Reunion Resort — Palmer Course

Arnold Palmer designed the most photographed of Reunion Resort's three courses, and the reason is topography. Central Florida is not known for elevation change. The Palmer Course exploits every contour available on the property, producing elevation shifts of up to 50 feet that create tee shots and approach shots with visual interest unusual for the region. Several holes play from elevated tees down to fairways framed by natural preserve areas, and the combination of height and framing gives the course a sense of occasion that flat-terrain Florida golf rarely achieves.

At 6,916 yards from the back tees, the course plays shorter than the Watson or the Nicklaus at Reunion. The slope of 142, however, tells a more complete story. Palmer routed the course through natural preserve areas with six tee locations per hole, making it accessible across a wide range of abilities while retaining genuine challenge from the back markers. The design philosophy is Palmer's hallmark: generous fairways that reward an aggressive line, approach shots that demand accuracy, and green complexes that offer birdie opportunities to players who position themselves correctly.

The par 3s are the standout collection on the course. Each plays to a different distance and demands a different trajectory, and the elevation changes give several of them a visual drama that the yardage alone does not communicate. Standing on an elevated tee with preserve areas framing the green below, the golfer sees a shot that looks more consequential than its measured distance would suggest. Palmer understood that the experience of playing a shot matters as much as its technical difficulty, and this course reflects that understanding throughout.

The fairways are generous by Orlando resort standards, which makes the Palmer Course the most welcoming of Reunion's three designs for mid-handicap players. The generous landing areas do not make the course easy; they make it playable. The difficulty concentrates around the greens, where Palmer placed bunkers and contours that punish imprecise approach play. The green surfaces themselves are receptive enough for high-trajectory iron shots, a contrast to Watson's firmer surfaces on the adjacent course.

Dynamic pricing between $101 and $223 applies across all three Reunion courses. The Palmer Course is often the first choice for groups playing Reunion for the first time, partly because of its visual appeal and partly because the wider fairways create a more forgiving first-round experience. For groups playing all three courses over multiple days, placing the Palmer first and the Nicklaus or Watson later in the rotation takes advantage of the way the difficulty escalates across the three designs.