Which DVC Resort for WDW Golf Trip

[MartyParty]

We’re looking to do a golf trip at WDW. Might do a day or two at the parks but primary focus will be playing a few rounds of golf, pool time, and restaurants. I’ve done a few searches on the boards but not really finding the insights I’m looking for. We would rent a car, so getting around won’t be an issue.

The resorts that are closest to the WDW golf courses are Polynesian, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs.

Your thoughts appreciated….

Note: Link to WDW four courses.
https://www.golfwdw.com/?https://ww...YKJN6gp7nNcOhiKWvNR0im6YgLbTSqEcaAu-fEALw_wcB

 

[DizneyFamof4]

FYI, you get free transportation if staying at a WDW resort, you have to make arraignments with the front desk. so, to me, it does not matter which resort is closer to the golf courses. When we did golfing, we were with 2 other families and staying at ASMU. Staying at SS does give you quick access to all the restaurants at DS, but I would just look at the resorts you are interested in and pick one that way, since transportation and distance to the golf courses is really not a factor

 

[CarolynFH]

I would pick OKW or SSR, where your villa can overlook the golf course (just about all OKW villas do; only a few at SSR do). SSR is a little closer to DS than OKW is, but both have walking paths and boats there (the boats are not running currently due to low water levels, so check when you get there). You can also take a bus. All SSR buildings have elevators; only a few at OKW have them, but if y'all are golfers I doubt that climbing stairs to get to your 2nd or 3rd floor villa is an issue for you!

BTW, OKW has the largest villas of all DVC resorts - lots of room to spread out! That's another reason I'd recommend it for a golf trip!

 

[Simba's Mom]

DH spends many days golfing at WDW, and likes OKW the best. As suggested before, we have a much better chance of getting a room overlooking the golf course than we would at SSR. And he loves to watch the golfers, and see how they play a hole vs. how he played it. We've even been lucky enough a couple times to have the cart path go right by the porch, giving him the opportunity to comment to the golfer "Nice shot!"

 

[MartyParty]

DH spends many days golfing at WDW, and likes OKW the best. As suggested before, we have a much better chance of getting a room overlooking the golf course than we would at SSR. And he loves to watch the golfers, and see how they play a hole vs. how he played it. We've even been lucky enough a couple times to have the cart path go right by the porch, giving him the opportunity to comment to the golfer "Nice shot!"

That’s too funny! I could see my wife and I doing the same thing. Appreciate all the advice. Sounds like it’s super simple. What I’ve heard so far is the resort choice may not matter but OKW is a good golfing location.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Here is my ranking:
Magnolia
Palm
LBV

BTW: PLEASE NOTE!... Beginning on Monday June 3rd, 2024, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course will be closed for aerification. It will re-open for play on Thursday June 20th.

 

[Nikkimouse44]

SSR is our home resort so I would vote there. The golf course, though we only saw a few holes and haven’t played there yet, looked lovely. Their pro sho was great and they have a driving drive on site so you have the opportunity to practice while you wait for for tee time. I’d pick SSR and golfing at LBV course as long as it’s open and has tee times. Also the walk to Disney springs or the turf grill after 18 holes sounds fabulous

 

[Boopuff]

My DH is an avid golfer, we stay at OKW. The last trip the belllman drove a golf cart over to pick them up for the round and took them over to the course. They were given a voucher for a cab ride back. The resort will also hold your clubs so they don't take up space in the villa.

 

[Simba's Mom]

My DH is an avid golfer, we stay at OKW. The last trip the belllman drove a golf cart over to pick them up for the round and took them over to the course. They were given a voucher for a cab ride back. The resort will also hold your clubs so they don't take up space in the villa.

Thanks for mentioning that. On our next trip, DH, DS, and DGD (yes, she takes golf lessons and is being watched by the HS coach although she's just 13yo) will be golfing, but they won't have a car this trip. He wasn't sure how the resort transportation worked.

