Invitation & Access · Orlando
Bay Hill Club & LodgeSouthwest Orlando
Arnold Palmer's home course - hilly, demanding, and home of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Par
72
Yardage
7,409
Rating · Slope
76.4 · 138
Holes
18
Green Fee
Contact for pricing
The Course
About Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Bay Hill is Arnold Palmer's legacy rendered in turf - a private club and lodge he acquired in 1975 and spent decades reshaping into one of Florida's most demanding tests. The course is genuinely hilly by Florida standards, with sinkhole ponds and elevation changes that punish imprecision throughout. The 18th is a dogleg par 4 with water running the length of the right side and a pond fronting the green - one of the most photographed closing holes in professional golf. Play is reserved for lodge guests and members.
History
Bay Hill Club & Lodge — History
Bay Hill Club and Lodge opened in 1961 to a Dick Wilson design in Orlando. Arnold Palmer bought the club in the 1970s, made it his home and extensively reworked the course. It has hosted a PGA Tour event since 1979, now the Arnold Palmer Invitational, famous for the water-guarded par-4 18th.
Design
Bay Hill Club & Lodge — Design
Dick Wilson routed the course in 1961, but the version played today is Arnold Palmer's. He owned the club and refined the layout over decades, shaping it around the way he believed the game should be tested rather than around a single design idea. It runs 7,409 yards to a par 72, and the Championship course is paired with the shorter Charger course on the same property.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Arnold Palmer's home club and host of his namesake PGA Tour Invitational, Bay Hill is one of the most storied stops in Florida golf, defined by a watery, do-or-die closing stretch.
The Round
The Journey at Bay Hill Club & Lodge
I.
The Opening
Palmer opens with a par 4 that doglegs left to a well-bunkered, shallow green, and the club counts par there as a good start. The long par-3 2nd plays to a green tilting right to left, so the safe line is right. A lake runs left of the 3rd fairway and guards that side of the green. The uphill par-5 4th has a creek and out of bounds along the right, the 5th squeezes its landing area between bunkers, and the par-5 6th is among the course's best-known holes.
II.
The Middle
The 7th is a par 3 with sand short, left and long and a multi-tiered green that runs fast from back to front. The 8th doglegs right, and its approach crosses a pond to a green with bunkers behind and to the right. Bunkers frame the 9th, and the 10th plays slightly uphill to a green fronted by two deep bunkers. The 11th bends left around a lake that also guards the green, and the par-5 12th has a fairway bunker on the right that only the longest drivers carry.
III.
The Finish
The 13th is a short par 4 that plays well above its length, with water short and right of the green and putts breaking toward it. Bunkers sit left and long on the par-3 14th, and magnolias line the right of the 15th, a dogleg right. Long hitters can reach the par-5 16th in two, over water fronting the green. The par-3 17th has a beach bunker short and water wrapping around the right, and the 18th, out of bounds down the left, finishes over a pond.
How to Play It
Bay Hill Club & Lodge — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Bay Hill's own hole notes call par a good score on the 1st, 2nd, 7th and 13th, so play for the fat part of those greens. On the 2nd, aim right and let the right-to-left tilt carry the ball on. On the 18th, drive left of center, and from the rough play toward the front left of the green rather than over the pond.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
On the 6th the club's advice is three aggressive swings at conservative targets: drive at the fairway bunkers, play the second toward the bunker on the right, then check the yardage to a deep green. Few players can carry the right fairway bunker on the 12th, so play away from it, and on the 10th stay below the hole, where putts from above run quickest.
Advanced / Low Handicap
The 4th and 16th are the par 5s a long hitter can reach in two, and both punish a loose second. The 4th climbs to an elevated green with a creek and out of bounds right and a sharp drop for anything missing right; the 16th has water in front of the green and out of bounds left. Go for either only from the fairway.
Signature Holes
Bay Hill Club & Lodge — Signature Holes
The Card
Bay Hill Club & Lodge Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 459 | 230 | 435 | 569 | 384 | 589 | 196 | 456 | 481 | 3,799 | 397 | 436 | 573 | 371 | 216 | 427 | 510 | 220 | 460 | 3,610 | 7,409 |
| Handicap | 9 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 3 | 7 | — | 12 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 8 | — | — |
Good to Know
Bay Hill Club & Lodge — questions answered
- How do I get on Bay Hill Club & Lodge?
- Bay Hill Club & Lodge has no public tee sheet — play is for members and their guests, or by invitation or a stay at the property. Golf in FL does not book it.
- Who designed Bay Hill Club & Lodge?
- Bay Hill Club & Lodge was designed by Dick Wilson (original 1961); Arnold Palmer (extensive redesign) and opened in 1961.
- What is the par and yardage at Bay Hill Club & Lodge?
- Bay Hill Club & Lodge plays to a par of 72 over 7,409 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 76.4 and a slope of 138.
- Is Bay Hill Club & Lodge public or private?
- Bay Hill Club & Lodge is not open to general public play — access is by invitation, a member's guest, or a stay at the property.
- Where is Bay Hill Club & Lodge located?
- Bay Hill Club & Lodge is located at 9000 Bay Hill Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819, in the Orlando area of Florida.
More in Orlando
More golf courses in Orlando
David Harman (2003); rebuilt by Arnold Palmer Design Company with Thad Layton (2016) · International Drive, Orlando
Shingle Creek Golf Club
At the headwaters of the Everglades - undulating fairways and interlaced waterways in the heart of the convention corridor.
Greg Norman · South Orlando
Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes
Greg Norman's Orlando signature - 7,122 yards of wetland-framed championship golf and the PNC Championship's permanent host.
Joe Lee · Lake Buena Vista
Disney's Palm Golf Course
The tighter, tree-lined Disney championship layout - precision over power, former Tour co-host.
How to Play It
How to Play Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
Bay Hill Club & Lodge has no public tee sheet — access is by invitation, a member's guest, or a stay at the property. There is no booking route we can point you at.
Golf in FL is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.
Make a Day of It
Dining & nightlife around your round.
Pair Bay Hill Club & Lodge with Miami’s best dining and table service through MyRSVP — our sister guide to Miami dining and nightlife.
Explore MyRSVP ↗