
Rainbow Springs Course
Rainbow Springs Golf and Country Club
About this course
Rainbow Springs Golf and Country Club sits in Dunnellon, a small city in north-central Florida known for its natural springs and the Rainbow River. Joe Lee designed the course during his prolific period of Florida golf architecture, which spanned from the 1960s through the 1980s. Lee, who worked extensively throughout the state, typically routed courses that incorporated Florida's native landscape features while creating strategic interest through water hazards, bunker placement, and green complexes suited to the region's flat to gently rolling terrain. The course occupies land characteristic of this part of Marion County, where limestone formations create the spring systems that define the area. Lee's routing likely works with stands of native pines, oaks, and palmettos, and incorporates water features that reflect the region's aquifer-fed hydrology. His design approach in Florida generally emphasized playability for a range of skill levels while requiring thoughtful course management, particularly around water hazards that serve both strategic and aesthetic purposes. Rainbow Springs functions as a private country club serving the Dunnellon community and surrounding areas of the Nature Coast region. The club provides a golf-centered amenity in a part of Florida less densely developed than the state's coastal metropolitan areas, drawing members from the local population and seasonal residents attracted to the area's natural environment and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Quick facts
- Location
- Dunnellon, FL, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1979
- Designer
- Joe Lee
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,721 yards
- Difficulty
- 71.7/121
Getting there
The journey to Rainbow Springs Golf and Country Club begins at either Tampa International Airport or Orlando International Airport, each roughly ninety minutes away by car - Tampa to the southwest, Orlando to the southeast. The drive from either hub traces Florida's interior corridors before peeling off into Citrus County's quieter backroads, where the landscape softens into rolling pastures, moss-draped oaks, and the crystalline spring-fed waterways that define this corner of the Nature Coast. As you approach Dunnellon, the suburban sprawl falls away entirely, replaced by the unhurried rhythm of Old Florida, and the final turn onto the club grounds feels less like an arrival than a gentle retreat into a world where time moves at the pace of the Rainbow River itself.
FAQ
Common questions about Rainbow Springs
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Rainbow Springs was designed by Joe Lee.
Yes. Rainbow Springs is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Rainbow Springs is 72.
Rainbow Springs plays 6,721 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Rainbow Springs is 121.
Rainbow Springs is a 18-hole course.



