Disney’s Palm Golf Course

Disney’s Palm Golf Course is one of the three 18-hole championship courses of Walt Disney World Golf, the golf operation of the Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida. It sits a short distance from the Magic Kingdom, beside Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and the nine-hole Oak Trail, on the grounds of the Shades of Green resort. The course gives its address as 1950 West Magnolia Palm Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830; on the map, the land lies within Bay Lake, in Orange County. Since 2011 the resort’s courses have been run by Arnold Palmer Golf Management under a 20-year agreement with Disney, according to the golf operation’s own history page.

The Palm is a par 72. The course’s own scorecard, dated October 2024, gives four sets of tees: Blue at 6,840 yards (rating 73.3, slope 134), White at 6,359 yards (71.0 and 130), Yellow at 5,988 yards (69.1 and 125) and Red at 5,200 yards (70.1 and 126). The course lists nine holes with water hazards and 59 bunkers, and describes itself in a single line: shimmering lakes, tropical sands, palm trees and sloping greens.

The original design is credited to Joe Lee, the Florida architect who also laid out the Magnolia next door. Most sources date the course to 1971, the year the resort opened; one course-ranking site gives 1970. In the summer of 2013 the course was redesigned by the Arnold Palmer Design Company. According to the course, that work began on June 10, 2013, took about six months and produced entirely new green complexes, reshaped tees and a completely new bunker layout. The course adds that the renovation was named Renovation of the Year in the resort category by Golf Inc. magazine.

A PGA Tour course from the first year

The Palm has been part of tournament golf since the resort’s opening season. The golf operation’s history page recounts that in September 1971, a few weeks before Walt Disney World opened, the resort’s marketing director was asked to set up a PGA Tour event, and that Arnold Palmer, who had just bought Bay Hill nearby, agreed to help launch it. The Walt Disney World Golf Classic was played on the Palm and the Magnolia together. Jack Nicklaus won the first three editions, from 1971 to 1973, and Tiger Woods won in 1996 and 1999.

According to Wikipedia’s article on the tournament, the event used both courses from 1971 until it ended in 2012, when the title sponsor did not renew and no replacement was found. The same article reports the view, heard on a 2006 telecast, that the Palm was the prettier of the two courses and had the better greens. When the tournament moved to cable in 2007, the Golf Channel covered only the Magnolia, with highlights sent in from the Palm. The clubhouse the two courses share still has a Champions Room with plaques for every winner of the event, and a travel blog notes that tee signs on the Palm carry facts about past champions.

The Palm also had a moment in the national rankings. A course-ranking site says it appeared on an all-comers list of the top 100 courses in the United States in the early 1980s. That site also describes the 18th as the toughest hole on the course and says it ranked fourth among the hardest holes on the PGA Tour. The page does not say in which season, and the description predates the 2013 redesign, so it is best read as history rather than as a guide to the hole today.

What it asks of you

The Palm is the shorter of Disney’s two historic championship courses, well behind the Magnolia, which the golf operation lists at up to 7,505 yards. Length is not its main defense. The course is laid out through Florida woodland, with palms lining most holes, and the golf is about keeping the ball on the correct side of water and sand. Water touches half the holes, the greens slope, and the Palm’s own description presents the course as a test for novices and seasoned players alike. At 134 from the Blue tees, the slope is well above the level of a gentle holiday course; from the Yellow tees, at just under 6,000 yards, it drops to 125.

Here is the card from the course’s own scorecard, Blue tees first, with the White, Yellow and Red yardages in brackets and the men’s stroke index:

• 1st: par 5, 494 yards (479, 455, 406), index 11.
• 2nd: par 4, 423 yards (389, 371, 323), index 3.
• 3rd: par 3, 175 yards (165, 144, 105), index 13.
• 4th: par 4, 402 yards (329, 308, 289), index 17.
• 5th: par 4, 394 yards (374, 358, 312), index 7.
• 6th: par 4, 404 yards (383, 361, 299), index 1.
• 7th: par 5, 514 yards (494, 480, 406), index 5.
• 8th: par 3, 203 yards (182, 139, 117), index 9.
• 9th: par 4, 369 yards (352, 338, 324), index 15.
• 10th: par 4, 448 yards (422, 379, 287), index 4.
• 11th: par 5, 552 yards (531, 514, 420), index 10.
• 12th: par 3, 144 yards (135, 123, 104), index 18.
• 13th: par 4, 334 yards (322, 296, 261), index 6.
• 14th: par 5, 532 yards (435, 405, 392), index 8.
• 15th: par 4, 411 yards (397, 387, 335), index 12.
• 16th: par 3, 188 yards (169, 161, 139), index 16.
• 17th: par 4, 395 yards (362, 346, 302), index 14.
• 18th: par 4, 458 yards (439, 423, 379), index 2.

