El Campeon at Mission Inn + Resort
There’s a storm brewing in Central Florida, as the golf landscape in this often sought after golf destination is in the middle of a renaissance of sorts in the world of golf travel. It’s not necessarily an age of new properties, but it’s a reimagining of golf resort stalwarts that is taking over one of the game’s best destinations.Â
One of the golf resorts that is enjoying the benefits of a renaissance of their own is Mission Resort + Club, which has long been known as Mission Inn Resort and Club.
A bit of history
With more than 100 years of heritage in the community, Mission Resort + Club has a storied history and has long been a site that golfers have loved to visit and is often host to many competitive events. You may recognize the name as Tiger Woods’ son Charlie Woods and his high school team recently won the Florida State High School Championship here.
Mission Resort + Club was long owned by the Beucher family who did an incredible job of creating one of the best value golf resorts in the country as it was ranked No. 2 in the country on Golf Advisor’s (now GolfPass) inaugural Top Courses list. Now this resort is going to be taken to another level as they were recently purchased by the MMI Hospitality Group and the team has already begun making their presence felt onsite here.
The multi-million-dollar investment into the resort over the coming years will mostly focus on the hotel and resort amenities, and not the golf. This is music to the ears of those who have visited here as the layouts here are incredibly enjoyable and unique to the Central Florida landscape. The main change on the golf side is a planned 2024 irrigation project on El Campeón that will drastically improve the ability of this course to drain and maintain top-quality conditioning throughout the year.
Mission Inn, El Campeon
The standout
The star of the show at Mission Resort + Club is the El Campeón Course. With more than 85 feet of elevation changes throughout your round, which is basically unheard of in Central Florida, this course is challenging and is known for testing a multitude of tournaments as the layout can challenge the best players in the game. While we enjoy the entire course, the 17th hole stands out as this double dogleg par-5 features a massive oak tree in the middle of the fairway about 120 yards out from the green that can wreak havoc on your lay up here. It requires a well thought out plan and flawless execution making us love the hole as it has been known to flip a match or two especially with where it lands on the scorecard.
The other golf course onsite at Mission Resort + Club is Las Colinas, the often-overshadowed sister course that is the perfect complement to the golfing experience here. Far from easy by any means, this course does provide you with a more playable experience than the El Campeón course which is a welcome break to those who play here. Even though it’s technically an easier design, this course does place a premium on accuracy as you’ll find several holes require a focus on target golf to open up approach shots to the green versus necessarily always letting driver rip on your way around this track.
Both courses here provide golfers with elevation changes throughout the round as the resort resides in the aptly named Howey in the Hills, Florida. For those who have experienced golf in Central Florida before, you’ll know that this is atypical for courses in this area as they are often known for being quite flat with ample water. It’s a welcome change, and it’s one of the many factors that helps Mission Resort + Club stand out in the Central Florida market.
Future changes to the resort
While the golf renovations are going to be focusing more on improving the infrastructure of the courses rather than the overall look and feel, the changes at the resort are going to be much more substantial over the coming years. The plan is to update all the rooms on property including all hallways to give the lodging a more modern look and feel. There will also be updates to the restaurants on property, and the outdoor pool areas will be getting a total facelift making it much more family friendly while also providing cabanas and a renovating pool bar and grill that will nearly triple in size.
Recommendation
While we’re excited for all these changes, it is going to take some time and the team here will be completing these changes in phases to still provide a great experience for guests who visit here over the next few years. Overall, it’s tough to beat the value that is provided at Mission Resort + Club as the golf experience versus the price you pay is tough to beat anywhere in the country.