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 98
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

No Deer....Just Gators!

Never figured out why they call this Deer Island. Of all the times I have played here I have yet to see a deer. I think the gators ate them all.
Course was in great shape. Greens were a bit slower than usual, but rolled good if you just hit the putt hard enough.
My playing partner left his range finder on the cart. The course call me the next day to let me know they had it. Great service! Thanks!

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 231
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 25 Contributor
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
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