|
nine times since 1983. In 1986, it reached as high as fourth. With a small, forward tilting, thumbprint green, it is further complicated by a creek cutting completely across the fairway at the 130-yard mark. "It's long, too," says Weickel. "And in October, when the wind is in your face, the pros are forced to use a long iron into the green making it even more difficult."
From the blues, the Palm plays 6,957 yards and carries a course / slope rating of 73.9 / 138. The whites play 6,461 at 71.6 / 130, the golds -- 6,029 at 69.5 / 126, and the reds -- 5,311 at 70.4 / 124.
As with all Disney courses, resort guests receive complimentary "to and from" taxi vouchers. For non-resort guests, take Interstate 4 or Hwy 192 to the Magic Kingdom Park. Using Disney's far right lane tollbooth, pass through and follow the signs beyond the Polynesian Resort to the Palm and Magnolia Courses.
For more information, call (407)-WDW-GOLF / 407-939-4653 or visit Disney's web site at www.golf.disneyworld.com.
Disney's Osprey Ridge Course
Osprey Ridge opened in 1992 and winds its way through a pine, oak, and cypress tree hammock. Florida swamp and numerous backcountry duck ponds serve as stage settings and as framing for many of the holes. To increase native osprey nesting, Disney stocked the ponds with osprey favorites, added aquatic grasses and built nesting platforms. Also, by erecting raised boardwalks, it protected the area's wetlands. Such devotion to the environment earned Osprey Ridge designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System in June 2000.
As for the course, there's an element of seclusion. Players on one hole do not see players on another. Fazio achieved this through effective mounding and varying thickets of pine forest. As a result, most of the fairways appear as lush, green corridors. Doglegs are long and winding, as are many of the bunkers. And, according to Weickel, every hole is technically designed so you can roll the ball onto the green -- "you don't have to fly it."
Osprey Ridge is located at Disney's Bonnet Creek location, within a 10-minute drive between Pleasure Island and the Magic Kingdom. Also, as with all Disney courses, resort guests receive complimentary "to and from" taxi vouchers. For non-resort guests, take Interstate 4 to exit 26-B and follow Epcot Center Drive to "Disney's Golf Courses" at the third exit. Then follow the signs to the Osprey Ridge and Eagle Pines golf courses at Bonnet Creek.
Disney's Magnolia Course
As big brother to Disney's championship Palm course, the Magnolia packs a little more punch at 7,190 yards. Additionally, as host to the final round of Disney's National Car Rental Golf Classic for the last 30 years, this mature, Florida-classic course exudes experience.
"Its had all the great tour players play on it -- Nicklaus, Woods, Nelson, Stewart, and Sutton," says Tournament Director and Head Professional, Kevin Weickel. "They've all won here."
Built by Joe Lee in 1971, the Magnolia was field of choice for the PGA Tour Qualifying School finals until the early 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, it hosted the Bryant Gumbel/Walt Disney World Celebrity Tournament benefiting the United Negro College Fund. It has since relinquished the event to its sister courses, Osprey Ridge and Eagle Pines. In 1995, it became home to the AJGA / Polo Golf Junior Classic and this year hosted the ACC Conference Championship.
The course features elevated tees and greens with wide and generous fairways graced by over 1,500 magnolia trees that bloom from late spring to mid-summer. Brightly colored crape myrtles and oleanders, along with beds of blue plumbego and seasonal flowers, add sparkle to an otherwise dense, natural forest. Spectator mounds, added during renovations in 1993, are seen throughout, as is water on 12 of its 18 holes.
Of all the Disney courses, the Magnolia supports a greater abundance of wildlife. At any given time, you're likely to see deer, osprey, alligators and turtles. Weickel says one gopher turtle has lived between holes four and five since the late 1980s. Additionally, a flock of wild turkeys has brought several tournaments to a standstill while they pecked along its fairways.
At hole number 6, a 195-yard, par 3, you'll spot something of a different nature. Here, a large sand trap
|
|
