Mayfair Country Club is famous for hosting the PGA tournament that started Arnold Palmer's career. Besides being home to Palmer's first PGA victory, Mayfair Country Club is historic for being one of the first golf courses in Florida.
Mayfair Country Club is famous for hosting the PGA tournament that started Arnold Palmer's career. Besides being home to Palmer's first PGA victory, Mayfair C.C. is historic for being one of the first golf courses in Florida. The challenging layout features water hazards on nine holes and bunkers strategically placed throughout. The signature hole at Mayfair Country Club is the challenging fourth, a par 4 that features a straightaway fairway guarded by a large pine tree to its right. Mayfair Country Club also offers a driving range and practice range for golfers to work on their short game.
Par, yardages and course ratings
| Tee | Par | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 72 | 6403 | 70 | 123 |
| White | 72 | 6035 | 68 | 118 |
| Gold | 72 | 5261 | 64 | 111 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 5007 | 67 | 114 |
At a glance
- Holes: 18
- Type: Semi-Private
- Built in: 1922
- Golf Season: Year round
- Visitor Policy: Open
- Tee times welcomed: Search tee times
Practice facilities
- Driving range: Yes
- Putting green: Yes
Tuition
- Teaching pro: Yes
- Golf school / golf academy:
Services
- Pro:
- Rental clubs: Yes
- Rental carts: Yes
- Pull carts: Yes
Prices
- Week days: $17 - $29
- Weekends: $20 - $35 Tee times from $12 - Check prices / availability
Reader Ratings / Reviews
- Found this course from a recommendation of an Employee of a nearby course. The price was very reasonable and the course was in good shape. We were paired with someone who I believe I heard was a good friend of a famous golfer. He was instructing another golfer and gave me great advice when I was looking at a 40 foot putt. He asked what I was going to do and I said I am going to hit it and hope to get it close He said that it was against the grain and that I would need to hit it hard to reach the hole. To everyone's surprise I sunk the put. This still brings me great joy with the memory of knowing I was able to golf with someone famous from this course and we had a great time. The course was in great shape for February. Not overwhelming yet challenging. The pro we played with was 84 years ago and I wish I knew his name. He was a great Ambassador of this course To me it was neat knowing that this course once was played by many of the famous golfers in the game.Although best known for its world-class theme parks such as Disney World and Universal Studios, the Orlando area is home to some of the best golf courses in the state of Florida, including one that hosts a PGA TOUR event every year. Many of these courses are accessible to the public and for the most part, they are in great shape and extremely playable year-round.
One area of Orlando that is often overlooked for golf is Seminole County, north and west of downtown. After a recent visit to the area and the opportunity to play both some public and private courses, I find that hard to believe. The topography of the land is not what you typic see in Florida – flat and boring; it has some roll and undulation to it – naturally! That can make for some interesting golf shots, especially the dreaded uneven lie.
Mayfair Country Club in Sanford is one of the oldest golf clubs in the area, dating back to 1922. It’s famous for being the site of Arnold Palmer’s first professional victory. There is a lot of speculation as to whether or not Mayfair is a Donald Ross design, the consensus seems to be that it is. Mayfair did host a professional tour event from 1958 to 1961 and attracted some of the top players of the day, including Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Don January, Doug Ford, Tony Lema, Moe Norman, and Gene Littler. The great Moe Norman has been quoted as saying that “Hole #7 was the best par 3 in Central Florida.” At only 6,403 yards from the back tees, Mayfair isn’t going to overwhelm a lot of players and for the most part, the fairways off the tee are generous. Where Mayfair gets tough is on the approach shots into small, sometimes crowned greens – another Ross trademark. You’re sure to enjoy your round out here. Numbers 2 & 12 are short par 5s if you’re playing from the back tees; 443 and 430 yards respectfully
These are just a few of the courses you can play in Seminole County; there are several more listed under the golf tab on their website. You’ll also find that the greens fees at the public-accessible courses tend to be considerably less than what you’ll find at courses out near the theme parks.
