General Golf Information
Courses
Five golf courses grace Walt Disney World. They
vary in difficulty from Oak Trail, a nine-hole
"executive" course, to the intermediate Magnolia,
Palm, and Lake
Buena Vista courses (designed by Joe Lee), and on to the more difficult
Osprey Ridge (Tom Fazio) and
Eagle Pines (Pete Dye) courses. Each is meticulously maintained...and
each is quite expensive (but worth the dollars if you're an aficionado
of the game.
The Lake Buena Vista
course hosts the first three rounds of the National Car Rental Classic
(formerly the Disney / Oldsmobile Golf Classic) in mid-October of each
year (the 14th-22nd in 2001). The tournament wraps up on the Magnolia
course for the final round.
Best Time to Golf
First few months of the year (January-April) is prime
time for golf, since the temperatures are not yet stifling. Off
season is May-October.
The fewest guests seem to golf on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Perhaps this is because the weekends are busier with locals and the
later part of the week sees more vacationers (since they've spent some
time in the parks already). Late morning and late afternoon are
the lull times during any given day.
That being the case, you may want to shoot for mid-year,
early in the week, and late morning and afternoon tee times.
Rates
Greens fees vary depending on the season and time of day.
Not surprisingly, the lowest cost round can be had during off season
in the late afternoon.
In general, the prices for a round at the five major courses
will run:
-
$90-$160 for WDW resort guests
-
$95-$165 for day visitors
-
$53-$80 Twilight (after 3:00pm)
While nine holes at Oak Trail will cost:
All greens fees include the use of a cart (which is required
on all of the 18-hole courses).
Equipment Rental
Clubs can be rented for less than $50 (but with photo
identification and a hefty $500 deposit on a major credit card).
Lessons
Greens fees vary depending on the season and time of day.
Not surprisingly, the lowest cost round can be had during off season
in the late afternoon.
Reservations
Tee times, reservations for pro-taught lessons, and arrangements
for equipment rental (with a huge deposit) can be made by calling (407)
WDW-GOLF (939-4653).
WDW resort guests can make tee time reservations up to
90 days ahead. Others can do so only 30 days ahead. All
are guaranteed with a major credit card. Cancellations must be
made at least 48 hours prior to the tee time.
Other Contacts
There's a whole page of phone
numbers for the pro shops, lessons, and other golf-related information
in the Phone Directory section of the trip planning guide.
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