Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course to undergo retheming

Disney's Magnolia Golf Course to undergo retheming

Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and Disney’s Palm Golf Course both opened on October 1, 1971, the very same day as Magic Kingdom® Theme Park, with Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course opening a year later in 1972.

All three courses, while boasting different primary features, were designed by the late, renowned golf course architect, Joe Lee in conjunction with WDI. We are proud of the long history of each of these courses, including hosting the PGA Tour’s Walt Disney World Golf Classic from 1971 – 2012.

In the 50 years since then, each of the courses has undergone renovations and redesigns to enhance conditions and playability to update the designs to today’s game. The most recent substantial course changes were to Disney’s Palm Golf Course in 2013, Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course in 2015 and Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course in 2018. The changes to each of the three courses have resulted in substantial improvements in the esthetics of the courses as well as the quality of playing conditions, and Guests have responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Disney's Magnolia Golf Course to undergo retheming

In the coming months, Arnold Palmer Golf Management will be improving Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course, as they reimagine holes 14 through 17 on the finishing stretch of the course. These course updates will be designed and overseen by Ken Baker, who has extensive design experience internationally and is currently the head of golf course design at One Club Limited.


The details of the reimagined holes are not yet final and are subject to change. We will release updated information as it becomes final as the anticipation builds towards completion later this year. We plan to share status updates throughout this project and look forward to showcasing other enhancements to the golf experience at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course, as the current plan calls for a full reconstruction to all 18 of Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course greens!

Each of the four holes are anticipated to be reimagined primarily as follows:

  • Hole 14 – Currently a par 5, will become a par 4, with a new green location
  • Hole 15 – Currently a par 3, will shift location and become a long par 5, dogleg to the right
  • Hole 16 – Will shift location and remain a par 4, but will now become a dogleg to the left
  • Hole 17 – Currently a par 4, will become a par 3, with new tee box locations

Holes 16 and 17 will be connected with a new wooden bridge through the forest. There will be several new fairway and greenside bunkers engineered to accommodate the shifting hole locations, and a selection of new teeing grounds suited to test each level of player. The changes to the holes will retain the par 72 traditional nature of the golf course.

Related – Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course will be closing indefinitely for refurbishment

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Two PGA Tour stars – 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia and 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland – recently got a sneak peek at the redesign and both walked away impressed.

“It will be amazing. The 15th (becoming) a big par 5; 16 is a long par 4 and they’ve brought in water perfectly,” said Woodland. “You’re going to have four closing holes down the stretch that will test every aspect of your game. It’ll be a great finish here at Magnolia.”

Added Garcia: It’s a fun course to play. When (golfers) finish their rounds, they can’t wait to come back and I think that’s something the Magnolia course will have.”

Initial artist’s concept drawings of holes 15 and 16 are below, as well as hole 17 above. We are extremely excited by the new look of these holes and look forward to releasing additional information as plans solidify and construction begins! Follow us for updates and sneak peeks into this project and as the excitement builds for the reimagining of Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course!

We look forward to welcoming you to “The Happiest Place on TURF!”

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Chip is the owner, editor, and writer of Chip and Company. When he is not writing about Disney News or Planning Tips, you will find him counting down the days to his next Disney Vacation.
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