What are the best Disney golf courses?

In this blog post we explore some of the best Disney golf courses that are out there. This includes four Disney golf courses in Orlando and one Disney golf course in Paris.

Everyone will agree, the magic of Walt Disney is something special to behold, especially if you have young kids. 

But if you’re anything like me, there will also come a point where you’ll want to escape for a few hours to have some quiet time! And where better than off to a golf course.

Here we look at your options when going on a golf trip to Disney or more likely, a family holiday to Disney. There isn’t a huge choice of Disney golf courses, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the quality on offer.

Disney golf courses ranked

1. Disney’s Palm Golf Course

To kick off our list of the best Disney golf courses, is Disney’s Palm Golf Course. It is located right next to the main Walt Disney resort off Floridian way.

The Palm was one of the two original golf courses to have opened at Walt Disney World alongside the Magnolia course. This was back in 1970 and the course was designed by the well respected Joe Lee. 

The routing runs south into dense Florida wetlands where there really is nothing but golf and nature. Within this routing are some really attractive holes with a good variety and strategy play. 

You’ll experience vast lakes with numerous approach shots having water in play. Add to that some 59 bunkers and you’ll come to realize this is no pushover layout.

More recently in 2013, the course underwent a complete redesign led by the Arnold Palmer Design company. Green complexes were rebuilt, tees reshaped and most bunkers modernized. This was a major project and has given the Palm course a much needed injection of life.

2. Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course

The second ranked Disney golf course is the Magnolia Golf Course. Located at the same place as the Palm and the nine-hole Oak Trail, it was the second of the two original courses to open here.

Like the Palm, it was designed by Joe Lee, who had a very successful career as a golf course architect. In fact, across Lee’s 40 year career he was responsible for around one hundred new golf course designs and many more course renovations.

The Magnolia Golf Course is a great test of golf and alongside the Palm, is considered one of the toughest courses onsite. From the back tees, the Blacks, it measures a whopping 7,560 yards. 

Hitting from the tee boxes, there are relatively generous landing areas. But being driver friendly is really where the course stops being welcoming! A myriad of bunkers, water hazards on 11 of the 18 holes and large undulating green complexes are constant challenges. 

Fortunately the landscape is a delight, with the beautiful magnolia trees lining many of the fairways. Furthermore, it was certified by Audubon International as a Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary. This really is pleasing on the eye.

Like Disney’s Palm Course, the Magnolia Course enjoyed an extensive renovation, albeit more recently in 2022. This was again led by the Arnold Palmer Design team.

This new lease of life has elevated the Magnolia golf course into a must play when visiting Walt Disney. 

3. Disney’s Golf Paris Val d’Europe

In third place, we hop over the Atlantic to a Disney golf course in Paris, Disney’s Golf Paris Val d’Europe. 

The course is located just to the east of Paris close to a town called Magny-le-Hongre. It is no more than a five minute drive from Disneyland Paris, albeit a good hour from central Paris. 

With 27 holes onsite, this is a decent golf course. It was designed by the American Ronald Fream, so unsurprisingly it has a very American parkland style. Wide expansive fairways which are beautifully manicured, with large, oftentimes obnoxiously intrusive bunkers.

Funnily enough, there aren’t actually that many bunkers on the course. But a large number of them are huge! It’s very unlikely you won’t end up in one. A good example of this is the par-3 sixth hole, where the green is surrounded by one large bunker, and can only be accessed via two wooden boardwalks. 

Plenty of water comes into play with a number of shots needing to carry the wet stuff. This is no simple walk in the park. 

But nor is it too challenging. Fream was clearly catering to all levels of golfer, although with a number of tee boxes to choose from, you make this as challenging as you wish. 

Of the 27 holes, the Rouge (Red) and Bleu (Blue) are considered the more challenging for better golfers. From the back tee boxes, this combination is just shy of 6,600 yards.

4. Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course

There are four Disney golf courses in Orlando and Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is the most recent. Opening slightly later than both the Palm and Magnolia, it was also designed by Joe Lee.

Unlike those aforementioned courses, the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is located a five minute drive away at Disney Springs. The layout meanders through various other Disney locations adding to the surreal Disney experience.

As you’d come to expect with Florida golf, there is ample water in play and at times, some pretty tight fairways. This is maybe why from the back tees the course measures a modest 6,745 yards.

Alongside the shimmering lakes, the character of the layout is largely made up of serene pine forests and dense palmettos. One thing we can agree on is that Disney golf courses are all aesthetically pleasing.

It is another course to have been certified by Audubon International as a Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary. 

That said, although this really is a resort course, it does have a competition pedigree. In years gone by the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course hosted the PGA Tour as well as events with the LPGA Tour. 

See also: What are the best golf courses in Orlando?

5. Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course

Last on our list of Disney golf courses and another Disney golf course in Orlando, is the Oak Trail Golf Course.

Unlike the other golf courses on this list all having a minimum of 18-holes, Oak Trail is only a 9-hole golf course. But this is a course which has clearly been built for the enjoyment of beginner golfers and is absolutely perfect for families. 

Firstly the length of the course, which from the back tees (the Whites) is just shy of 3,000 yards. But if you were to play from the Red tees, this reduces down to 1,713 yards. So Oak Trail is very accessible to junior and less capable golfers.

Secondly, as this is a course where no golf carts are allowed, there are very few if any elevations. It is a very easy and flat walk. 

But it is also a very enjoyable one! The elegant and verdant surroundings are all the same Audubon International certified Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary as mentioned earlier talking about the Magnolia golf course.

If you are playing with young kids, make sure you  get them to spot the mickey shaped bunker next to the green on the 9th hole!

Have your say!

What is the best Disney golf course?

The best Disney golf course is Disney’s Palm Golf Course. It is located at the Walt Disney World Resort Golf just off Floridian Way and close to the Magical Kingdom. It was designed by Joe Lee and opened for play in 1970.

What are the Disney golf prices?

Like the prices to stay at Walt Disney World, there are so many influencing factors on your final price. 

These include the season you are traveling (high season, low season etc), which course you decide to play, what day you play and even what time you play that day. 

There are also a variety of different prices based on whether you are a resort guest, a Disney Vacation Club Member, a Florida resident, so on and so forth. 

For a full selection of Disney golf course prices, I would suggest visiting the official Disney golf webpage

If you know you want to play golf before you travel, you can likely add a green fee to your overall package rate. This would be the most cost-effective way to do it.

Is there a Disney golf dress code?

This is not a private golf club or stuffy member-focused environment. The whole atmosphere at Disney’s golf courses is relaxed and informal. These are public golf courses ultimately.

Nevertheless, there is a dress code in place to ensure some degree of decorum is followed. There would be nothing worse than having booked a round of golf and being turned away.

Men are expected to wear a polo-style shirt which has a collar. Turtlenecks or mock turtleneck shirts are accepted as are slacks and Bermuda shorts. 

For women, it is similar in as much as a collared polo-style shirt or blouse. Slacks, skirts or Bermuda-lengths shorts are all accepted.

Generally, the rules are quite relaxed as long as you are not wearing jeans, sport’s jerseys or short shorts. 

You would also be expected to have golf shoes and not trainers or flip flops/sandals.