Golf-included sounds identical everywhere. It isn’t. Some communities include unlimited play on two courses. Others include limited access to one course that recently closed for renovation. Here is every golf-included 55+ community in the Orlando metro with the value math done correctly.
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Talk to a Specialist →The phrase “golf-included” covers a wide range of actual arrangements in the Orlando 55+ market. At one end: Kings Ridge includes unlimited resident play on two 18-hole courses in the base HOA fee with no additional membership required. At the other end: some communities advertise “golf access” that means optional membership at a nearby public course at resident discount — a very different value proposition.
The correct framework for evaluating any golf-included community is: what is the effective per-round cost at your expected usage level? If you play three times per week (156 rounds/year), a $310 HOA with two unlimited courses works out to approximately $24/round just for the golf portion of the HOA. If you play once a week (52 rounds/year), that same HOA allocates approximately $71/round to golf. At once a week, paying for daily-fee access at a local course may be more economical than buying into a golf-included community at a premium price point.
| Community | County | Courses | HOA | Golf Access | Value for 3x/week golfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Ridge | Lake (0.85%) | Two 18-hole | $310/mo | Unlimited resident play — no additional fee | Best Value |
| Summit Greens | Lake (0.85%) | One 18-hole | $290/mo | Unlimited — but verify current operating status | Good (verify) |
| Heritage Hills | Lake (0.85%) | One 18-hole | $275/mo | Unlimited resident play — included in HOA | Good Value |
| Solivita | Polk/Osceola | Two 18-hole | $280/mo + CDD | Optional membership required — $1,200–$2,400/yr additional | Golf Costs Extra |
| Four Seasons at Orlando | Osceola (0.93%) | Adjacent course | ~$350/mo | Optional membership at nearby Mystic Dunes — resident discount, not free | Golf Costs Extra |
Communities where golf requires additional membership beyond the HOA are not truly “golf included” in the financial sense — they are golf-accessible. The distinction matters for cost modeling.
Kings Ridge is the best golf value in Central Florida for active golfers, full stop. Two courses, unlimited play, $310 all-in HOA, Lake County’s 0.85% tax rate, and no CDD. A golfer playing 3 times per week pays approximately $24/round in effective golf cost from the HOA. External golf at comparable quality courses in the Orlando metro runs $45–$85/round. Over a year, a Kings Ridge active golfer saves $3,000–$9,500 vs paying day fees elsewhere — and that gap compounds every year of ownership.
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If you do not play golf, a golf-included community is paying for infrastructure you will never use. Kings Ridge at $310 HOA is effectively charging approximately $100–$120/month for golf course maintenance — money that non-golfers at comparable non-golf communities (Palms at Serenoa at $235, Del Webb Orlando at $220) do not pay.
Over 20 years, a non-golfer at Kings Ridge pays approximately $24,000–$28,800 more in HOA fees than a comparable non-golf community resident — and receives zero benefit from that premium. This is the honest argument for non-golfers choosing one of the non-golf Clermont communities instead of Kings Ridge or Heritage Hills.
The one exception: Some non-golfers specifically want a golf-centric community for its culture, landscaping character, and the quality of residents it attracts — even if they never play. If the golf course views, the social culture around the course, and the community character that comes with serious golfer demographics is what you want in your retirement, Kings Ridge delivers that even if you personally never hit a ball. Just model the HOA honestly.
Plays 3+ times per week: Kings Ridge. Two courses, no additional cost, best effective per-round economics in the metro. The decision is clear.
Plays 1–2 times per week: Kings Ridge still makes sense but Heritage Hills is worth comparing. One course at $275 HOA vs two courses at $310 — if you only play one course per week, you are not consuming the value of the second course at Kings Ridge. Heritage Hills’ $35/month savings and new construction availability may tip the decision.
Plays occasionally (1–3 times per month): Non-golf communities at lower HOAs plus day fees at public courses may outperform golf-included communities. Model your actual round count against the HOA premium before committing to a golf-included address.
Plays at Solivita: Understand that golf is separate. Add $100–$200/month to Solivita’s already higher all-in cost when comparing against Kings Ridge. The Solivita golf experience (two championship courses, beautiful setting) may still be worth it for serious golfers who also want Solivita’s amenity depth — but price it correctly.
We can run the true per-round cost calculation at your expected usage level and compare any two golf-included communities side by side.
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