When you’re not on one of Seminole County’s fine golf courses, there is plenty to do in the area without hitting one of the nearby theme parks! Eat, drink, and shop in Historic Sanford, visit the Central Florida Zoo, go kayaking in search of manatees or just sit outside and soak up that Florida sun. Seminole County is flush with restaurants too, offering just about every cuisine imaginable.
This was a great find in Central FL. The course has an interesting history, possibly an early Donald Ross design and being played by well known early tour professionals. I found the course to be challenging and the club house had a certain old world charm.
I look forward to teing it up again soon at Mayfair.Worst course in the area. The starters are old and rude the clubhouse has no furniture. The fairways have no grass. The grounds are horribly kept . The course has no loyalty to members or players which have a history there. If you looking to hack it on the cow pasture well I guess this course is for you. Absolutely not worth your cash.I really enjoyed my recent round of 18 at Mayfair. Golfing amid some of the larger old oak trees was a unique experience for me that I really enjoyed. Hearing the staff explain the history and their professionalism was also a nice touch. I've be talking about this course with my friends and recommending that they go try it out for themselves when in the area.I played the course recently and loved it, it has an old southern charm about it with an interesting history. Tony and the crew couldn't have been more accommodating and doing a great job of renovating the place. I would highly recommend playing there, good bargain for the price as well.Despite what the folks with an agenda have to say...you really need to see Mayfair for yourself and make your own opinion. The improvements are incredible. The history and richness of Mayfair is being restored everyday Do not let others sway you away from this jewel of a golf course. The deals on Golf Now are great and the rates are good too. The staff there is very friendly and accommodating. This is a great place to play with a lot of history for the game of golf. Check it out for yourself.Golfer Beware!
City of Sanford owns this course and recently hired Integrity Golf Services, LLC, . to run it.
The previous management lessee died and the City initially stated that all memberships would be honored.
However, on 10/23/13 members were "notified " via an unsigned, undated flyer available only at the pro shop that all memberships were being cancelled without cause, effective on 10/27/13.
"Notified" on a Wednesday afternoon and cancelled on Sunday at 6PM. Less than 3 business days notice.
Many members remain unaware that their membership is no longer honored and all members lost money -some had prepaid for several years.
The City of Sanford via its management agent Integrity Golf Services,LLC. breached a contract with members with little notice and without cause. "Integrity " Golf, indeed.
Watch out. You could be next.
I've been playing golf for around 25 years. I don't believe I have ever played a golf course in worse condition than Mayfair. This course is terrible. The tees are uneven and poorly maintained. There's very little grass on the fairway, but plenty of dirt and sand areas. If you miss a fairway and land in the 'rough' chances are you will have an unplayable lie either in a dirt hole or on sand. Ditto if you miss a green. Speaking of greens, they are very, very bad. They're slow with sand, lots of weeds and dirt spots and there's no consistency at all from green to green.
This golf course has a lot of history and it is simply a tragedy the way this course is maintained. It's owned and managed by the City of Sanford and it's more than apparently they are not competent. What a shame.
I was looking forward to playing this "old time" course where Snead played. We show up on time, at the box 1 min before our round. We have to wait 15 because they're backed up. On the 4th, the ranger tells us to hurry up. On the 5th, he tells us to play from the golds because we're slow. At that point, we are on track for a 3 hour 50 minute foursome round. We tell this to the ranger and he smugly says "the guys behind you play in the 70's and this is my yard so move it". I may not be a great golfer, but give me a break!
We finished the round in 3 hours 45 minutes, and his "yard" plays next to sewage treatment plants with horrendous cart paths and fairways. Looked like someone drove on some greens and peeled out. If you're gonna treat your non-members like crap, make this dump private. I'll be happy to play one of the numerous courses around that are much nicer and have better managed and maintained facilities.
