Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge

IN: COURSE DIRECTORY | REGION: FL, COUNTRY: USA | Add A Review

Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Hole 17

(Photo: Bay Hill Lodge)

Though the words "Bay Hill" have become irrevocably linked with the name, Arnold Palmer, Bay Hill actually enjoyed much more humble beginnings than being the winter home of the legendary golfer for which it has become known. Originally, the Bay Hill Club & Lodge was the vision of a group of investors from Nashville, Tennessee, who in 1960 sought to develop a private retreat at which to enjoy their favorite pastime. Thirteen months after the original conception, Bay Hill's championship 18 holes opened for play. Soon after opening in October of 1961, the present pro shop building was erected, overlooking the 1st and 10th tees. To promote the club, the partners invited Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Don Cherry and Dave Ragan to Bay Hill for an exhibition match in 1965. Impressed with the Central Florida area more than a decade earlier when he came to Orlando with the Wake Forest golf team for a match against Rollins College, Arnold Palmer fell in love with Bay Hill that day. By 1976, Arnold Palmer had purchased the Bay Hill Club & Lodge and it has been the winter home of the Palmer family ever since.