The front nine measures 3,378 yards from the Blue tees and the back nine 3,462. The round opens gently, with a par 5 under 500 yards that a course guide calls a birdie chance, its elevated green guarded by a deep bunker on the left. The 2nd, at 423 yards, is already the third-hardest hole on the card.

The 6th is the hole most sources single out. It carries stroke index 1 on the official card. The course guide describes water down the left side and in front of the green, which calls for a precise approach, and two travel bloggers who have written about their rounds both mention that water, one of them because it caught his ball.

The back nine holds the longest hole, the 11th at 552 yards, and the shortest, the 12th, a par 3 of 144 yards that a golf travel site describes as ringed by four bunkers. The 13th, a par 4 of 334 yards, is short enough to tempt, yet it is ranked the sixth-hardest hole. The 16th, a par 3 of 188 yards, asks for a tee shot over water, according to the same travel site.

The 18th is the finishing test. At 458 yards it is the longest par 4 on the card and carries stroke index 2. The course guide calls it one of the best finishing holes in the area, with length as its main challenge and water crossing in front of an elevated green; a travel blogger describes it as long and narrow, with water in front. The older description on the course-ranking site adds water tight on the right of the green and four bunkers on the left.

What golfers are saying

As a resort course that has been open to the public for more than half a century, the Palm has a large body of online reviews, on travel review sites, booking platforms, golf apps and personal golf blogs. The points below summarize what recurs in that material. They are other people’s opinions, not ours; nobody from Panxis has played the course, and we name and quote no one.

What comes up in its favor

• The setting is the most frequent compliment: palms, lakes and woodland, with a secluded feel even though the course sits in the middle of the resort.
• The layout is praised as thoughtful and varied, with holes of different lengths and hazards placed to reward accuracy, and several reviewers find it playable for mid-handicappers.
• Greens and bunkers are often described as well kept, and many reviews speak of good overall conditioning since the 2013 redesign.
• The service and the Disney touches come up often: friendly staff, easy online booking, themed refreshment carts, the tournament history on display and the 18-hole putting course next to the clubhouse.
• Wildlife is part of the memory for many visitors, alligators among them.
• Some golfers who have played both prefer the Palm to the Magnolia, finding it more tranquil and more interesting as it winds through the woods.

What comes up against

• Price is the most common reservation: many visitors find the greens fee high and do not always feel the value matches it.
• Pace of play is mixed. Some rounds move well, but several reviewers report slow play at busy times, with rounds of five hours or more.
• Conditions are not rated evenly. Some reviewers report slow greens, bare patches around greens or a course in only average shape, and at least one blogger found it a step below the Magnolia.
• The water is felt. Reviewers who struggle there mention the 6th and the 18th, and some describe the undulating greens as hard to putt.
• Walking is not an option: carts are mandatory on the championship courses.

How to play it

The Palm is open to the public, not only to guests of Disney hotels. Tee times can be booked online through the golf operation’s site, where public and resort guests can reserve up to 90 days ahead, or by phone with the Golf Master Starter at (407) WDW-GOLF, that is (407) 939-4653. Reservations are highly recommended but not required: walk-ups are accommodated when possible, and singles and twosomes have the best chance.

The course pairs golfers into foursomes whenever practical. A single golfer can only book alongside an existing twosome or threesome, and no tee time takes more than four players; a group of five is booked as a threesome and a twosome. Golfers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before their tee time. Tee times must be cancelled, or party sizes reduced, at least 24 hours ahead to avoid a possible charge. Rain checks are issued for rounds interrupted by weather or an emergency, pro-rated by holes played; they do not expire, but they are valid only at the facility that issued them.

The course is a non-metal-spike facility. Men wear collared polo shirts, turtlenecks or mock turtlenecks with slacks or Bermuda-length shorts; women may also wear other suitable shirts or blouses, and skirts. Denim is not allowed. Each player must carry their own bag and clubs, as club sharing is not permitted.

Carts and facilities

A cart is included in the greens fee and is mandatory on all three championship courses; golfers who want to walk are pointed to Oak Trail, the nine-hole walking course. Carts carry GPS with hole diagrams, yardages and pin positions, seat two players, and come with a small cooler. Disney character-themed four-seat carts are available for families, and SoloRider single-rider carts can be arranged for golfers with limited mobility. Drivers must be at least 16 and hold a valid license. Babies and toddlers are not allowed on the course, and neither are strollers, wagons or personal carts. Personal coolers are not allowed either; roving refreshment carts serve drinks and sandwiches, and comfort stations have ice machines and water fountains.

