On Thanksgiving morning I made my way down to Mission Inn Resort & Club to play the El Campeon course. I played El Campeon in 2013 and enjoyed the round. Since a bit of time has passed I wanted to get back here to update my review and add some fresh pictures.
My tee time was at 7:40am and I caught El Campeon on a perfect Florida fall day. I golfed by myself and made it around in about three hours. That was unexpected for a holiday morning! I played through a twosome on the signature 8th hole and then caught up with another group on the closing holes.
El Campeon is the premier course at Mission Inn (Las Colinas is the resort’s other course) and it was designed by George O’Neil in 1917. The course plays through a hilly piece of property in Central Florida and is part of the Florida Historic Golf Trail. Also, El Campeon usually gets ranked among the top public courses in Florida, depending on the rankings website.
El Campeon is a tough course, as evidenced by its 139 slope from the blue tees. The blues are 6,601 yards with a rating of 73.0. Fairways here are narrow, you’ll want to work it both ways and lost-ball trouble quickly comes into play. There is plenty of target golf and local knowledge required at El Campeon, so I’ve found nothing easy about it to play. In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing some trees cut back to increase playability.
On the flip side, the same things that make El Campeon difficult allow for its immense charm and great scenery. Mature oaks, pines and palm trees line the fairways while water and landscaping add to the look. I found myself thinking I was golfing somewhere in North/South Carolina because of the elevation change.
There are many good golf holes at El Campeon, but the par-3 8th and the closing stretch of the 15th through the 18th are worth mentioning. The 8th was playing 187 yards for my round (170 on the scorecard for the blue tees) and it is all carry over water to the green. The green has more water to the right and bunkers to the left.
The course’s final holes are its best! The 15th is a clever par-3 with a green that is surrounded by water on three sides and the 16th has an island green. The 16th green is circled by a bunker with water beyond that bunker. The 17th is a quirky par-5 with a tree in the layup area and the 18th is a slicer’s nightmare, with water all the way up the right side.
I paid $50 for my round which is a great price for a round on El Campeon. The course was in a transition stage with ryegrass growing in the fairways and rough. As expected with the overseed the turf was shaggy and soft, so it was easy to catch a shot fat. The greens were smooth and quick.
I think El Campeon is a borderline must-play course for the golfer visiting Orlando. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to make the 50 minute drive from MCO. If El Campeon was closer to Orlando then I think it would get tons more recognition! Bottom line, put El Campeon on your list and bring some extra golf balls for your round.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):