Golf near Disney World: the courses closest to the parks, early tee times and getting there from Disney hotels

Golf near Disney World starts inside the resort: Magnolia and Palm share a clubhouse a few minutes from the Magic Kingdom hotels, and Lake Buena Vista sits beside Disney Springs. All three are public. Just outside, Hawk's Landing, the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club and Grand Cypress at Evermore are within about 15 minutes of Disney Springs hotels. Book the earliest tee time and keep the afternoon for a park.

This guide is about distance and timing: which courses are closest to which parks and hotels, when to tee off around park days, and which weeks the Disney courses close. Drive times are free-flow road estimates from our map data and ignore traffic. Facts were checked in November 2026.

Quick facts

• Closest to Magic Kingdom: Magnolia and Palm, 2-5 minutes from the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Shades of Green.
• Closest to Disney Springs: Lake Buena Vista, about 1 minute from Saratoga Springs.
• Booking: Disney courses 90 days ahead for everyone; Oak Trail 30 days.
• Disney hotel perk: complimentary taxi to the Disney courses (Disney perks page, undated).
• Overseed closures, 2026: Palm Nov 9-27, Oak Trail Nov 9-12, Magnolia Dec 1-18.
• Reopening: Lake Buena Vista on November 9, 2026, with rebuilt greens.

Golf near Disney World: the courses compared

By park: where to tee off

Magic Kingdom. Magnolia and Palm are the obvious choices: 3 minutes from the Polynesian, 4-5 from the Grand Floridian, 2 from Shades of Green and 12 from the Contemporary. Oak Trail is 7 minutes from the Grand Floridian and Polynesian. An early round and a late park arrival fit together easily.

EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. From the Swan and Dolphin, Magnolia, Palm and the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club are 9-10 minutes away, Lake Buena Vista 10 and Hawk's Landing 11. The research puts Hawk's Landing about 5 minutes from EPCOT's and Disney Springs' gates, the closest non-Disney course to the parks.

Disney Springs. Lake Buena Vista is the neighbour: 1 minute from Saratoga Springs, 5 from Old Key West and the Holiday Inn in the Disney Springs area. Grand Cypress's two Nicklaus courses are 8-10 minutes from the Disney Springs hotels.

Animal Kingdom and the south side. Celebration Golf Club and Mystic Dunes are about 10-15 minutes from Animal Kingdom (estimates). Falcon's Fire is just off US-192 and I-4, about 10 minutes from Disney's main gate (estimate).

The Disney courses

Magnolia is the big one: 7,505 yards from the Classic tees, a former PGA Tour venue reimagined in 2023, with holes 14-17 rebuilt as "Grumpy's Gauntlet." Palm is tighter and tree-lined, rebuilt by Arnold Palmer Design Company in 2013, and shorter, which suits mixed family groups. Lake Buena Vista is Disney's gentlest 18 and reopens November 9, 2026 with new greens, which may be firm at first. Oak Trail is a walking nine for kids and beginners; pull carts are $9, and you need photo ID at the Shades of Green gate.

All four are run by Arnold Palmer Golf Management and booked on golfwdw.com or by phone. Rules for the 18-hole courses: carts are required and included, non-metal spikes, a maximum of four per tee time, and cancellation 24 hours ahead. Disney publishes seasons, not dollar rates: fall (to January 7, 2027) is about 20% off peak, winter (January 8 to March 21, 2027) is peak, and summer is about 40% off. Add 6.5% tax. More detail is in Disney World golf courses.

Early and twilight tee times around park days

The usual plan for golf near Disney World is a first tee time and an afternoon at a park, or a park morning and twilight golf. Disney's twilight (about 45% off) and super twilight (about 60% off) start times move with the season:

In winter, early sunsets (about 5:30pm in early December) limit how late you can start. In summer, the order flips: golf at dawn, parks or pools in the afternoon heat, and treat afternoon tee times as a gamble against lightning. June to September brings 14-17 rain days a month at Orlando International.

Getting there from Disney hotels

• Disney Resort hotels: Disney's perks page (undated) lists a complimentary taxi between the resort and the Disney courses, plus club storage with Bell Services. The rates page, read in November 2026, says resort guests pay the same public rates and book the same 90-day window as the public.
• Swan and Dolphin: preferred tee-time access and discounted fees, but no free taxi (golfwdw.com).
• Disney Springs-area hotels such as the Holiday Inn Orlando and the Hilton (now Signia) at Bonnet Creek: preferred access and discounted fees, no taxi.
• Everyone else: drive. Free-flow times hide real traffic on I-4 and the park roads, which routinely adds 15 to 45 minutes around park opening and closing.

Discounts that apply to anyone: Florida residents 25% off; juniors 25% off; same-day replay 25% off; Disney Vacation Club members, Annual Passholders, US military and AAA Diamond 15% off. See Disney hotels near golf.

Non-Disney courses near the gates

• Hawk's Landing: a short par 70 at the Orlando World Center Marriott, 6,255 yards, water on 15 holes. Marriott lists a $25 nightly golf credit for hotel guests. See the Hawk's Landing course guide.
• Waldorf Astoria Golf Club: a Rees Jones course in Bonnet Creek, 74.5/145 from the Black tees, open to the public. A GolfNow hot deal was $74.99 in August 2026. See the Waldorf Astoria course guide.
• Grand Cypress at Evermore: the Cypress Course (Nicklaus's rebuild of the old 27 holes) and the Links, a St Andrews tribute; public 60 days ahead. See Grand Cypress golf.
• Celebration, Mystic Dunes and Falcon's Fire: daily-fee courses near the south gates; see Celebration Golf Club and Kissimmee golf courses.
• Orange Lake: the Legends, an Arnold Palmer course at the timeshare resort on US-192, is for owners and guests first; public access was not confirmed.
• Short and cheap: Grande Vista, a short course near I-Drive about 15 minutes from Disney (estimate), from $30.99 on GolfNow.
• A little further: Orange County National's Panther Lake is about 20-25 minutes from the Disney parks via SR-429.

Resort fees to factor in

Disney-owned resort hotels charge no resort fee. Nearby, resortfeechecker's 2026 lists show $56.25 a night at the Swan and Dolphin, Waldorf Astoria, Signia and Four Seasons, $52.87 at the World Center Marriott, $51.53 at Gaylord Palms and $43.88 at the Holiday Inn in the Disney Springs area. See Orlando resort fees.

When to book

Overseed season is the trap for golf near Disney World in late fall. In 2026, Palm is closed November 9-27, Oak Trail November 9-12 and Magnolia December 1-18, and Lake Buena Vista only reopens on November 9. Book Magnolia during Palm's closure and Palm or Lake Buena Vista during Magnolia's. See Orlando golf in November, and for a full family week built around park days, the Orlando golf family vacation guide.

Plan it on the map

Open the Orlando golf map to see golf near Disney World, with every Disney hotel and the drive to each course. The $49 plan can fit rounds around park days, with early tee times on the days you want the afternoon free.