Short Drive, Big Time: Daytona Beach's Inland Golf Courses Are a Treat to Play By Brian Weis

Short Drive, Big Time: Daytona Beach's Inland Golf Courses Are a Treat to Play

By Brian Weis

A Daytona Beach golf trip offers the opportunity to play within a 7 iron of the Atlantic Ocean, but for golfers willing to venture from the beauty of the coast, Volusia County is home to a trio of outstanding inland layouts.

While they fly under the radar, the area's landlocked courses are among Daytona Beach's best, delivering memorable architecture, outstanding conditions, and an unrelenting commitment to customer service.

If your group wants to challenge some of Daytona Beach's best and most underrated layouts, these three courses should be on your must-play list:

A former U.S. Open Qualifying host, DeBary Golf & Country Club has a different feel than its more coastal cousins. Water comes into play on only two holes - No. 9 and No. 18 - on a layout routed through land that was once home to an orange grove. While any mention of the U.S. Open conjures up images of difficult courses, DeBary, with five sets of tees ranging from 5,060 to 6,776 yards, is playable for golfers of all skill levels. The Lloyd Clifton design is worth the trip.

It might be difficult to call a course Golfweek has ranked among the Sunshine State's top 15 public layouts underrated, but Victoria Hills doesn't receive near the attention it deserves. The Ron Garl design, which features rolling property and pine tree-lined fairways, evokes comparisons to courses in North Carolina's famed Sandhills, distinguishing it from many of its Central Florida peers. Victoria Hills is a treat to play and DeLand is a charming town, offering the opportunity to soak up a little history and enjoy a great meal after your round.

There isn't a drop of water for golfers to contend with at The Deltona Club, minimizing penalty strokes on a course that has been ranked among Florida's top 20 public layouts by Golfweek. Combine the quality of Bobby Weed's design work with an unwavering commitment to keep the course in prime condition and the appeal of the Deltona Club is readily apparent.

A Daytona Beach golf trip provides players the chance to enjoy a variety of experiences, and golfers, despite the drive, are well served to keep the area's inland offerings in mind.

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Revised: 03/04/2022 - Article Viewed 1,715 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.