A vacation full of holes

Disney Golf
© Disney

Disney World Resort offers a handful of top-notch golf courses

By Tom Wuckovich

Who would have ever dreamed that you could play real golf at Disney World?

One could imagine hitting through the open-and-shut gates of a castle, or having a moat as a water hazard, or even putting between the legs of a storybook character. But championship golf at any of four top-notch golf courses and one family range? That's a dream come true for any golfer.

While it may be somewhat surprising to learn that Disney World Resort has five golf courses open to the public, it's not surprising—given Disney's commitment to quality—that these courses are of championship caliber and designed by two of golf's most noted architects, Joe Lee and Tom Fazio.

With a total of 81 holes on the 40-square-mile Orlando property, Disney operates one of the largest golf resorts in the country. And its efforts haven't gone unnoticed. The resort was one of 25 earning a gold medal designation in the 2004 edition of Golf Magazine's biennial evaluation of America's greatest resorts; was among the top 75 golf resorts in America as selected by Golf Digest in 2002; and among Condé Nast Traveler's top 75 golf resorts in the world, also in 2002.

Before delving into what makes these courses so magical (to use a popular Disney word), it should also be noted that Audubon International designated the courses as "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries," meaning they are environmentally friendly. It is not uncommon to see wildlife such as deer crossing the fairways or spotting more "birdies" around the layouts than the ones produced by golfers.

The PGA also has recognized the quality of Disney courses, bestowing upon the Magnolia and Palm courses a PGA tour event every year since 1971. In addition, the Disney World Resort hosts more than 400 other tournaments, camps and clinics each year.

Here's a quick peek at each course.

Magnolia

This course has two distinctions: it's long on history and yardage. Designed by Joe Lee, the Magnolia opened in 1971—coincidentally on the same morning as the Magic Kingdom—and measures 7,516 yards from tips (pro tees) to greens. More than 300 yards were added to the Magnolia in 2005 during a second makeover that challenges today's longer hitters.

This typical Florida course features 1,500 magnolia trees and winds through 175 acres of wetlands. Ninety-seven bunkers include one on the par-3 No. 6 hole that's shaped like you know who! This famous "mouse trap" is just one of the hazards golfers should avoid. Water comes into play on 11 holes and the greens, redone with TifEagle Bermuda grass, are fast in dry weather.

While the course has a pro feel to it, amateur golfers shouldn't be scared off, says head professional Kevin Weickel. "Fifty weeks of the year, our courses are played by amateur golfers," Weickel said. "They were originally designed with that in mind."

Palm

Another Joe Lee product, the Palm, puts a premium on hitting true. Errant shots are most likely to end up in a water hazard—the Palm has plenty of those to encourage golfers to keep it in the fairway. Water comes into play on nine holes.

The No. 6, 412-yard par-4 hole is a good example of what golfers encounter on the Palm. There is water left off the tee, water fronting the green on approach and a thick forest on the right, demanding careful club selection and a good swing. The Palm may be shorter than the Magnolia, but it's also tighter and requires more precise shots. The No. 6 hole carries the number one handicap rating.

Hole No. 18, a long par-4 to a small, forward-sloping green, is tough on everyone, including the pros. The hole has ranked among the 10 toughest holes on the entire PGA tour four times since 1986.

Lake Buena Vista

High handicappers and amateurs out for just a good time will gravitate to the Lake Buena Vista course, Joe Lee's third contribution to the Disney golf offerings. Styled in a classic country club setting combining thick Florida forests and Walt Disney World Resort residential areas, Lake Buena Vista is barely 6,800 yards from the back tees and less than 5,200 yards from the front tees.

"The course has a different feel to it," said Steve Harker, manager of golf sales and performance. "Vacation club owners consider it their home course, like their country club away from home."

Although the course is short, it can challenge anyone's game. The combination of dense pine forests, narrow fairways, thick Bermuda grass in the rough and small, well-bunkered greens make this course a full-fledged challenge requiring accurate shot-making. Out-of-bounds markers also give it an added dimension of difficulty.

Osprey Ridge

The 7,101-yard resort course is a masterful layout designed and engineered by Tom Fazio. Osprey Ridge features uncharacteristic rolling hills with water, dense vegetation, oak forests and moss hammocks as a backdrop. It's not uncommon to see deer at the edge of the woods, rabbits scurrying across the fairways and greens and raccoons along the water's edge washing their food.

One of the challenges for a resort course designer is to create a layout that would prove an equal test for the expert and the player with lesser ability. Osprey Ridge succeeds in that arena, from the positioning of tee boxes to the choices the player can make regarding which route to take from tee to green—especially on the holes where water is a factor.

Fazio's design utilizes the existing land patterns to their fullest potential while preserving all of the adjacent wetlands and other natural areas. More than 70 strategically placed bunkers, mounds and a meandering ridge that runs the length of the course provide interesting obstacles, banking and elevation changes.

Oak Trail

This is a nine-hole family course where beginners can learn the game and seasoned golfers can enjoy a unique challenge. An added benefit is reasonable greens fees. The family-play, par-36 layout measures 2,552 yards from the back tees and features fairways lined with majestic oak trees.

"On this course, golfers have a chance to use every club in their bag," Weickel commented. "It's a great area for the developing golfer to learn the game, and for the experienced player to hone his skills."

Tom Wuckovich is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and recently returned to full-time freelance travel writing.