MetroWest Golf Club: A Robert Trent Jones Sr. Design in the Heart of Orlando
A nearly 40-year-old Florida classic with elevation changes you won't believe are real
MetroWest Golf Club is a public, par-72 golf course located at 2100 S Hiawassee Road in Orlando, FL 32835, in the MetroWest community. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1987, measuring 7,051 yards from the back tees down to 5,325 yards from the forward tees. The layout features spring-fed lakes, mature trees, rolling fairways, and elevation changes of up to 100 feet that are unusual for Florida. The course completed a $1.5 million renovation in November 2013 that rebuilt all 18 greens and every bunker, with additional design work by Billy Fuller. MetroWest Golf Club sits roughly 10 minutes from Universal Orlando Resort and about 9 miles from downtown Orlando.
Florida has a reputation for golf courses that look gorgeous but play flat — pancake fairways, greens you could roll a marble across without it noticing. Pretty, but predictable.
MetroWest Golf Club is not that. Tucked into the MetroWest community on the west side of Orlando, this Robert Trent Jones Sr. design plays with elevation changes of up to 100 feet — which, if you've spent time on Central Florida courses, you know is borderline absurd. It's the kind of detail that turns a routine round into something you actually remember.
The Robert Trent Jones Sr. Pedigree
Robert Trent Jones Sr. isn't just a golf architect — he's one of the architects who shaped what modern American golf looks like. Over five-plus decades he designed or remodeled more than 500 courses worldwide, including Spyglass Hill and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama. His signature: challenge from the back tees, accessibility from the forward tees, strategic bunkering, and big undulating greens.
MetroWest opened in 1987, late in his career, and Links Magazine has called it the Southeast's finest example of his work. That's not a small claim — but the fact that the conversation happens at all tells you something.
The Course Itself: Specs and Strategy
MetroWest is a par-72 layout playing 7,051 yards from the championship tees down to 5,325 from the forward tees, with four sets of tees in between. The course wraps around Lake Hiawassee, with spring-fed water hazards in play on multiple holes and mature native trees lining most fairways. Greens are large and undulating — generous targets that get a lot less generous once you factor in the slopes. Bunkering is heavy on the doglegs, which is classic Jones Sr. strategy: he wanted you to think about your tee shot, not just rip driver and chase it.
The elevation changes are the headline. Florida is famously flat, so a course that delivers 100-foot drops on tee shots and uphill approaches that genuinely require an extra club stands out. Some of that elevation is natural; some was engineered into the routing. Either way, it plays.
A Brief History (And a $1.5 Million Refresh)
The course opened in 1987 as the centerpiece amenity of the MetroWest planned community, which was being developed at roughly the same time. For most of the 1990s and 2000s, MetroWest was widely considered one of the better public-access courses in metro Orlando.
By the early 2010s, age was showing. In November 2013, the club completed a $1.5 million renovation that rebuilt all 18 greens and reworked every bunker, with design consulting from Billy Fuller. The post-renovation course earned a spot on Golf Advisor's Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses list in 2017.
Conditioning has been a moving target since then — recent player reviews are honest about that. Greens generally hold up well; fairways and tee boxes have drawn criticism in dry stretches. Worth checking recent reviews close to your date.
Why Should Orlando Residents Care?
If You Live in MetroWest or Nearby
The golf club is the literal centerpiece of the MetroWest community. The course shapes the road network, the neighborhood layouts, and the views from a surprising number of homes. Several MetroWest subdivisions — Fairway Cove, Stonebridge Place, Palma Vista, and others — are built directly on or alongside the course. For neighbors who don't play, the course functions as a giant landscaped green space: better sightlines, more mature trees, and a quieter buffer than you'd otherwise get this close to a major metro.
If You're Shopping Orlando Neighborhoods
MetroWest doesn't get the national name recognition of Dr. Phillips or Windermere, but it punches at a similar weight class for amenities. The golf club is a big part of why. If you're weighing west-Orlando communities, knowing MetroWest has a real, architect-pedigreed course at its center belongs in your decision matrix.
If You're a Golfer Visiting or Relocating
Metro Orlando has a deep public golf bench — Disney's courses, Orange County National Golf Center, ChampionsGate, Falcon's Fire, and West Orange Country Club among them. MetroWest's pitch in that crowded field is location and pedigree: 10 minutes from Universal, a short drive from downtown, and a Jones Sr. signature course. Daily-fee rates swing hard by season and tee time, so shop around.
Getting There
MetroWest Golf Club sits at 2100 S Hiawassee Road, just south of the Lake Debra Drive intersection. Drive times from common Orlando starting points:
- Downtown Orlando: 15-20 minutes via I-4 or the 408
- Universal Orlando Resort: roughly 10 minutes
- Walt Disney World: 20-25 minutes
- Orlando International Airport (MCO): roughly 25-30 minutes
The course is easily reached from the I-4 corridor and the SR 429 Western Beltway, which makes it a reasonable option for golfers based in Winter Garden, Ocoee, Dr. Phillips, or Windermere as well.
Local Tips
- Book direct when you can. Pro shop rates and third-party rates (GolfNow, Golfscape) sometimes differ.
- Check the bunker status before you book. Reviews periodically mention bunkers being out of play for maintenance.
- Play the right tees. 7,051 yards with this much elevation and bunkering will eat most casual golfers alive.
- Twilight rates are your friend. Summer afternoons in Orlando are brutal anyway; late tee times bring better prices.
- Westerly's Restaurant is the on-site dining option and is open to non-golfers — useful for hosting events at the clubhouse.
Pros and Cons
The Pros
- Genuine Robert Trent Jones Sr. signature design with real elevation changes
- Central west-Orlando location — quick from Universal, downtown, and the major tourist corridor
- $1.5M 2013 renovation modernized the greens and bunkering
- Full-service clubhouse with restaurant, pro shop, and event facilities
- Public access with membership options available
The Cons
- Conditioning has been inconsistent in recent years per player reviews
- Daily-fee rates can creep high relative to current course conditions
- Clubhouse exterior and some amenities are showing their age
- It's a demanding course — not a forgiving "easy round" option
Our Take
MetroWest is worth playing for the design alone — it's a genuine Jones Sr. course in a state full of forgettable resort layouts. Just go in with current expectations rather than the magazine-version expectations. Check recent reviews, ask about course conditions when you book, and play the tees that match your game. Done right, it's one of the more interesting public rounds in metro Orlando.
What the Locals Know
MetroWest Golf Club isn't a hidden gem — it's been here for nearly 40 years and plenty of Orlando golfers have played it. But it's also not a course that screams for attention the way Bay Hill or the Disney resort courses do. It just quietly sits in the middle of a residential community, doing what it was designed to do: deliver a real golf experience on a real piece of land, in a state where that combination isn't as common as you'd think.
For MetroWest residents, the course is part of the neighborhood's identity. For Orlando-area golfers looking to mix up their rotation, it's a course that deserves a slot. ⛳
For current rates, tee times, membership information, and events, visit the official MetroWest Golf Club website.
Curious about the MetroWest community itself — the homes, the schools, the surrounding area? Browse our MetroWest homes for sale or contact us for personalized relocation guidance.
