Bay Hill Club & Lodge

Set on Bay Hill Boulevard in Orlando, Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge pairs the feel of a private club with the rare advantage of staying close enough to walk to the first tee. Lodge guests have access to all 27 holes, arranged across the Champion, Challenger and Charger nines, along with the practice and coaching available through the Arnold Palmer Golf Academy. The Championship layout, made from the Champion and Challenger nines, is the course seen each year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, while the Charger gives a useful extra nine for an arrival day or a relaxed second round. Downtown Orlando is around 15 minutes away, yet the lodge keeps the focus firmly on time spent around the course.

Dick Wilson's original 1961 design was shaped further by Arnold Palmer over several decades, and the golf remains a proper examination of control. Fairways are narrow enough to make the tee shot matter, lakes come into play regularly and the bunkering asks for considered approaches rather than automatic attacks. The Championship course carries the tournament pedigree, but the full 27 hole rotation makes it easy to vary the challenge across a longer stay. Between rounds, the lodge has more than 70 rooms and a choice of places to eat and drink, with tennis, fishing, a spa and fitness centre also on site.