Orlando golf family vacation: a sample week, the best bases and when to go

An Orlando golf family vacation works when golf takes the mornings and the parks get the rest of the day. Book a first-light tee time 5 to 15 minutes from your hotel, play 9 or 18, and be back for a late park entry. Disney's own courses, Hawk's Landing and short 9s near the parks make it easy, even with kids.

This guide is for families where one or two people golf while the rest do Disney, Universal or SeaWorld. It covers the courses closest to the parks, the ones kids can play, the best bases, a sample week and the weeks to avoid. Course details and closures were checked on November 4, 2026; prices change.

Quick facts

• Closest golf to the parks: Disney's Palm and Magnolia are 3 minutes from the Polynesian; Hawk's Landing is 1 minute from the Orlando World Center Marriott.
• Best for kids: Disney's Oak Trail (walking 9, junior tees), the Tooth at Orange County National (juniors from 5), Winter Park's 9.
• Disney junior discount: 25% off; Florida residents also 25% off with proof.
• Fall 2026 closures: Palm Nov 9-27, Magnolia Dec 1-18, Oak Trail Nov 9-12; Lake Buena Vista reopens Nov 9.
• Weeks to avoid: Thanksgiving (Nov 26, 2026), Christmas-New Year, Presidents' Day week, spring break to Easter (Mar 28, 2027).
• Summer rule: tee off at first light; storms most afternoons June to September.

Golf near the parks for an Orlando golf family vacation

The table shows the closest courses to each park area, with drive times from a nearby hotel on our map (free-flow road time, no traffic).

Disney's four courses all book on golfwdw.com, with carts included on the 18s, a maximum of four per tee time and 24-hour cancellation. Disney publishes seasons rather than dollar rates: fall (to Jan 7, 2027) about 20% below peak, winter peak from Jan 8 to Mar 21, 2027, and summer about 40% below peak. Twilight is about 45% off the morning rate and super twilight about 60% off, from 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm until Jan 7, 2027.

The Disney's Palm course guide has the tees; Palm is the one to book when the group mixes a single-digit parent with a teenager. For the full Disney picture, read our Disney World golf courses guide.

Courses the kids can play

Short, walkable golf is the secret to getting kids involved:

• Oak Trail. Disney's 9-hole walking course plays 2,801 yards from the whites and has junior tees. It sits beside Shades of Green, so bring photo ID for the gate, and it books 30 days out. It also hosts FootGolf ($29 until Jan 7, 2027). See the Oak Trail course guide.
• The Tooth. Orange County National's 9-hole executive course is walking only and allows juniors from age 5, with discounted junior play.
• Winter Park Golf Course. A 1914 town 9 of 2,480 yards that takes about 75 to 90 minutes, then lunch on Park Avenue. Non-residents paid $33 Monday to Thursday and $40 at weekends for 9 holes from October to April. It is 30 to 35 minutes from Disney, so it suits a park rest day.
• Hawk's Landing. At 6,255 yards from the tips it is short for an 18, which suits families; long hitters may find it fiddly.

Where a golfing family should stay

Disney-owned resorts. No resort fee, and Disney's perks page (undated) lists a complimentary taxi between the resort and the four Disney courses, plus club storage with Bell Services. The Polynesian Village and Grand Floridian sit 3 to 5 minutes from Palm and Magnolia; Saratoga Springs is a minute from Lake Buena Vista. The 2026 rates page says resort guests pay public rates, so do not count on a discount. Our Disney hotels near golf guide covers every one.

Orlando World Center Marriott. Hawk's Landing wraps the resort and Marriott lists a $25 nightly golf credit for hotel guests. The $52.87 nightly resort fee includes a shuttle, and covered self-parking is $40 a day.

Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Two Greg Norman courses, International and National, are 5 minutes away, and the pools and lazy river keep the family busy. The resort fee is $54.96 a night and self-parking $38. It is a longer drive to the parks than the Disney-area hotels.

Four Seasons Resort Orlando. The top-end Disney base, with Tranquilo reserved for resort guests and club members. Expect a $56.25 nightly resort fee on top of high room rates.

Universal families. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites International Drive is 13 minutes from Shingle Creek and Grande Vista. Shingle Creek is also close to Epic Universe and SeaWorld.

A vacation home in ChampionsGate or Reunion is the other route for a big family; see Orlando vacation homes for golf.

A sample Orlando golf family vacation week

This assumes a Magic Kingdom-area Disney resort in early December, one or two golfers and four golf slots.

1. Saturday: land at MCO (29 minutes to Disney Springs, free-flow). Pool afternoon; Disney Springs for dinner, free to enter.
2. Sunday: Magic Kingdom as a family. No golf.
3. Monday: Palm at first light, back by late morning; EPCOT in the afternoon.
4. Tuesday: Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom. Kids' golf at Oak Trail after an early park exit.
5. Wednesday: rest day. Golfers play Lake Buena Vista (new greens) or Hawk's Landing; family at Typhoon Lagoon or the pool.
6. Thursday: Universal for everyone, or a park day with a twilight round from 1:00 pm.
7. Friday: a last morning round, then home.

In the first half of December, Magnolia is shut for overseeding (Dec 1-18), so Palm and Lake Buena Vista carry the Disney golf. In mid-November swap them: Palm is closed Nov 9-27. The golf near Disney World guide lists more courses within 15 minutes of the parks.

When to go

• November (outside Thanksgiving week) and early December: the driest stretch of the year at about 74-78F, with lower park crowds than the holidays. Check the overseed closures above.
• January to April: golf peak, with the highest green fees, and park peaks at MLK weekend, Presidents' Day (Feb 13-15, 2027), spring breaks, Canadian March break and Easter (Mar 28, 2027). Book rooms and tee times early.
• June to September: the cheapest golf, about 40% off at Disney, but highs of about 92F, 14-17 rain days a month and lightning stops most afternoons. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so buy trip insurance that covers named storms. September is the quietest month in the parks.

Our best time to golf in Orlando guide goes month by month, and summer golf in Orlando covers the heat and storms.

Tips for golfing parents

• Book Disney tee times when the window opens: 90 days for the 18s and 30 days for Oak Trail.
• Check the closure list for the week you travel; overseeding closes Disney courses for one to three weeks in November and December.
• Plan for rain. Topgolf Orlando near the Convention Center and the Orlando Science Center are storm-afternoon fallbacks; see things to do in Orlando besides golf.
• Allow for traffic. Drive times here are free-flow; I-4 and the park roads add 15 to 45 minutes at rush hour and around park opening and closing.

If you are weighing a beach family trip instead, our Destin family golf trip guide covers the Florida Panhandle.

Plan it on the map

Open the Orlando golf map to see every course and hotel above, with drive times between them. The $49 plan can fit your rounds around park days: tell it which days are park days and it lines up dawn and twilight tee times near your hotel.