 

[MartyParty]

Here is my ranking:
Magnolia
Palm
LBV

BTW: PLEASE NOTE!... Beginning on Monday June 3rd, 2024, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course will be closed for aerification. It will re-open for play on Thursday June 20th.

Thanks for the course rankings Dizney. This was one of my other questions.

 

[zackiedawg]

For golf-centric trips, I do tend to prefer Saratoga, with OKW second. Even when not playing that course, it's still nice to have golf visible from the room sometimes, or have facilities close by. Having the ability to walk or short drive over from the room to the Clubhouse which is right on site, the quick lunch counter is there too, makes that a convenient course to play for sure. And having restaurants of Saratoga, plus easy walk to Disney Springs, makes it really stand out as even if you have your car, you don't need it most of the time - plenty of entertainment, bars, restaurants, etc all walking distance.

OKW is more if you love golf so much that you want to spend all your off-time watching others golf too - Saratoga's Grandstand rooms can overlook the golf course, but most OKW villas do...and close enough that you can talk with golfers - those who hit a poor shot sometimes end up standing a few feet from your balcony trying to shoot back out of the trees. I've even had a ball ON my patio deck (which I decided to do a covert drop back onto the ground before the golfer arrived so they wouldn't know their shot ended up under a patio table with a guy drinking coffee).

 

[robinb]

My step-father loved to watch (not play) golf and he absolutely loved OKW. We were there for a tournament over 20 years ago and we couldn't get him off the balcony, lol.

I would go for OKW and request a golf course view. It is lacking somewhat in restaurants, but the ferry boat will take you to Disney Springs where there a wide selection of food.

 

[mort1331]

I have done this with my group of "boys" so depending on how many going and if they want their own beds. We have done both OKW and SSR,,,prefer OKW,,,size of the 2 bdrms and the balcony is the best. We can also almost always catch a "top up " in our room while on the LBV course. I know you said you have a car, but take the free taxi to and from then you can enjoy road pops. Also they will keep and move your clubs from course to course.
If you do have a car,,,Arnold Palmers course is not on site but close by and a pleasure to play as well.
Enjoy.

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

There's lots of good info above, but I'll throw in my $0.02 anyway!
For golf centric trips - I would definitely consider SSR as my first choice. It's literally the only resort with the course/proshop on site (well, maybe Shades of Green has that distinction as well). The pro shop at Palm/Magnolia is a bit nicer/larger, but LBV's pro shop is not shabby.
Poly would be fine, but you either cross the street or get a cab to Palm/Magnolia. They are very close if you have a car.
OKW would require a taxi to the course. I'm wondering how the poster above ( @Boopuff 's) husband got there on a golf cart. Would require a drive down a busy road, or more likely, the walking path (mostly unpaved) to DS. I've never seen that before!
I've had golf trips where I've stayed at BCV, BWV, OKW, VGF, and SSR. IMO, SSR was the most convenient.

As stated above, you can stay at ANY Disney resort and get vouchers for free taxis to/from the courses.
Also, it's been my experience that the club house's do not store your clubs if returning to that particular course. They will if you're going to a different course. For example, if I played LBV today, and I was playing there again tomorrow, the clubs would have to come back with me. However, if I played LBV today, and was going to Palm in two days, they'd ship my clubs over there and store them until I was playing. This has been my experience, so maybe things have changed. I most recently played in February.

I will say that my favorite of the three courses is LBV. It's a bit more forgiving. The Palm is definitely the most challenging of the three, having mostly elevated greens requiring greater length/extra club to get it there. It is a challenging course to score well on. If one hole doesn't get you, the next one will. Magnolia is a nice layout, but I prefer LBV as it meanders through SSR, OKW, POFQ, DS, and the THV.

Also - Chip & Dale's is a great place for snacks/light eats/drinks at the turn or finishing up. By far, the CHEAPEST BEER that I've seen for sale at all of WDW. $5 beers!!! And the food is a bargain and pretty decent quality as well!

