In light of his Bay Hill Invitational tournament this past weekend, today I’m going to explain how you can meet Arnold Palmer himself.
I’m not talking about merely “seeing” him amidst a crowd — I’m talking about shaking the man’s hand, chatting with him, and maybe even having your picture taken with him.
Some of you are going to shrug this off as a come-on.
But those of you who keep reading will be rewarded, as you’re going to find out the surprisingly easy way that anyone can meet The King.
So, read on if you’re interested in a golf experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Read more →
This is the time of year when things wind down for PGA Tour players.
For those trying to earn a spot on the PGA Tour, however, it’s probably the most intense time of their lives.
This intensity is due to the PGA Tour National Qualifying Tournament, or Q-School, the three-stage, weeding-out process that culminates on December 6.
The venue for the finals of this pressure cooker has been moving around in recent years, and this year it’s being played on a couple courses you’ve probably played – or will likely have the chance to play – very soon. Read more →
You can now play the world's first Waldorf Astoria golf course on Florida golf vacations.
I wonder if any of the guys playing in the PGA Tour’s Disney World event this week are staying at the nearby Waldorf Astoria.
Yes, that Waldorf Astoria. Sort of.
The first extension of the hotel outside of New York City opened last month in Orlando, Florida of all places, and with it, the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, the first golf facility to carry the esteemed brand’s name. Read more →
The elevation changes and free-formed bunkers of the 17th at Sugarloaf Mountain is a prime example of how this layout is different from other Orlando golf courses.
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw may have just raised the bar on Orlando golf courses. Sugarloaf Mountain (themountain.cc; 866-936-4455), their first design in Florida, was unveiled last month in the Lake Apopka region, about 40 minutes from downtown Orlando.
This expansive track, which plays 7,126 yards from the tips, rambles over remarkably hilly terrain (unique for Orlando golf courses) and features distant vistas of the Orlando skyline. It’s yet another example of the strategic, naturalistic, and minimalist style that has become the duo’s trademark (think Sand Hills, Friar’s Head, and Bandon Trails). Read more →
Magnolia (above) and Palm are the best Disney golf courses to play on a Florida golf vacation.
Well, this is it; the last tournament of the PGA Tour season and the last chance for players “on the bubble” to play their way in to the top 125 spots on the money list, thus securing a PGA Tour card for next season.
It seems odd that such a do-or-die event would be held at Walt Disney World and its Orlando golf courses, a fun-filled Florida golf vacation spot for families, but for those players who succeed in what might feel like their version of winning the Superbowl, “going to Disney World” afterward will be extremely convenient. Read more →
The villas offer privacy and seclusion.
Set back a bit from all the highways, cookie-cutter hotels and restaurant chains, the Grand Cypress Resort is one of the best places to stay and play while on an Orlando, Florida golf vacation.
If you have the chance to stay there on your Florida golf vacation, take it. But, be aware that the resort offers two very different lodging options, a high-rise hotel and low-rise villas, located about a mile apart from one another. Read more →
The water-laden Palm course is Disney's best.
With only two fewer golf holes than Dalmatians in its famous film, the Walt Disney World Resort certainly provides plenty of options on a Florida golf vacation. But if you want to play Disney’s best, make a tee time at the Palm course.
The Palm is part of Disney’s largest golf complex (there are three) and each year it co-hosts with the Magnolia course the PGA Tour’s Funai Classic. Read more →
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill in Orlando is no Mickey-Mouse course.
Arnold Palmer made a second career out of lending his name and likeness to many, many products, but he never lent it to just any products. Whether it was grass seed or gold watches, quality was always in common.
So, it should come as no surprise that the resort he chose to purchase, stamp with his name, and make his winter home is nothing short of spectacular. Located just a stone’s throw from Walt Disney World, the Bay Hill Club & Lodge includes the best Orlando-area golf course you can play on a Florida golf vacation.
Even though it lacks distinctive landforms (like so many other Orlando golf courses,) the Championship course here (there’s also a nine-hole Charger course) immediately exudes an aura of formidability due to the King connection and its annual hosting of the PGA Tour’s Bay Hill Invitational. Read more →
