Calm…

Quiet…

Peaceful…

Which is why “Tranquilo” is the perfect name for the course at the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.

Look, I’ve been going to Disney since I can remember. It’s kind of what you just do as a native Floridian. You go to the beach and you go to Disney.

But I never knew this type of world-class golf was located right in the heart of the magic. 

I mean, it’s so close to Magic Kingdom that you can actually hear the Stream Train while you putz around the track. 

So as a Disney Dork, I was in Heaven.

The course was stunning. Full of beautiful natural features and amazing wildlife. Which should come as no surprise, seeing that it is an Audubon Sanctuary. 

Oak Trees covered in Spanish Moss… gorgeous Central Florida topography… animals everywhere (even gators).

It almost felt like being in a Disney movie, wandering through an enchanted forest, searching for your fairytale golf ending.

Before we go any further, I need to point out that the only way to play this fairytale course is by being a member or a resort guest. But I’m telling you, it’s worth it.

From the moment you arrive, you’re surrounded by luxury that only a Four Seasons could provide.

A pro-shop that will empty your wallet…

An amazing restaurant called Plancha…

And then… there’s the practice facility. And when I tell you it might be one of the nicest practice facilities that I have ever been to …  I MEAN IT.

16 acres … $2.5 MILLION price tag … massive putting green … beautiful chipping area … and an enormous driving range.

I could have spent all day just at the practice facility. That’s how nice it was.

But Tom Fazio’s Tranquilo Course was calling my name. Well, my name and Brian’s name. Because unlike Paul and Troy, B-Money and I pushed our flights back so that we could experience this epic fairytale round of golf on Mickey’s doorstep.

Now, I’m going to let Brian take it from here and educate you on this masterfully designed par-71.

Impeccable Fazio Design in the Heart of Orlando

Tom Fazio boasts the most designs in Golf Digest’s Greatest 100 Courses in America of any architect for good reason. With an uncanny knack for combining engaging, challenging design principles with impeccable skill in shaping holes beautifully against natural surroundings, Fazio has devised a time-tested recipe for crafting unforgettable golf experiences.

These attributes are fully on display at Tranquilo, where he took an otherwise flat and swampy property and conjured a set of terrific golf holes that maximize the best land on site. With sweeping views from tee boxes, expansive bunkering and clever placement of water hazards, Tranquilo will test your golf game throroughly but you’ll cherish a nonstop lineup of dramatic shots throughout the round.

Tranquilo and Walt Disney World have been closely linked since the course’s inception, as it originally opened as “Osprey Ridge” in the early 1990’s, an original Fazio design under the umbrella of Disney Golf.

While Four Seasons would later acquire and rebrand the property, you’ll still feel like you’re at Disney World here, with the iconic theme park just down the street, beckoning for a post-round journey to the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Four Seasons invested heavily in the property to offer a high-end golf experience, bring Fazio back to redesign the layout in 2014. The site boasts impeccable conditions with blazing fast greens and perfectly maintained fairways, placing a premium on sharp execution and a great short game.

While I never played the original track, I can say that this is the most complete golf experience I’ve had in Orlando, featuring world-class amenities in addition to its stellar golf course.

The back nine especially stood out, loaded with a variety of dramatic golf holes snaking around ponds and darting through the forest. The closing stretch is a lineup of risk/reward opportunities, granting players chances to gain ground on the scorecard while only demanding modest heroics.

Dario’s Favorite Hole at Tranquilo: The 14th

If you haven’t figure this out by now, I love water features. Memorable holes, to me, always have water around them.

There’s just something about walking up to a tee box and being able to cut a hole in half, with a nice drive over the water.

Which is why I absolutely loved the 14th hole.

A long par four from the tips and blue tees … which forces a golfer to carry it about 260 yards to carry the water AND another 10 yards to clear the bunker.

Now you can move up to the whites and take the water out of play, but where’s the fun in that?

We teed off from the blues, where the hole played around 340 yards … and I proceeded to hit my best drive of the day. I freakin’ sent this one to the Astro Orbiter at Magic Kingdom (I told you I was a Disney Dork). A nice high draw over the water … over the bunker … middle of the fairway … just under 100 yards out.

Then I stuck my approach shot on the green … followed by a nice two putt for par (I will NEVER be upset with a PAR!).

The hole was amazing. Beautiful. Challenging. Fun. And it had water!

Checked all the boxes for me.

Brian’s Favorite Hole at Tranquilo: the 17th

I love a par five that just begs for a hero shot. Even if it’s one you know you can’t pull off, but you feel compelled to try anyway.

That’s what you’ll get at the stunning 17th – a reachable par five with an approach bending around a lake to an elevated, well-bunkered green.

The tee shot is generous enough, playing to a cavernous fairway pinched by a collection of fairway traps meticulously placed for longer hitters (i.e., not me).

From there, you’re greeted with a magnificent view across a sprarkling pond with the green in the distance. A generous layup zone exists to the right, but after a perfect drive on the second-to-last hole of an epic golf trip there was no way in hell I was going that route. I wanted glory.

Of course, I chunked my 3-wood in the drink and stumbled to double bogey. And you know what? I still had a smile on my face after giving this fantastic golf hole my best shot.

Closing Thoughts

We can’t rave enough about how much fun we had at the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club.

From the natural and wildlife aspect to the just amazing conditions and layout of the course … it was a world-class experience that only the Four Seasons can provide.

So if you’re ever visiting Mickey, or just in the Magic Kingdom Realm, make sure you book a night at the Four Seasons and then a tee time at Tranquilo. It’s worth every penny and YOU CAN HEAR THE MAGIC KINGDOM STEAM TRAIN FROM THE COURSE!! 

Tranquilo Golf Course at Four Seasons Orlando Website