Course review Archives • GolfStinks

Stinky Golfer Greg at Disney's Palm Golf Course — Stinky Golfer Greg at Disney’s Palm Golf Course

You’ve planned for months; figured out all the logistics; got the flights, hotel and transportation squared-away; and prepped the kids. You’ve even spent time booking fast passes for all the best rides ahead of time. Walt Disney World, here you come!

Now just one thing remains in the back of your mind – should you try and play golf while you’re there? I mean, you might be able to sneak-out early one morning and squeeze in a round. But would it be worth the effort? After all, there’s a few championship courses right in Disney. You could tee-off around 7 or 8 and be meeting-up with the rest of the family for lunch in the Magic Kingdom by noon.

Well, about a week and a half ago, I did just that. My wife and I plus the two kids were in Orlando on a 4-day trip to Walt Disney World. And, being that the golf season was pretty much over up here in the northeast, I decided to play golf one of the mornings down in balmy Florida (not to mention the Disney World courses looked pretty good on the website).

After looking over all the options, I decided to play Disney’s Palm Golf Course – mainly because it was just remodeled last year. In addition, it’s operated by Arnold Palmer Golf Management and received a 4-star rating by Golf Digest. Plus greens fees are the same at all the courses – $100 (which includes a cart). Of course having to pack all the gear for the kiddies meant it was too much of a hassle to drag my clubs along too…so, I had to rent at the course, which added another $50 to my fees. So I knew going in this would be at least a $150 investment.

With an 8:04 tee-time, I planned to meet my family around noon at the Magic Kingdom. I arrived at the clubhouse (which serves for both the Palm and Magnolia courses) around 7:30 on a very chilly morning (around 48 degrees) – so much for that balmy Florida weather! The staff was very friendly (was even greeted with the line; “Welcome to the happiest place on earth…for golf”) and they let me head out to the first tee about 20 minutes early.

Surprisingly, they didn’t pair me up with anyone, which, when I made my reservations, they said would most assuredly happen. Nevertheless, I teed-off and headed out on my own. By the third, I had caught up with the gent ahead of me (also alone) and we paired up. Our twosome turned to a threesome a couple holes later when yet another single caught up to us. The three of us played the rest of the round together (albeit each with our own cart) and we rarely saw another soul out there (save for the ranger and MOFOBETE a couple of times each).

The course was well-maintained and the greens lightning fast. It wasn’t as green as in the photos online, but I didn’t mind at all. There were some pretty holes but nothing amazingly beautiful. And overall, the course was fairly difficult (I played the “white” forward tees and still lost at least two sleeves of balls)! I ended up with a 99 for 18, which is about 6 strokes above my average.

Disney's Palm Golf Course - 2nd hole (Photo by Greg D'Andrea) — Disney’s Palm Golf Course – 2nd hole (*Photo by Greg D’Andrea*)

When we walked off the 18th green, I couldn’t believe the time on my phone: 10:50! With each of us in our own cart, we flew through the round in less than 3 hours. As such, I was able to catch up with my family well before lunch, which was nice.

So, was it worth it?

I’m not so sure about the two guys I ended up playing with. One was retired and was down there with his kids and grand kids. They threw gramps a bone and let him play golf for the morning, but he wasn’t wowed by the course (he told me as we were waiting for our transportation to take us back to our respective hotels that he gave the Palm a 3.5 out of 5 stars – and I agreed).

The other guy had been at Disney for nearly two weeks – he mentioned during the round that he told his wife if they (including his kids) were going to be there more than a week, he was going to play at least one round of golf. And there he was – playing his one round (in less than 3 hours to boot – not sure it was the escape he was hoping for).

As for me? Let’s just say I’m glad I played, but I probably wouldn’t play the Palm again. If I’m back down there in a few years (and I have time to squeeze-in a round), perhaps I’d consider playing one of the other two 18-hole courses at Disney World (Lake Buena Vista or Magnolia). Or perhaps when my kids are a bit older and if they like golf, we could all play the 9-holer there (Oak Trail).

