The trip
Overview
Florida is the television backdrop of professional golf, and this journey plays the screen: the Ponte Vedra corner of the First Coast, home of TPC Sawgrass and its island-green seventeenth, then Orlando, where Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill hosts the tour every March. Both marquee venues operate defined public or resort-guest access routes — neither is a turn-up-and-play course, and we are precise about how access works before a dirham moves.
The structure is three nights at Ponte Vedra Beach and four in Orlando, with four rounds split evenly and rest days that Florida fills without effort: Atlantic beach time in the north, and in Orlando whatever your group means by rest — theme parks, outlet malls or a fifth round. Emirates’ direct Dubai–Orlando route makes this the rare American golf trip without a connection.
Highlights
- ✦TPC Sawgrass — THE PLAYERS Stadium Course and the island seventeenth
- ✦Dye’s Valley, the Stadium’s underrated sibling
- ✦Bay Hill — Arnold Palmer’s tour-venue home in Orlando
- ✦Ponte Vedra Beach’s Atlantic mornings
- ✦Orlando evenings — steakhouses, theme parks or both
Who it suits
- ●Golfers who grew up watching the Players and Bay Hill on television
- ●Families splitting the party between fairways and theme parks
- ●Groups wanting American service, yardage books and forecaddies
Why this journey works
- ✓Direct Dubai–Orlando flights carry clubs without a connection risk
- ✓Two marquee tour venues anchored by a deep bench of resort golf
- ✓Orlando absorbs non-golfers better than any city in world golf
Day by day
Day 1
Direct to Orlando, north to the coast
The direct Dubai–Orlando flight lands mid-afternoon; a two-and-a-half-hour transfer brings you to Ponte Vedra Beach by evening. Check in near the ocean, walk the sand, early night against the jet lag. Hotel style: coastal resort in the Sawgrass orbit.
Day 2
Dye’s Valley at TPC Sawgrass
Warm up on the Valley course — a tour-tested layout that would headline most states — and walk the Stadium’s seventeenth as a spectator in the afternoon. Clubhouse tour and pro-shop damage as required. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Day 3
THE PLAYERS Stadium Course
The round itself: Pete Dye’s amphitheatre of nerves, ending with the island green and the eighteenth along the water. Resort-access arrangements govern this tee sheet and are confirmed in writing beforehand. The scorecard matters less than the seventeenth-tee photograph — but it still matters.
Day 4
South to Orlando
Beach morning, then the transfer south. Check in on Orlando’s resort corridor; evening at a Winter Park restaurant row or the flagship steakhouses. Non-golfers begin plotting theme-park logistics with our pre-arranged park tickets.
Day 5
Bay Hill
Arnold Palmer’s club, where the tour stops every March: water-guarded closing holes and the King’s memorabilia through the clubhouse. Lodge-stay or invitation arrangements typically govern access — confirmed precisely at booking. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Day 6
Orlando’s pick of the rest
Round four from Orlando’s deep bench — Waldorf Astoria’s course, Shingle Creek or a Disney resort layout by preference. Alternatively swap golf for a full park day and keep the legs for tomorrow. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Day 7
Free day — parks, outlets or a fifth round
Entirely yours: Magic Kingdom or Universal with pre-booked tickets, outlet-mall reconnaissance, or an optional extra round priced on request. Farewell dinner on the resort corridor.
Day 8
Home direct
Morning at leisure, then the direct flight back to Dubai — one aircraft, no connections, arriving the following evening local time.
The golf
Rounds
4
Handicap
No formal handicap requirement is typical at US resort courses; pace-of-play standards are enforced
Buggies
Carts standard and generally included at US resort courses — confirmed per course at quote stage
Clubs
Check airline sports-baggage allowance on UAE departures; premium hire sets available at all venues
TPC Sawgrass — Dye’s Valley
Day 2 — the Stadium’s tour-tested sibling, an ideal opener. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
TPC Sawgrass — THE PLAYERS Stadium Course
Day 3 — Pete Dye’s island-green amphitheatre; access runs via resort arrangements, never assumed. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Day 5 — the tour’s March stop; lodge-stay or invitation arrangements typically govern play. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Orlando resort course (Waldorf Astoria, Shingle Creek or similar)
Day 6 — selected with the group from Orlando’s deep resort bench. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Tee times are requested and confirmed at booking — we never guarantee a tee time until the course has.
For non-golfers
When to go
October to May is Florida’s golf prime — warm, drier and buzzing around the March tournament weeks, when Bay Hill and Sawgrass tee sheets tighten and prices peak. June to September is hot, humid and thunderstorm-prone in the afternoons, though morning golf and lighter crowds have their advocates. Hurricane season formally runs June to November; travel insurance matters here.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full United States destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return direct flights from Dubai to Orlando
- ✓Three nights at Ponte Vedra Beach and four nights in Orlando
- ✓Four rounds of golf with pre-booked tee times once confirmed
- ✓Golf transfers on playing days and the inter-city transfer
- ✓Daily breakfast
- ✓PCT golf travel consultant support
Not included
- —Buggies and caddies unless stated (forecaddie fees payable locally where required)
- —Golf club hire
- —Travel insurance
- —Personal spending
- —ESTA or US visa costs
Ways to extend it
- +Two nights in Miami or the Keys after the golf
- +Streamsong resort add-on for course-architecture obsessives
- +Kennedy Space Center day from Orlando
Gallery
