Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Inside Bay Hill: Arnold Palmer's Home Course, and the Only Way to Play It
About Bay Hill
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge sits in Orlando, Florida, on about 270 acres beside the Butler Chain of Lakes. The name comes from the land itself: a bay on the northwest side of the property and the gentle hills that rise around the lakes. Water comes into play across the routing, and the course is framed by lakes and wetlands rather than the flat, open ground most Florida golf is built on.
Dick Wilson designed the original course, which opened in 1961. Arnold Palmer first played it in 1965 and came away saying, "Babe, I've just played the best golf course in Florida, and I want to own it." He leased it in 1970, owned it outright by 1975, and made it his winter home for the rest of his life. Bay Hill is still in the Palmer family today.
Bay Hill is a private club, and golf is open only to members and guests staying at the Lodge. For everyone else, a night at the Lodge is the way in.
The Courses
- Championship Course: Challenger and Champion nines (1961), Dick Wilson, with later work by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay. The par-72, 7,381-yard 18 that hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Palmer rebuilt every green in 2009 and reshaped four holes. The 6th is a 555-yard par 5 that bends around a lake. The 18th is a 458-yard par 4 to a banana-shaped green guarded by water and rocks, where Robert Gamez holed a 7-iron for eagle to win in 1990.
- Charger (added after 1965), Bob Simmons. A par-36, 3,324-yard nine built by Wilson's original builder, giving the property 27 holes in all.
What Bay Hill Is Known For
Bay Hill Club & Lodge has hosted the PGA TOUR every March since 1979, and the event now carries Palmer's name. For years, Palmer himself waited on the 18th green to greet each Sunday winner. The 2027 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard runs March 15 to 21, one of the TOUR's Signature Events.
That makes Bay Hill a rare chance to stay where a TOUR event is played and then play the same 18 holes the pros do. Bay Hill also hosts groups, with more than 9,000 square feet of meeting space, banquets for up to 250, and all 27 holes available for outings.
Other Highlights
The Lodge offers renovated rooms and suites, plus guest cottages with full kitchens and waterside views. Dining includes The Grill and Classic Rooms, Bay Window overlooking the putting green and the Rolex clock, the Pool Café, and the fireside Members Lounge.
The Arnold Palmer Golf Academy teaches a system Palmer developed himself, and a two-acre short-game area has four greens and seven styles of bunkers. Off the course, guests have a pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a fitness center, and watersports from the marina on the lakes.
Plan Your Own Trip
If playing where Arnold Palmer played, every day, has been on the list, Bay Hill is where to start. Plan your stay at Bay Hill→
Bay Hill Club & Lodge
uses Noteefy Lead Management
Noteefy Lead Management is built specifically for how resort and destination golf operations actually work, so your group sales team can manage every inquiry in a central location.