Golf - Resort Private Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Reunion, FL
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Review of the Palmer Course at Reunion Resort
Arnold Palmer designed another masterpiece golf course that sits smack dab in the middle of the sprawling fantastic Reunion Resort. Condos loom over most of the holes but Palmer did an excellent job of preserving and leveraging a few of the natural wetland areas and he added lots of oaks, palm trees, and colorful landscaping to create what feels like a little park in the middle of a booming development. And he sculptured 18 outstanding holes with generous roller coaster fairways, expansive waste areas, elevation changes of up to 50 feet, several risk reward opportunities, challenging green complexes, and strategically placed bunkers creating a golfing experience that is fun, fair but demanding, and a blast to play.
Arnold Palmer has always liked his bunkers super-white and that trait is in abundance at Reunion Resort's Palmer course - the contrast between the lush green fairways and greens and the glistening white sand bunkers is stunning. And when you add the whites, reds, yellows, and purple colorful landscaping plus the orange/brownish natural waste/sand areas that are everywhere you have a colorful masterpiece! The course is meticulously maintained from tee to green.
But there is a beast in that beauty - the fairways are heavily contoured, the greens have severe slope and undulation, and most of the bunkers are steep and deep and some are long and narrow with multiple fingers. Which means if you spend too much time enjoying the scenic beauty or don't focus on course management and club selection, you'll be buying the drinks at the 19th hole which overlooks the putting green and driving range where you'll also wish you had spent more time.
We loved the Palmer course at Reunion Resort and it's not surprising that the course has received a number of awards and accolades, some of which include:
Some of the holes that we really enjoyed included:
From our perspective the back nine was a lot more fun and home to some fantastic holes. The greens on the back seemed a little smaller and flatter, the fairways seemed a little more forgiving, and there weren't as many long sweeping natural sand areas, but there are a couple more big bunkers that seemed harder to avoid. And the last four holes are very memorable, unique, and will make you want to come back again, and again, and again!
The fairways are generous and the wide rough is playable at the Palmer Course, but after that you're in trouble. The heavily contoured and roller coaster fairways were in near perfect condition when we played.
The greens are all shapes and sizes and most are on the large side and raised making bump and runs tough. All have some combination of slope, undulation, or tiers with subtle breaks and slope to collection areas which can make three putts common. They were running around 10 to 11 and were very smooth when we played.
The bunkers are everywhere and range from small pot bunkers to some huge monsters that would swallow a 5 car train! In addition there are lots of waste areas, which are too nice to call water areas since they are well maintained and landscaped with soft playable sand.
Reunion Resort is outstanding with a wide choice of lodging options, great restaurants, excellent amenities, and some of the best service we have experienced. They have an great Stay & Play offering which we enjoyed during our visit to Florida - read our review of Reunion Resort. In addition to all of the above, Reunion Resort is home to three excellent signature golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Jack Nicklaus. To learn more, read our review of the Watson Course.
The Palmer Course is private but is open for play for guests of the Resort. Both the Resort and the Palmer Course are outstanding and well worth the price of admission.
Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 6,916 | 73.4 | 137 |
Blue | 6,058 | 69.2 | 128 |
White | 5,529 | 67.6 | 116 |
Gold | 6,419 | 70.9 | 132 |
Red | 4,802 | 67.0 | 113 |
Service is top notch and some of the best we have experienced. The pro shop is well stocked, the practice facilities are excellent, and the restaurant serves a wide variety of very good food for breakfast and lunch. Annika Sorenstam's ANNIKA Academy is adjacent to the courses and offers a variety of lessons and clinics to help you score better.
Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard RatingThe Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this: links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses!
All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course. In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40. We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.
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