"The links-style sibling to the National Course at the same resort — good option to mention for members wanting a UK-style test without leaving Central Florida."

Opened in 2000 as one of two Greg Norman designs at what is now the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, the International course deliberately evokes the British Isles and Norman's native Australia rather than central Florida, with sprawling greens, pot bunkers, mounding, and wind-exposed wetland terrain standing in for genuine coastal links. It carries the highest course rating in the state of Florida, 76.3 with a 143 slope from the back tees, and picked up an honorable mention in Golf Magazine's Top 10 new upscale courses for 2001. The links illusion has always drawn debate; some critics argue Norman over-manufactured the flat Florida ground to fake a British look rather than let the site dictate the design, but even skeptics generally rate it among the more distinctive resort courses in the Orlando market. It plays as the harder, longer, wind-driven sibling to the more traditional parkland National course next door at the same resort.

Better players and Norman fans chasing Florida's highest-rated course, rather than beginners or those wanting a relaxed resort round.

The wind-exposed closing stretch, where the manufactured dunes and water carries are most exposed, is where the course's links pretensions are put to their sternest test.

The wind and length make this one of Florida's toughest resort tests, so a new golfer should play well forward of the back tees and expect the pot bunkers to punish anything off-line.

Wide-open, wind-exposed terrain with pot bunkers and mounding should translate well to a simulator's wind settings, even though real elevation change is minimal on this flat wetland site.

Resort/public access through the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, with premium resort-tier green fees that rise further in high season.