MAAC Golf Championship to Return to Disney's Magnolia Course

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Walt Disney World Resort and Arnold Palmer Golf Management have announced the return of the MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in 2026. In 2026, the MAAC will unveil a new championship format, separating the men's and women's championships for the first time in conference history.

Since introducing women's golf as a sponsored sport in 1998, joining men's golf – which was a charter sport of the MAAC, competing since spring of 1982 – the league has held its annual MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships simultaneously. The 2026 tournament will mark the first time in 28 years of MAAC golf that the championships will split and both the men and women will have standalone championship weeks at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course. The Women's Golf Championship will run April 21-23, 2026. The Men's Golf Championship will be played April 28-30, 2026.

The partnership also continues the MAAC's collaboration with the Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports), which helps showcase the Orlando region as a premier destination for collegiate championships and sports tourism. Together with Walt Disney World Resort and Arnold Palmer Golf Management, the MAAC and GO Sports will work to elevate the student-athlete and fan experience while highlighting the growth of golf in the region.

"We are excited to extend our partnership with Arnold Palmer Golf Management and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to host the MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando," said MAAC Commissioner Travis Tellitocci. "The MAAC has held its golf championships on Disney's property since 2000, and this continued collaboration reflects our shared commitment to providing a premier championship experience for our coaches and student-athletes. We are proud to align our championships with a globally recognized brand on a course that has hosted PGA Tour events and boasts a rich history of championship golf."

"For more than four decades, Disney's Magnolia served as a favorite stop on the PGA Tour, and we look forward to welcoming back the MAAC student athletes! We've assembled an incredible team that is devoted to creating the best possible experience for our guests who travel here for a championship caliber golf vacation," said Bruce Gerlander, General Manager of Arnold Palmer Golf Management.

"We're excited to eventually see the completion of the re-imagination project and have Disney's Magnolia Golf Course fully re-open for play," said Alex Forsyth, Director of Sales & Marketing, for Arnold Palmer Golf Management. "It is thrilling for us to see our Guests enjoy all of the hard work that has been injected into the course design, and the assembly of all the different components that together comprise an elevated experience for these guests. Disney's Magnolia Golf Course ties together in the most unique way the Arnold Palmer brand, and that of The Walt Disney Company. The traditional and historical connotations that the Palmer brand carries have been melded together with an element of fun and whimsicalness that the Disney brand is renowned for. Our guests can celebrate the various Disney story lines and characters through the newly assigned hole names, while learning from inspirational quotes spoken by two of America's iconic pioneers of the 20th century. Even the putting green, now known as "The Greatest Green Ever Played" has a story to tell, and there's no forgetting "Grumpy's Gauntlet", holes 14 - 17, which now more than ever serve as a stern test of championship caliber golf to complete your round. All in all, there's no more memorable and magical round of golf than that of the newly re-imagined Disney's Magnolia Golf Course!"

"Congratulations to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Walt Disney World Resort and Arnold Palmer Golf Management on extending their partnership to host the MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships at the renowned Magnolia Golf Course," said Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. "This commitment not only elevates the student-athlete experience, but also reinforces Greater Orlando's position as a premier destination for championship golf and collegiate sports. Thank you to our partners at Orange County and Visit Orlando for their continued support of our efforts to secure world-class events for this community."

Disney's Magnolia Golf Course has hosted the MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships a conference-high 15 times and Lake Buena Vista, FL has been the home of the championships annually since 2000. The MAAC Championships have previously been played on Magnolia's greens in 2003, 2005-08, 2011-12, 2015-22, and 2025.

As one of the original Walt Disney World Resort golf courses which opened in 1971, the Magnolia course is a well-manicured, par-72 course that has all the earmarks of a top-flight course: elevated tees and greens, rolling terrain and a very popular Mickey Mouse-shaped sand hazard on the 6th hole.

Located across from Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the course was originally designed by Joe Lee, and more recently redesigned by Ken Baker, and is aptly named for its more than 1,500 magnolia trees. With tee boxes ranging from 5,200 to 7,505 yards from the back tees, it is the longest of the four Disney golf courses.

Each hole now has a Disney theme and an inspiring quote from Walt Disney or golf legend Arnold Palmer. For instance, hole No. 6 is called "The Mouse Trap'' and features Walt Disney's quote "I hope we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.'' Hole No. 15 is called "The Dinglehopper'' in reference to the Disney movie The Little Mermaid with an Arnold Palmer quote that says, "It's a funny thing; the more I practice, the luckier I get.''

In all, the recent re-imagination that included the putting green, 18 brand new greens, and 4 completely re-routed golf holes, represent the most extensive redesign of the Magnolia course and the latest changes since 2015 when several enhancements were completed, including reshaping the bunkers.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary's University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena University.

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