1
DayArrival and Bay Hill
Fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO) and drive 30 minutes to Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Check into the lodge and take an afternoon tee time on the Champion and Challenger nines.
Pin itThe Bucket List: Five Nights with Palmer, Watson, Nicklaus, and Norman
Five rounds across five designer signatures, from Palmer's private lodge to Nicklaus's St Andrews tribute.
Duration
6 Days
Type
Bucket List Trip
Estimated Cost
$3500–$5500/person
Rounds
5
Difficulty
Moderate to Challenging
This trip assembles the five courses that define Orlando's place in American golf. Each was designed by a figure whose name carries weight in the game's history: Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, and a second Nicklaus design that pays tribute to the Old Course at St Andrews. The routing moves between two resort bases, opening at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge for its PGA Tour pedigree and shifting to Reunion Resort to reach the three-designer collection no other property in the country can match.
Orlando, Florida
Trip at a Glance
- Duration
- 6 days
- Type
- Bucket List Trip
- Cost / person
- $3500–$5500
- Difficulty
- Moderate to Challenging
Courses· 5
Stay· 2
- Reunion Resort & Golf Club (Hotel)$123–$350/night
- Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge$265–$620/night
Activities· 2
Disney Springs2-4 hours
2
DayGrand Cypress New Course
Drive 20 minutes south to Grand Cypress Golf Club for a morning round on Grand Cypress, New Course (Links), Jack Nicklaus's tribute to St Andrews. The double greens, 150 pot bunkers, and Swilcan Bridge replica produce an experience entirely unlike the previous day.
3
DayReunion Resort, Palmer Course
The first of three consecutive days at Reunion, and starting with Reunion Resort, Palmer Course is deliberate. Arnold Palmer's design has the most dramatic elevation changes of the three, with generous fairways and visual spectacle that lets the group settle into the Reunion property without being punished by difficulty.
4
DayReunion Resort, Watson Course
Reunion Resort, Watson Course rewards the strategic awareness that the Palmer round began to develop. Tom Watson's emphasis on firm, fast fairways and ground-game approach shots creates a different test: less visual drama, more cerebral decision-making.
5
DayReunion Resort, Nicklaus Course
The final round, and the most demanding. Reunion Resort, Nicklaus Course (Tradition) features small undulating greens, pot bunkers, and railroad-tie-framed elevated tees that announce the difficulty from the first hole.
6
DayDeparture
Check out of Reunion Resort and drive 30 minutes to MCO. Flights from Orlando connect to most major US cities at high frequency.
Trip Logistics
Plan the Practicalities
Logistics
Two accommodation bases keep driving manageable. Bay Hill Lodge for Night 1, then the Reunion Resort hotel for Nights 2 through 5. Grand Cypress sits between the two, making it a natural transition-day round. A rental car is necessary; the courses span a 30-mile arc, and even the Reunion-based days benefit from car access for restaurants and activities. Groups of four sharing a car and splitting accommodation costs will land at the lower end of the range.
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