Rees Jones routed through a wetland preserve to produce Orlando's most visually immersive resort course.
The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club opened in 2009 as part of the Waldorf Astoria Orlando complex in the Bonnet Creek resort area, roughly ten minutes from the Walt Disney World gates. Rees Jones, often referred to as "The Open Doctor" for his work preparing major championship venues, designed the course through a large wetland preserve that provides the primary visual and strategic character of the layout.
At 7,108 yards from the back tees with a rating of 74.6 and a slope of 139, the course plays as a legitimate championship test from the tips. The five-tee system, however, is the design feature that most effectively serves the resort market. Forward tee positions create manageable distances and reduce forced carries over wetland areas, making the course genuinely accessible to less experienced golfers without compromising the challenge for skilled players. This is not always achieved convincingly on resort courses, but Jones's experience with course setup for major championships translated into an unusually effective tee-box progression.
The wetland preserve dominates the visual experience. Most holes are framed by natural marsh, with native grasses and water features creating a sense of immersion in the Florida landscape that contrasts sharply with the manicured resort environment a few hundred yards away. Wildlife sightings are common: herons, egrets, and the occasional alligator share the property with golfers. The effect is of playing through a nature reserve rather than a golf resort, which is the course's strongest differentiator in a market where most resort layouts blend together.
Jones's bunkering is purposeful without being excessive. Sand areas are placed at strategic decision points rather than scattered decoratively, and their placement consistently offers a clear risk-reward proposition. The golfer who avoids every bunker will find the course playable but will also leave scoring opportunities on the table. The golfer who challenges the bunkering from the correct angle will find shorter, more straightforward approach shots.
Green fees of approximately $325 position the Waldorf Astoria course at the upper end of Orlando's resort offerings. The rate includes access to the resort's practice facilities, which are well-maintained and sufficient for a proper warm-up. Resort guests receive priority booking and occasionally discounted rates through golf packages.
The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club is the course in Orlando that most consistently surprises first-time visitors. Its location within the Disney resort corridor creates an expectation of theme-park-adjacent golf, and the reality of a quiet, wetland-framed routing designed by one of the game's most accomplished architects defies that expectation completely.
Arnold Palmer's living room, and the only Orlando course with genuine PGA Tour history.
Nick Faldo's only North American design, built into lakeside terrain with elevation changes rare for Florida.
The highest course rating in Florida, and the closest thing to links golf that Orlando produces.
Greg Norman's parkland counterpart to the International, with 80 bunkers winding through former orange groves.
Rees Jones conditioning at a public-course price, quietly reliable since 1993.
Jack Nicklaus built a tribute to the Old Course at St Andrews in the shadow of Walt Disney World.
The tougher sibling at Orange County National, with a 76.0 rating that tests accomplished players.
A 900-acre golf-only facility that consistently ranks among the best public courses in Florida.
A public course ten minutes from Disney with greens that punch above its price point.
Jack Nicklaus's precise demand for iron play, with pot bunkers and small greens that accept nothing casual.
Arnold Palmer's signature elevation changes bring hill-country drama to flat Florida.
Tom Watson's strategic test on rolling terrain, and the most cerebral of Reunion's three designs.
Three British Isles-themed nines at a price that makes five-round Orlando trips possible.
Water on 15 of 18 holes along the headwaters of the Everglades, redesigned by the Palmer firm in 2016.