Fantasia Gardens
Miniature Golf Return
to Florida page
Walt Disney World
(across from the Swan hotel)
Price: $10.75 (2nd round ˝ price)
Par: 53 (Gardens
Course), 60 (Fairways Course)
Gardens Course Fairways Course
Difficulty: 7 Difficulty: 10
Creativity: 9 Creativity: 9
Atmosphere: 8 Atmosphere: 8
We took on these courses late at night during our recent stay at Disney World (this course sits right on the Disney property, between MGM and the Swan hotel) and that brings us to our first point- they were open incredibly late! The course gives out “tee-times” to ensure people are staggered at the start and the last time on the Fairways course in the middle of January was 10:30. We didn’t get off the course until almost midnight. Flexible hours were definitely a plus. As for other general items, the price was a bit steep for 18, but the ˝ price option for the second round was nice and the length of the courses and overall condition warranted the cost. The grounds were in good condition, but there were places that looked a little worn by time (much the same way certain sections of Disney World do).
The easier of the two courses is the Gardens Course and it follows a theme from the movie Fantasia. Each of the holes has something to do with one of the movements in the movie, culminating with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice scene at the last two holes. The integration of the theme is very good, as it provides for a variety of unique holes, including having to putt through fountains and a nifty surprise in the cave. As noted above, the overall condition of the course was clean, but it did have a worn look about it, and as with all things Disney, the mouse ears were quite prominent.
The Fairways Course is a course on which there have been USPMGA tournaments played on, and it is the toughest course we have ever played. The best way to describe this course is imagining making a series of actual golf course holes, then making it to about 1/10 the size. Each of the holes is closer to 100 feet long and has little to no edging (ball on the grass is a penalty). While the course also has sandtraps (real ones), there is no penalty for hitting the ball in there. Our best advice is to read the signs before putting because they do give some advice as to how to best attack the course. While it is possible to throw an ace or two into a couple of the holes, the best strategy for most players is to not go straight for the pin, but try to set yourself up for a easier two or three. We also suggest playing this course first, because it is quite hard to transition from a course where you use the edges frequently to one where you have none to use.
We only really have one gripe about the entire course. As noted in other reviews, we are big on the metal putters here at the Putting Penguin. At this course, there are both metal and rubber-head putters, but you are only allowed to use the metal ones on the Fairways Course. We were a little perturbed at this, especially since we played at 10:30 at night, there were few people there in total, and although we asked, we couldn’t get a metal putter for the Gardens Course. Other than that one minor gripe, we could definitely recommend this course to anyone who is visiting Disney or happens to be in the Disney area.
Reviewed by Pat, Chris & Putt
Reviewed in 2006
Fantasia Fairways Pics (click to enlarge)