We've experienced (almost always) great staff. The courses have always been in very good shape with hard/fast greens. There are lost of photo ops, and you'll most likely see an abundance of wildlife. We've seen numerous cool birds (I'm not a birder, so I don't know what I was looking at), gators, eagles, deer, turkeys (in abundance), and foxes.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Thanks for the course rankings Dizney. This was one of my other questions.

I actually prefer LBV over both the palm and magnolia. LBV meanders through OKW and we love it there. The other two pretty much meander through the woods with occasional views of SOG. On LBV, you also get a short glimpse of POR and POFQ along with some really good looks at the tree houses. As far as conditions of the courses, they are very similar. You will see wildlife on all three but more on the Palm and Magnolia courses. Another thing I like about LBV is seeing the boats meander all around the river. I hit a pin on a par three tee shot right as a boat was going by and the people on the boat were all whooping it up as they went by. They all almost witnessed a hole in one. Not sure I could have afforded the bar bill if it had went in.

 

[MartyParty]

For golf-centric trips, I do tend to prefer Saratoga, with OKW second. Even when not playing that course, it's still nice to have golf visible from the room sometimes, or have facilities close by. Having the ability to walk or short drive over from the room to the Clubhouse which is right on site, the quick lunch counter is there too, makes that a convenient course to play for sure. And having restaurants of Saratoga, plus easy walk to Disney Springs, makes it really stand out as even if you have your car, you don't need it most of the time - plenty of entertainment, bars, restaurants, etc all walking distance.

OKW is more if you love golf so much that you want to spend all your off-time watching others golf too - Saratoga's Grandstand rooms can overlook the golf course, but most OKW villas do...and close enough that you can talk with golfers - those who hit a poor shot sometimes end up standing a few feet from your balcony trying to shoot back out of the trees. I've even had a ball ON my patio deck (which I decided to do a covert drop back onto the ground before the golfer arrived so they wouldn't know their shot ended up under a patio table with a guy drinking coffee).

There's lots of good info above, but I'll throw in my $0.02 anyway!
For golf centric trips - I would definitely consider SSR as my first choice. It's literally the only resort with the course/proshop on site (well, maybe Shades of Green has that distinction as well). The pro shop at Palm/Magnolia is a bit nicer/larger, but LBV's pro shop is not shabby.
Poly would be fine, but you either cross the street or get a cab to Palm/Magnolia. They are very close if you have a car.
OKW would require a taxi to the course. I'm wondering how the poster above ( @Boopuff 's) husband got there on a golf cart. Would require a drive down a busy road, or more likely, the walking path (mostly unpaved) to DS. I've never seen that before!
I've had golf trips where I've stayed at BCV, BWV, OKW, VGF, and SSR. IMO, SSR was the most convenient.

As stated above, you can stay at ANY Disney resort and get vouchers for free taxis to/from the courses.
Also, it's been my experience that the club house's do not store your clubs if returning to that particular course. They will if you're going to a different course. For example, if I played LBV today, and I was playing there again tomorrow, the clubs would have to come back with me. However, if I played LBV today, and was going to Palm in two days, they'd ship my clubs over there and store them until I was playing. This has been my experience, so maybe things have changed. I most recently played in February.

I will say that my favorite of the three courses is LBV. It's a bit more forgiving. The Palm is definitely the most challenging of the three, having mostly elevated greens requiring greater length/extra club to get it there. It is a challenging course to score well on. If one hole doesn't get you, the next one will. Magnolia is a nice layout, but I prefer LBV as it meanders through SSR, OKW, POFQ, DS, and the THV.

Also - Chip & Dale's is a great place for snacks/light eats/drinks at the turn or finishing up. By far, the CHEAPEST BEER that I've seen for sale at all of WDW. $5 beers!!! And the food is a bargain and pretty decent quality as well!

We've experienced (almost always) great staff. The courses have always been in very good shape with hard/fast greens. There are lost of photo ops, and you'll most likely see an abundance of wildlife. We've seen numerous cool birds (I'm not a birder, so I don't know what I was looking at), gators, eagles, deer, turkeys (in abundance), and foxes.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and tips!

