Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club in Celebration, Fla.

With the early-morning fog over its hollows and bushes, Mystic Dunes Golf Club does indeed seem mystical, like something out of a sword-and-sorcery epic. Then the rising sun breaks through, the fog lifts, and it's time to face reality. Good luck, and may your three-putts be fewer than mine.

This is one of the top-tier offerings in Orlando golf. The greens are huge and wildly sloped, reminiscent of Augusta National. The approach shots are hazardous, the tee shots tricky. Vast waste areas and high grasses give the course a wild, natural look, and the conditioning pristine throughout. Designer Gary Koch doesn't have the name of some of his architectural contemporaries, but if Mystic Dunes is any barometer, he should.