The Old Rolling Hills Golf Course Near Orlando Is Becoming a Park: Here's What's Being Built

By Brenden Rendo, Realtor · Updated October 24, 2026

A pond on the old Rolling Hills course, with the new trail being graded along its right side. Drone photo: Brenden Rendo, October 2026.

There's a golf course just north of Orlando that opened in 1926, and Seminole County calls it one of the first golf courses established in Florida. It's Rolling Hills, in unincorporated Longwood. It closed in 2014, the county bought all 98 acres in 2018, and as of this fall the bulldozers are finally out there turning it into Rolling Hills Community Park. I flew my drone over it this week. Here's what's being built, who's building it, and what it means if you live nearby or are shopping for a home in Longwood.

Watch: a drone look at the trail work, October 2026

From a 1926 golf course to a county park

Rolling Hills was an 18-hole course of about 98 acres, established in 1926. Seminole County's 2016 management plan for the property calls it one of the first golf courses established in Florida. It was sold to a new owner in 2014 and closed in June of that year.

The county bought the property on August 31, 2018. Plans for the park went through a County Commission work session in October 2020 and a county project update in June 2023, and in January 2026 the Commission approved the construction budget that got the first phase moving.

What Phase 1 includes

The centerpiece is the trail. Per the county's January 2026 agenda item, Phase 1 builds:

• A four-mile multipurpose trail, 12 feet wide, for walkers, runners and bicyclists, with pedestrian connections from the neighborhood around the park.
• Three pavilions with solar lighting.
• A boardwalk pier and a switchback walkway.

The contractor's stormwater pollution prevention plan, prepared in June 2026, fills in more of the site work. It lists trailheads, a pier in Lake Jeanette, sidewalks, the multi-use trails, changes to the existing stormwater system, parking areas, and graded pads for a playground, a restroom building, a shade pavilion and a storage building. A graded pad is the prepared ground a structure would sit on, so treat that list as what the site is being readied for, not a promise of every building in Phase 1. The Phase 1 construction budget the county approved does not include a playground line.

The trail route cut through the old fairways, with silt fence on both sides. Drone photo: Brenden Rendo, October 2026.

Who's building it, and what's happening on the ground now

The general contractor is Mack Contracting, LLC. Its stormwater pollution prevention plan, prepared by CMS Environmental Solutions of Florida, puts the project area at about 47.4 acres, all of it expected to be disturbed during construction. The plan lists two St. Johns River Water Management District permits: one for the Rolling Hills area roadways, held by Seminole County Public Works, and one for the park, held by the Board of County Commissioners.

The contractor's activity log shows the work starting in earnest this fall:

• September 24, 2026: silt fence installed.
• October 1, 2026: mass grading started.

The plan's construction sequence runs in three stages: perimeter erosion controls, then demolition of the old cart paths, milling of the roadway, and clearing and grading; then underground utilities, changes to the stormwater ponds, and paving along North Street and in the parking areas; then final stabilization with sod and seed. That matches what the drone footage shows right now: the trail route cut through the old fairways in bare dirt, lined on both sides with black silt fence.

Timeline and cost

One date to read carefully: the contractor's stormwater plan lists an estimated completion of June 2031. That date sets how long the state stormwater permit coverage may need to run, and the plan itself says the schedule will vary. The county's own target for substantially finishing the park is July 2027.

Road work: North Street and the Nelson and Nebraska roundabout

This isn't only a park project. The roadway side covers North Street, where the stormwater plan says the work is meant to improve traffic safety and drainage, and the county reports utility relocation under way there now. The county also has Nelson Avenue and Nebraska Avenue closed through spring 2027 so a new roundabout can be built. If your commute runs through that corner of Longwood, plan around it for the next several months.

What it means if you live near Rolling Hills, or want to

For the homes around the old course, the view out the back is changing from fenced-off fairways to a county park with a trail, pavilions and a pier. When Phase 1 is done, the plan gives the neighborhood a four-mile walking and biking trail with paths in from the surrounding streets.

During construction, expect equipment on site and detours while North Street and the Nelson and Nebraska intersection are being rebuilt. If you're shopping in the area, drive the streets around the park at the times you'd actually commute, so you see the detours as they are today.

If you want to see what's for sale around Rolling Hills right now, start with every home for sale in Longwood or the 32750 zip code page. For the bigger picture on the town, read Living in Longwood, FL: who it fits, and who should look elsewhere, and for the rest of the county, the Seminole County zip code hub.

Rolling Hills Community Park FAQ

When will Rolling Hills Community Park open?

Seminole County's target is to substantially finish Phase 1 by July 2027. The county has not published an opening date, and construction dates can move.

Can I walk the Rolling Hills property now?

No. The property is closed during construction, and the county says trespassing is enforced.

Who is building Rolling Hills Community Park?

Mack Contracting, LLC is the contractor on the Rolling Hills Community Park Trail and North Street Improvements project. Its stormwater plan was prepared by CMS Environmental Solutions of Florida.

How much does the Rolling Hills park project cost?

The Seminole County Commission approved $20,360,224 for design and construction on January 27, 2026.

Thinking about buying or selling near Rolling Hills? Call or text me at 407-616-9019, or browse Longwood homes for sale. I track what's being built around Orlando every week.

Sources: Seminole County, Rolling Hills Community Park and Roadway Improvements project page (October 2026); Seminole County Board of County Commissioners agenda item 2025-1105 (January 27, 2026) and its GMP attachment; Rolling Hills management plan (2016); Seminole County 2018 annual report; Mack Contracting, LLC stormwater pollution prevention plan and land development activities log, prepared by CMS Environmental Solutions of Florida (June 2026, log updated October 1, 2026).