 

[Tigger's ally]

I'm wondering how the poster above ( @Boopuff 's) husband got there on a golf cart. Would require a drive down a busy road, or more likely, the walking path (mostly unpaved) to DS. I've never seen that before!

All they would do is drive down the golf cart path down holes one through three then they will be in OKW where they could hit the roads. No need to get on the walking path. Instead of a voucher for a cab ride one time, that is how one of the pro shop workers took us home as we were on hole #5 that trip. Also, right there between hole 3 and 4 is where I came face to face with a big gator on one golf outing at LBV. That was many years ago and I don't think they let gators that size be around anymore. We had to alter our golf cart around him as he was on the path. Was playing with a fireman from NYC that day. I had played all over the south and was used to them, he wasn't and it totally freaked him out.

 

[mort1331]

There's lots of good info above, but I'll throw in my $0.02 anyway!
For golf centric trips - I would definitely consider SSR as my first choice. It's literally the only resort with the course/proshop on site (well, maybe Shades of Green has that distinction as well). The pro shop at Palm/Magnolia is a bit nicer/larger, but LBV's pro shop is not shabby.
Poly would be fine, but you either cross the street or get a cab to Palm/Magnolia. They are very close if you have a car.
OKW would require a taxi to the course. I'm wondering how the poster above ( @Boopuff 's) husband got there on a golf cart. Would require a drive down a busy road, or more likely, the walking path (mostly unpaved) to DS. I've never seen that before!
I've had golf trips where I've stayed at BCV, BWV, OKW, VGF, and SSR. IMO, SSR was the most convenient.

As stated above, you can stay at ANY Disney resort and get vouchers for free taxis to/from the courses.
Also, it's been my experience that the club house's do not store your clubs if returning to that particular course. They will if you're going to a different course. For example, if I played LBV today, and I was playing there again tomorrow, the clubs would have to come back with me. However, if I played LBV today, and was going to Palm in two days, they'd ship my clubs over there and store them until I was playing. This has been my experience, so maybe things have changed. I most recently played in February.

I will say that my favorite of the three courses is LBV. It's a bit more forgiving. The Palm is definitely the most challenging of the three, having mostly elevated greens requiring greater length/extra club to get it there. It is a challenging course to score well on. If one hole doesn't get you, the next one will. Magnolia is a nice layout, but I prefer LBV as it meanders through SSR, OKW, POFQ, DS, and the THV.

Also - Chip & Dale's is a great place for snacks/light eats/drinks at the turn or finishing up. By far, the CHEAPEST BEER that I've seen for sale at all of WDW. $5 beers!!! And the food is a bargain and pretty decent quality as well!

We've experienced (almost always) great staff. The courses have always been in very good shape with hard/fast greens. There are lost of photo ops, and you'll most likely see an abundance of wildlife. We've seen numerous cool birds (I'm not a birder, so I don't know what I was looking at), gators, eagles, deer, turkeys (in abundance), and foxes.

I can say for sure they will hold the clubs. I was staying at SSR once,,solo and playing LBV back to back days and just left them there, they wash them up and had them in the cart next day ready. Also Mag and Palm are at the same clubhouse and playing both courses different days, they hold them there as well, never had an issue. Just need to ask and confirm.
I will agree I like the clubhouse at LBV better,,also dont forget if DVC-Y you get discounts. If playing in the am,,the almost same breakfest sandwich is cheaper at Chip and Dales, then inside at the resturant. Even went there when not playing..lol..
hoping they bring back the sunrise and sunset 9,,great deals.

 

[zackiedawg]

I've eaten at Chip & Dale's many times when I'm just staying at SSR and not golfing. Definitely good quality with the most reasonable prices in DW - most sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, etc with chips AND a beer under $15. And all meats including hot dogs are Boar's Head.

 

[Disdreaming479]

I appreciate everyone contributing to this thread!