The Palm has a practice putting green and a driving range, and PGA instructors give 45-minute private lessons to juniors and adults. The pro shop shared by the Palm, the Magnolia and Oak Trail rents TaylorMade clubs for men, women and juniors, in right- and left-handed models, as well as golf shoes, and can store clubs overnight. The clubhouse has men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers, free of charge. Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Deli, a snack bar with a patio, sits by the Magnolia putting green a short walk away. Next to the clubhouse, the Greatest Green Ever Played, an 18-hole putting course launched in 2024, is free for anyone with a putter and a ball, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

Getting there

From Interstate 4 or Route 192, follow the signs toward the Magic Kingdom, keep to the far left lane at the Magic Kingdom toll plaza and follow the signs to the Palm, Magnolia and Oak Trail courses at the Shades of Green resort. Every golfer needs photo identification to enter the Shades of Green grounds. Parking at the course is free, and so is the passage through the auto plaza on the way. Guests of select Disney-owned hotels can ask for a complimentary taxi at the valet or bell desk, and the pro shop can call one for the return. The walkway from Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has been closed since May 1, 2023, because of construction, so its guests are directed to the taxi service. The course also warns that alligators, snakes and other wildlife live around its waterways, and that feeding them is both unsafe and illegal.

Green fees and when to go

The golf operation does not publish a fixed rate card. Greens fees vary by season, day of the week and time of day, with weekdays and afternoons normally cheaper than weekends and mornings. For 2026 and 2027 it lists winter, from January 8 to March 21, as peak season, with savings of about 20% in the fall and spring and about 40% in summer. Juniors under 18 and same-day replays get 25% off the applicable adult rate, Florida residents 25% off, and Disney Vacation Club members, annual passholders, U.S. military members and AAA Diamond participants 15% off. Twilight and super twilight rates run about 45% and 60% below the morning rate, with start times that shift through the year; they guarantee at least nine holes before dark. Booking directly with the course carries no booking fee. The actual price for a given day appears only when you search for a tee time. See the course’s own rates page.

How this page was made

The factual frame comes from public sources: OpenStreetMap for the location, and a reverse geocoding of its coordinates for the municipality; the Walt Disney World Golf website for the address, the description of the course, the tee yardages, ratings and slopes, the 2013 redesign, the carts, facilities, booking and cancellation rules, dress code, directions and rate structure; the course’s scorecard, dated October 2024, for the hole-by-hole card and stroke indexes; the same site’s history page for the origins of the tournament, the Palmer management agreement and the renovation award; Wikipedia’s article on the Walt Disney World Golf Classic for the tournament’s span and the comparison between the two courses; Wikidata for the identifiers; a course guide and a golf travel site for the hole descriptions; the Top 100 Golf Courses site for the 1980s ranking and the older description of the 18th; the TeeOff and Golf Orlando booking sites and the 18Birdies and Hole19 apps for comparison cards.

Where sources disagree, we say so. Lengths vary widely: booking and app sources give the back tees as 6,870, 6,945, 6,957 or 7,010 yards, with ratings from 71.9 to 73.7 and slopes from 131 to 138; we follow the course’s own 6,840-yard card. The course guide counts 94 bunkers where the course counts 59. The official scorecard prints a 5 as the par of the 17th, a 395-yard hole, although the same card totals 36 for the back nine and 72 for the round; the app card shows a par 4, which is consistent with those totals, so this page lists it as a par 4. One ranking site dates the course to 1970, where the others give 1971. The claim about the 18th among the hardest holes on the PGA Tour comes from a single undated source and predates the redesign.

The opinion section summarizes reviews on travel review sites, booking platforms, golf apps and personal golf blogs, read in September 2026. We report recurring themes rather than individual voices, and we reproduce no quotations. Nobody from Panxis has played or visited this course, and this page is no substitute for a round.

The course has not paid for this page, has not seen it before publication and has no say over its content. This page contains no commercial link and earns us no commission. If you know the course and something here is wrong or out of date, write to us and we will correct it.

Other courses nearby

Closest to this one in our United States directory:

• LPGA International — 62 mi
• Daytona Beach Golf Club — 65 mi
• TPC Sawgrass — 125 mi
• Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach — 150 mi