Reunion Resort golf: who can play the Palmer, Watson and Nicklaus courses, and how

Reunion Resort golf is three signature courses, by Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, that you play by staying. The courses are for members, Reunion Resort guests and guests of vacation homes in the Reunion Houseguest Program. Some third-party tee times appeared at $110-185 in September 2026, so off-peak non-guest play may exist, but plan on a room or a rental.

This guide explains who can play Reunion Resort golf, what each course is like, what the files say about cost and resort fees, and what to play nearby if you cannot get on. Facts were checked in November 2026. Reunion's own site blocked automated reading, so confirm the details with the resort.

Quick facts

• Courses: Palmer (2004), Watson (2004) and Nicklaus (2006), all 18 holes.
• Who can play: members, Reunion Resort guests and Houseguest Program rental guests.
• Non-guests: GolfLink showed some Reunion inventory at $110-185 in September 2026; TeeOff lists the Nicklaus as Private Access.
• Stay-and-play: from $215 per person per night (GolfPass listing).
• Resort fee: $47.40 a night (November 2026 list); $35-40 per unit per night quoted for rental homes.
• Ride-along: $40 per cart.
• Location: 7593 Gathering Dr, off I-4 near US-27, about 20 minutes to Disney (estimate).

The three Reunion Resort golf courses

Tee yardages and ratings for the three courses are not in our files; ask the golf shop for the card.

The Palmer is the friendliest of the three: wide fairways and big greens, with more up and down than most Orlando golf. See the Palmer course guide.

The Watson asks for more strategy, with firm conditions and more bunkering. It sits beside the Palmer, a minute from the resort, so the two pair easily on a 36-hole day.

The Nicklaus is the hardest, routed over the resort's high ground about 8 minutes from the main resort. TeeOff labels it Private Access with no public times. Our Nicklaus course guide has more.

Who can play, and how

Our files give three routes on:

1. Stay at Reunion Resort. Tee times are limited to members and resort guests, and resort guests book through the resort. GolfPass lists stay-and-play from $215 per person per night.
2. Rent a home in the Houseguest Program. Guests of partner vacation-home managers in Reunion (Spectrum is one example in the files) can book tee times. The Reunion vacation homes record says the program gives resort access, including golf. Not every owner's home is in it.
3. Ask about off-peak non-guest times. GolfLink showed some Reunion inventory at $110-185 in September 2026, a quiet month. Do not count on this in January to April.

Membership is the fourth route; membership terms were not in our files.

What Reunion Resort golf costs

The resort fee applies whether you book the hotel or an owner's villa. On a month-long rental it adds more than $1,000. For how this compares, read Orlando resort fees.

Staying at Reunion: hotel or vacation home?

The resort offers condos as well as rooms. For a buddies group, a big rental home is the usual choice, with a pool and a kitchen, and agency listings mention a water park, pools and a shuttle in the resort. The rule is simple: get the Houseguest Program status, the resort fee and the golf booking terms in writing before you pay. See Orlando vacation homes for golf and, for groups, Orlando buddies golf trip.

For snowbirds, a winter at Reunion gives three signature courses on the doorstep, but the nightly resort fee makes it one of the costlier long-stay bases. Our Orlando snowbird rentals guide compares cheaper options.

Booking tips for Reunion Resort golf

• Book golf with the room. Ask the resort, or your rental agency, for tee times at the same time you book the stay, and get the dates confirmed before you pay a deposit.
• Ask which courses are open. With three courses, one may be closed for maintenance on your dates; overseed and aerification dates were not published in our files.
• Bring the non-golfers. A ride-along is $40 per cart, which suits a partner or a teenager on a family trip.
• Check the fee line. Rental agencies quote the compulsory resort fee separately from the rent, at $35-40 per unit per night.
• Plan the drive. Reunion is off I-4 near the US-27 interchange. Park days mean the I-4 run east toward Disney, and Universal is farther.

A sample Reunion golf week

For a group in a Houseguest Program rental, a five-round week might run: the Palmer on arrival afternoon, the Watson the next morning, a rest or park day, the Nicklaus, then a public round at ChampionsGate International before flying home from MCO. Snowbirds on a longer stay can rotate the three Reunion courses weekly and add a cheaper public round such as ChampionsGate Country Club, from $49 on GolfNow for November 5, 2026. For RV travellers, Rainbow Chase RV Resort is 6-7 minutes from the Reunion courses, but our files show no Reunion golf access for RV guests, so use the public courses nearby.

When to play Reunion

January to April is peak season, when rental homes fill with snowbirds and, in March, with spring-break and Canadian March-break families. November and early December are drier and quieter. June to September is cheapest, but afternoon thunderstorms come on 14-17 days a month at MCO, so take early tee times. Overseed dates for Reunion were not published in our files; ask when you book a fall stay.

Golf near Reunion that anyone can book

If you cannot get on, or want a fourth course:

• ChampionsGate International and National: Greg Norman's two courses at the Omni, about 10 minutes from the resort and open to the public. GolfLink showed the International at $140-189 for November 5, 2026. See ChampionsGate golf.
• Mystic Dunes: 13 minutes away, Gary Koch's rolling public course.
• Highlands Reserve: an easy Mike Dasher course among Davenport rental homes, 6,633 yards at 71.9/123.
• Providence: $99 before 2 pm for November-December 2026.

The Omni and Reunion together make ChampionsGate the strongest stay-and-play corner of Orlando. Other famous Orlando courses also need a room: see how to play Bay Hill, which works the same way through its Lodge. Naples has its own resort-guest-only courses; compare Naples golf resorts.

Plan it on the map

Open the Orlando golf map to see the three Reunion Resort golf courses, the rentals that unlock them and the public courses nearby. The $49 plan can build a group trip around a Reunion rental or a whole winter stay with a weekly rotation.