Thanks to Yelp I had the opportunity to attend the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year. I had a fantastic time overall. Some feedback I wanted to share: Gluten-free food options are limited. My friend has a gluten allergy and had quite a difficult time finding something she could safely eat. Between the Florida heat and the need to stay hydrated while walking the course all day it shouldn't also be stressful trying to find food that accommodates dietary restrictions. Another suggestion would be to add more mirrors in the merchandise tents especially in the large main tent. Hats looked to be the biggest sellers (as I bought one too) and I think you'd probably see even more purchases if people could easily see how they look wearing them. Currently there's only one fitting room which also happens to be the only place with a mirror so the line gets very long just to check how a hat looks and try ons. Even small size mirrors would be feasible. Now for the pros: I really enjoyed the different viewing decks available to the public and the Mastercard lounge it made the experience feel more interactive and comfortable. Also the Mastercard discount of 10% on every purchase was nice. I used my Mastercard to pay for merchandise and food and it automatically reduced the pricing upon scanning the card. The vendor areas and little games throughout the event were also a lot of fun and gave everyone something to do between watching groups. If you've never attended before I highly recommend going right when the gates open. It's the best time to walk around, take photos, and check out the vendors before it gets overwhelmingly crowded. Overall a great event! read more

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This was my first time ever going to a golfing event and I had so much fun. I got so into watching the golfers and understanding how they play the game. I love that they had cold rags ready and waters on this hot day. I cant wait to come back. read more

Arnold Palmer Invitational - Golf Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Despite being a life long Orlando native, this was my first time attending the Arnold Palmer Invitational and it was fantastic. The event is incredibly organized. Parking, shuttles, bathrooms, merchandise, and assistance were all easy to access across the course. The staff were very polite and informative. They had a great selection of food and drink. The layout was well designed. Everything was excellent. We got to see players up close even with general admission. This was well worth it. I'll definitely be back next year! read more

Arnold Palmer Invitational - Spiked Arnold Palmer - Golf Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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This year I got to bring my husband along to the Arnold Palmer Invitational courtesy of the Yelp Orlando team! It was such a wonderful experience to be able to see professional golf take place here in Orlando and it was perfect weather for it! The staff there was very friendly and pointed out the easiest way to get from hole to hole and where to watch the golfers play. Throughout the course there are plenty of concession stands where you can hydrate or get snacks and alcohol, and the medical tents were on standby with cooling towels to help prevent attendees from overheating. Overall this was a great experience and being so close to the action is a memory I won't soon forget! read more

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I went to API for the first time as a fan and it was so much fun!! Thank you Yelp! It is such a beautiful course with top talent playing throughout the weekend. I do wish they had more gluten free options though for food. I really was only able to eat a hot dog without a bun. read more

Arnold Palmer Invitational - Golf Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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This is such a great golf tournament to attend and I would recommend any lovers of golf to check it out. This is a tough course and it makes the tournament very interesting. During this 2024 tournament, the weather was beautiful on the Thursday that we went out. It was the first day of the tournament, heating up to be a beautiful day and there was excitement in the air! From parking lot 10, we had to walk to hole 17 which is where our skybox was for the day. Everyone that we passed who worked there was so polite and nice. Everyone said "good morning" and just genuinely looked happy to be there. That was really nice to see because it just made us more happy to be there as well. We went into the merchandise tent and there were an abundance of workers willing to help out and greet you as you entered. The customer service at this tournament is stellar. The skybox at 17 was amazing as well. We enjoyed hamburgers, steak, hotdogs with salad and then icecream near the end of the day. Though a hot one, I loved being here and being up close to the golfers! read more

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Amazing experience got invited by jet blue and I had the most amazing experience. Was sitting at the sky 18 lounge and it was great. The food was amazing and the drinks were great as well. Definitely worth it. The ambiance was amazing. The service from everyone and the staff was great. Definitely would do it again. The parking was a long long walk that would be the one thing that would be nice if they change it. read more

