Bay Hill Golf Club

Bay Hill: Developed from a Florida orange grove near Orlando, this course was originally designed by Dick Wilson. After playing here at an exhibition match, Arnold Palmer was so impressed with it and its possibilities, that he and a group of investors bought it. Then with the help of Ed Seay and through judicious modifications over time, made it his own. Long and tight the 7114 yard, Par-72 course reflects the personality of its adopted father, Palmer, who was the most aggressive and dynamic player in modern golf. The long tough par-4's face into a prevailing north wind and the dog-legs favor a player like Palmer, who draws the ball. With 6 water hazards and 108 bunkers, this course smiles on the gambling, scrambling, heroic style of play. An example is the 543 yard, par-5, Sixth which coils counter clock-wise around the largest lake on the layout. Palmer once took a 10 here in route to his highest round as a pro, 85. Many consider the group of four par-3's the most interesting and challenging of any course and certainly they are in the same league with those of Harbour Town. The difference is their demanding length, especially the two on the back when the wind is up. Since Arnie redesigned the Sixteenth, now a par-5, it could be said that the group of par-5's are some of the most interesting on any one course. At 484 yards the Sixteenth is a relatively short par-5, but with moat-like water guarding the green, getting home in two can be perilous. The par-3, Seventeenth ranks as one of the most difficult holes on the entire Tour and Palmer regards it among his all time best Eighteen. It is most difficult when the pin is cut to the back-right. There it has often been the determining hole of the Annual Invitational which has been rated one of the five most enjoyed stops on the Tour. Statistically, the Eighteenth is the most difficult par-4 on the Tour with a stroke average of 4.5 per round. The hole was a par-5. Palmer redesigned it. He lowered the putting surface and enlarged the lake to meet the crescent-shaped green's edge. Many a contender's slightly errant approach has dropped into that lake which has become known as the "Devil's Bathtub". Relatively flat and free of gimmicks the course is a straightforward test of golf. There is a premium on long straight driving with the four par-5's reachable in 2. And with outstanding, challenging par-3's, an imaginative variety of par-4's, two of which can almost be driven, tempting dog-legs and the ever present water hazards, Bay Hill is one of America's great golf courses and host the annual Bay Hill Invitational in March.

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Artists' Golf is a conceptual work of art Copyright 1995 - 2008 by David B. Lewis and all original paintings, drawings and art works are Copyright by David B. Lewis. All rights reserved.  Maps of existing courses are original artistic interpretations and impressions from a variety of sources and are not intended to be accurate renderings or representations of the actual courses.  They indicate my interest and study and are intended purely for the pleasure and information of the viewers and are not for sale or profit.