Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - 18th
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - 18th
The El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club north of Orlando goes back almost 100 years. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - 1st
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - 1st
The El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida opens with a not-so-easy par 5. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 3
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 3
The 460-yard par-4 third hole on El Campeon is one of the most difficult on the golf course. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon G.C. - 7th
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon G.C. - 7th
At 457 yards, the seventh on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club is the no. 2 handicap hole with trouble off the tee and approach. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - 9th
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - 9th
One of the easier holes on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club is the 353-yard par-4 ninth. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon GC - 10th
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon GC - 10th
The 10th hole on the El Campeon golf course at Mission Inn Resort & Club is a risk-reward par 5 that wraps around a lake. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 13
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 13
The short par-4 13th on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club plays over a lake and uphill. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 14
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 14
The par-5 14th on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club plays downhill and over water. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 16
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 16
The par-4 16th, with a bunker and hazard surrounding the green, begins the difficult finishing stretch on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club in central Florida. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 17
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon golf course - hole 17
The par-5 17th on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club has all kinds of trouble, including a bunker and pond in front of the green. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon GC - 18th
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Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon GC - 18th
The El Campeon golf course at Mission Inn Resort & Club ends with a 423-yard par 4 that plays over water. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
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El Campeon: The old golf course at Mission Inn Resort & Club in central Florida really is a 'Champion'

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. -- With the possible exception of exclusive Mountain Lake, there is nothing quite like the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club when it comes to golf in Florida.

One of the hilliest courses in the state, El Campeon is also one of the oldest, dating back to 1917. Simply put, this George O'Neil design has plenty of character with a finishing stretch among the toughest in the area.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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El Campeon: The old golf course at Mission Inn Resort & Club in central Florida really is a 'Champion'