By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Some exciting things are happening at the happiest place on earth. As if it needed more ways to entice guests to its doorstep, Walt Disney World Golf operated by Arnold Palmer Golf Management recently completed an extensive renovation and re-imagination of its Magnolia Golf Course.
Opened in 1971, the popular 18-hole resort course has undergone some dramatic enhancements, including fully reconstructed and re-contoured putting greens, rebuilt teeing grounds and dramatically renovated chipping and bunker areas that surround each green.
Many areas off the fairways, which had been large areas of green grass, have been transformed into more natural and sandy waste areas full of native grasses and wildflowers to mirror the surrounding environment. In addition to the visual appeal of these changes, they will reduce the need to irrigate and fertilize these areas, as they are designed to create newly thriving wildlife habitats. This is a key initiative under the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, of which all Walt Disney World Golf courses are certified members.
They’ve even implemented new signage on tee boxes, with each hole being given a fun Disney-inspired name, as well as a quote from either Walt Disney or Arnold Palmer.
The most significant focus of this extensive “re-imagination” is the introduction of “Grumpy’s Gauntlet,” the very demanding stretch of holes 14 through 17 that will challenge golfers in their shot selection and strategic execution. Each hole will have several tee boxes with yardages that will give every golfer a chance to be Happy OR Grumpy!
We reached out to Alex Forsyth, the Director of Sales & Marketing and a PGA of America Golf Professional. He says the course renovations were a multi-year project, with land clearing commencing in 2022 to make way for the re-routing of four of the holes.
“Magnolia was only just completed and open fully for play on Friday, March 14th,” Forsyth explains. “Golfer feedback has been extremely positive about the routing, course conditions and fun factor. They love the uniqueness of the theming, and the course conditions are better right now than they ever recall in years past.”
“We’ve assembled an incredible team that is devoted to creating the best possible experience for our guests from around the globe who travel here for a championship-caliber golf vacation,” says Bruce Gerlander, PGA of America General Manager of Arnold Palmer Golf Management. “For more than four decades, Disney’s Magnolia served as a favorite stop on the PGA Tour and we have been methodically planning for this massive project for years.”
In addition to these course renovations, an incredible new putting course was built from the original practice green that lie adjacent to the Magnolia, Palm and Oak Trail clubhouse. According to the Walt Disney World Golf blog, “The Greatest Green Ever Played” pays homage to the famed U.S. Open success of the amateur golfer Francis Ouimet in 1913 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, as documented by Walt Disney Pictures in the award-winning movie, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” in 2005.
This expansive 18-hole putting course is chock full of curves and undulations that mirror the putting challenges that golfers face on Disney’s family of golf courses. This amenity is free to all comers – you don’t need a reservation. Just bring your putter and golf ball and grab a scorecard and pencil to enjoy a unique Disney golf experience. They’ll change the cups and starting spots frequently enough to provide a new fun experience with every visit you and your family or golfing buddies make to this special golf destination.
“We’re excited to see the completion of the re-imagination project and have Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course fully re-open for play,” Forsyth adds. “It is thrilling for us to see our Guests enjoy all of the hard work that has been injected into the course design, and the assembly of all the different components that together comprise an elevated experience for them.
“Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course ties together in the most unique way the Arnold Palmer brand and that of The Walt Disney Company. The traditional and historical connotations that the Palmer brand carries have been melded together with an element of fun and whimsicalness that the Disney brand is renowned for. Our guests can celebrate the various Disney storylines and characters through the newly assigned hole names while learning from inspirational quotes spoken by two of America’s iconic pioneers of the 20th century. Even the putting green, now known as “The Greatest Green Ever Played,” has a story to tell, and there’s no forgetting “Grumpy’s Gauntlet,” holes #14 – #17, which now more than ever serve as a stern test of championship caliber golf to complete your round.
“All in all, there’s no more memorable and magical round of golf than that of the newly re-imagined Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course!”
For more information on everything Walt Disney World Golf Operated by Arnold Palmer Golf Management, log on to their very magical website today!