Bottom line: If you’re visiting Walt Disney World soon and struggling to decide if you should work-in a round of golf or not, my advice is to spend your time (and money) with the family at one of the parks instead – I enjoyed myself far more at Epcot, Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom than I did on the course.

You may recall I had planned a trip to Hawaii (specifically Maui) for this April. We had finalized the trip rather late in the game (just two months prior to departure) and it took till the week before for me to realize I was about to embark on a journey to paradise.

But once reality set in, I was excited: We had booked tickets to a luau; bought passage on a whale watching boat where we could also snorkel; planned quality time loafing on the beach; and I had set aside a few hours to sneak in a round of golf.

But this wasn’t going to be just any round of golf – no sir. I had a tee-time booked at Kapalua. The resort community features two legendary golf courses (one is host to the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions) and both are designed by one legendary golfer – Arnold Palmer.

Let me begin by saying Maui is gorgeous. It’s truly a heavenly landscape, complete with sun-drenched palms and misty mountains – visions that have a way of relaxing every bone in your body just by being aware of your surroundings.

But Kapalua kicks it up a notch. Set between the mountains and the ocean, there are views that will leave you breathless – not only of the palm tree-litterd coastline, but of the course itself. For example, the par 3, 5th hole on The Bay Course (see photo at right) requires sailing your tee shot over the crashing surf, past a stretch of caliche and onto a green flanked by three traps.

Beyond the views, the course is immaculate. Despite the tee-boxes and greens having recently been aerated (which you can tell in the photos), the ball still rolled true and steady. The fairways were cut to perfection, while the rough was tough, but not impossible.

Before my round, I spoke a bit to the Sales and Marketing Manager, Dustin Irwin. With management of the courses recently transferred to Troon Golf, Dustin was excited about the upgrades being made. For example, all the carts are new and electric – complete with a built-in cooler for your preferred beverage and a state-of-the-art GPS system where each hole features its own video fly-over! And of course, Kapalua is doing its part to conserve – water is rationed and reused and environmental areas maintained and protected.

If you’re like me and only end up playing one round in Hawaii, there’s no need to lug your clubs along – Kapalua is stocked with complete sets of clubs from Titleist (I actually may have been sold on that 910D2 driver – was hitting the tar out of it).

The round took just 3.5 hours. Typically, when you play at that pace, it’s on a course you know well. At Kapalua, I took time to snap some photos (as can be seen in this post) and enjoy myself. Yet the group behind us was always a good hole back, and I don’t remember seeing anyone ahead of us. Perhaps it was the time of year, but I felt relaxed and comfortable the entire time.

We capped off the day in Kapalua’s Pineapple Grill restaurant, where I soaked in wonderful course views on the patio while sipping on a deliciously strong Mai Tai. And if the fish and chips I ordered were any indication, both the Pineapple Grill’s libations and food are well-worth a post-round visit.

Overall, Kapalua is awesome and deserving of a round if you’re visiting Maui. While the Ritz-Carlton is on the premises, we stayed about 30 minutes south in the cute little touristy town of Lahaina (nothing against the Ritz, but it’s a little too ritzy for my blood).

Speaking of costs, neither course at Kapalua is cheap: The Bay Course is right around $200, while The Plantation Course is just under $300. But twilight rates begin at 1PM – where not just the greens-fees drop considerably, but so does the price of club rentals. And further discounts can be had should you decide to stay at the Ritz.

Bottom line: Maui was fantastic: I throughly enjoyed myself at the Luau; experienced some of the best snorkeling around; got to spy a mom and calf whale in the Pacific (though half of my boat was sea sick by that time); and played one of the top golf courses in the world. If you ever have the chance to visit, don’t pass it up – it truly is a paradise.

Is Golfing at Disney World Worth It?

Kapalua Caps Maui Vacation

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