Bay Hill: Arnold Palmer’s Course Still Owns Orlando Golf
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge takes No. 1 in our Golf Courses rankings with a Net Score of 92.3 — why it won, and what to get when you go.
2 minute read
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge is the No. 1 golf courses pick in Orlando — not by our say-so, but by the numbers. In Orlando Citizen’s Top Businesses rankings, it posted a Net Score of 92.3, the highest in its category, on a blended 4.8★ drawn from 925 public reviews. This is the winner’s profile: why it won, what to get when you go, and the details that make it a Bay Hill fixture.
Why it won
Our Net Score blends a business’s public ratings across the review sources we could retrieve — here: Google 4.8★ (811), TripAdvisor 4.4★ (114) — weights them by review volume, and then applies Bayesian shrinkage (m = 200) so a handful of five-star reviews can’t outrank a proven track record. Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge cleared a field of 21 ranked businesses in Golf Courses. That is a clear margin over the No. 2 finisher, Shingle Creek Golf Club (88.7). Scores compare only within a category, and the underlying ratings were retrieved November 14, 2026.
What to know
The tournament test. The Champion course at the King’s own club rewards strategy over brute distance, and conditioning peaks as the Arnold Palmer Invitational nears — more than one visitor timed a trip for exactly that and called the golf the best experience of their lives.
Worth knowing
The rough. Reviewers use the word brutal without irony; balls that find it stay found by somebody else. Also skip assuming you can book it like a public course — play is for members and registered lodge guests.
The local detail
The lodge itself is comfortable rather than plush, and that is part of the charm; staff earn names in the reviews (Mischa and Cheryl, repeatedly), and a forecaddie is part of the deal for most groups.
The essentials
- Find it: 9000 Bay Hill Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819
- Directions: Get directions
- Neighborhood: Bay Hill
- Hours: Daily 12 a.m.–11:59 p.m. (as listed in November 2026 — confirm before a special trip)
- Phone: 407-876-2429
- Online: official site
See the full list: The 10 Best Golf Courses in Orlando — every ranked business in this category, with scores.
Share this award:
Share on Facebook · Post on X · ·
🏆 Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge — this award is yours to use
Congratulations on Best Golf Courses 2026. The badge is free to use on your website, your socials and in your window — all we ask is that it links back to your feature, this page.
⬇ Download the badge (PNG, full size)
Or paste this snippet into your website — it displays the badge and links to your feature:
Photo: Grand Velas Riviera Maya (CC BY-SA), via Openverse. Photo-grade treatment by Orlando Citizen. The photograph is representative of the category, not the business itself.
Part of Orlando Citizen’s Top Businesses in Orlando series. Net Scores are recalculated from fresh public review data each edition.
Orlando Citizen by email
The weekly edition, in your inbox
One email, every Saturday: the week’s edition of Orlando Citizen — the week’s stories, rankings and winners, gathered in one place. Free, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Related Stories
Spotted an error? Tell us — corrections · How we rank