PGA Family Golf Championship Tees Off This Weekend on Disney’s Palm Golf Course
This weekend, the PGA Family Golf Championship will be held on Disney’s Palm Golf Course. Teams of two to four players will compete.
Olivia and Shelby Neal of Texas
Eighth-grader Olivia Neal and her father, Shelby, made their flight from Dallas and recorded a top-20 finish at last year’s inaugural event held at PGA West.
“I’ve been golfing with my Dad since I was three years old, and last year we had so much fun teaming up for an eagle on one hole, said Olivia.
Picturesque natural beauty, featuring shimmering lakes, majestic palm trees, and tropical sands, makes Disney’s Palm Golf Course a pleasure to play in this event, featuring biologically or legally related participants.
“It’s really a special Florida-style resort golf course,” added Shelby. “It almost looks like it’s part of the Magic Kingdom, but it’s actually real nature.”
The course was redesigned in 2013 by Arnold Palmer Design Company, which modernized this original Joe Lee designed masterpiece.
As the threat of Hurricane Helene spared the Orlando area, Friday’s practice round went off without a hitch. Olivia and Shelby are among over 100 players from 24 states teeing up on a course where Tiger, Jack, and Arnie once roamed.
“The families are really excited, and with the weather situation, there are a lot of families working really hard to get here,” said Kristi Egnot, PGA of America Tournament Director for the event. “My favorite thing about golf is the history and everybody who was there before us and how the game continues to evolve and grow, so this is truly a special place.”
Disney has a long history of hosting a plethora of extraordinary events, from youth tournaments to PGA TOUR, LPGA and Senior PGA (of America) events.
Players will be making use one of the most authentic and challenging putting surfaces too!
As part of the ongoing reimagination by Arnold Palmer Golf Management which operates Walt Disney World Golf, the practice putting green adjacent to Disney’s Magnolia, Palm and Oak Trail Golf Course clubhouse has been given a massive makeover.
“Our vision was to create something unique and stunning, and our guests are thoroughly enjoying it,” said Bruce Gerlander, PGA, General Manager, Walt Disney World Golf. “We take our golf seriously, but we wanted to also emphasize how much fun this putting green is.”
The result: a brand new 18-hole grass putting course which has been graded to give the area contours and elevation changes not seen before. Hole locations are changed each week, while the holes’ lengths and their difficulty level will be amended daily by adjusting the starting positions.
