Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort

Grenelefe Golf and Tennis Resort in Haines City, Polk County, is one of Central Florida's most storied golf destinations, with a history stretching back to the 1970s when the resort was developed as a destination golf and tennis retreat on the Polk County ridge. At its peak, Grenelefe operated 54 holes of golf across three distinct courses — the West, East, and South courses — designed to attract serious golfers seeking terrain and challenge that flat Florida rarely offers. The ridge topography gives the courses genuine elevation changes, water features, and wooded corridors that feel unlike the typical Central Florida golf experience.

The resort's heyday saw it host PGA Tour qualifying events and attract significant snowbird and resort visitor traffic. Over the decades, the property changed ownership multiple times, and the surrounding residential community developed in layers — hotel villas converted to condominiums, standalone single-family homes built on golf-frontage lots, and various planned residential clusters added across the expansive property.

Grenelefe today reflects both its storied past and the realities of a resort community that has evolved and aged. Some portions of the property are well maintained and actively managed; others show the wear of decades and ownership transitions. It remains a distinctive and genuinely interesting place with real golf heritage and a loyal following among those who discovered it in its prime.