Arnold Palmer Invitational - Golf Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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We went Tuesday. My complaint is that MasterCard promotes on their website and at the course that if you use their credit card for on course purchases you get 10% off. Totally false. Did not work at any food concession stand I went to. No one at the course could help fix the issue. Two burgers, two waters and chips was nearly $50. MC owes me $5. read more

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is an upper-tier golf event. Outside of the four majors, The Players Championship, the World Golf Championships (WGC), and the FedEx Cup playoff events, the "API" (as some people call it for short) falls next in terms of purse, prestige, and talent level. At the time of writing this review, the API is one of only six events on the PGA Tour, including the Masters, that is considered an invitational. Therefore, its field is slightly smaller at 120 players compared to 132, 144, or 156 for most "regular" events on Tour. This event draws a lot of golf's biggest and brightest stars. A couple other reasons the API is special: 1. The winner of the API gets a three-year Tour exemption. To give some perspective, winners of regular events "only" get two. Other tournaments where the winner gets a three-year Tour exemption are WGC events, the Tour Championship, and the Memorial Tournament. Only winners of the majors, the Players, and the FedEx Cup get to keep their cards longer (five years). 2. As the tournament name indicates, the event is closely-tied to golf legend Arnold Palmer. Arnie used to own Bay Hill Club & Lodge where the API has been held every year since 1979. Today, it's branded as "Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge." Only a handful of players are tied to other events: Bobby Jones and the Masters, Jack Nicklaus and the Memorial, Byron Nelson and the AT&T Bryon Nelson, Ben Hogan and the Charles Schwab Challenge (unofficial tie), and Tiger Woods and the Genesis Open. It makes you wonder why Gary Player doesn't have an event. Speaking of Tiger, he won this event a staggering eight times from 2000 to 2013. Six other players have won the API more than once, but never more than twice. That's how dominant Tiger has been at Bay Hill. I still remember where I was and who I was with when I watched Tiger win his 6th API title in dramatic fashion with a birdie on the 72nd hole as daylight ran out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqgw4LaQmWQ. The Masters champion dons the green jacket, the RBC Heritage champion dons the tartan (plaid) jacket, and the API champion dons the iconic red cardigan in memory of Arnie. Palmer actually won this event once in 1971 when it was known as the Florida Citrus Invitational. At that time, the tournament was held at Rio Pinar Golf & Country Club. Both Rio Pinar and Bay Hill are located in the suburbs of Orlando. Currently, 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was the latest to win the API on March 7 of this year (2021). He played the 6th hole at Bay Hill like no other, at least in the ShotLink era, recording the top three longest drives on the 530-to-550+ yard par-5 dogleg-left water hole: (1) 377 yards, (2) 370 yards, (3) 360 yards. It was fun to watch: https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1369042426988486658. I will end this review with a link to a video of what was perhaps the most incredible shot in this tournament's history, a driver off the deck by the man himself, Arnold Palmer, on the 18th hole (year 2004, age 73): https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1366754705821548552. Amazing. read more

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Beautiful day and beautiful course. 5* Thanks to all the volunteers that give their time to Arnie's tournament. 5* We parked onsite Lot 10 ($45) Seemed like part of a practice course. All grass except for the cart path we entered on. ;-) Pro Tip: Exit is the same direction as the Entrance but good luck to ya finding the tiny little Exit signs sparsely placed in awkward positions. 2.5* Merchandise tent was crowded. Could use some Disney-like crowd flow control into the tent. Prices were to be expected. We both bought $24.99 hats and paid with our MasterCard for a 10% discount. 4* We were following Jordan Spieth's group, along with LOTS of other folks. Even though tickets were "limited" it seemed super crowded since it was a popular group. Other parts of the course were pleasantly uncrowded. Kudos to 90+% of folks wearing their masks correctly. 10* out of 5* Yes, we were outside but quite close as people decided they wanted to be in the same place you had picked several moments earlier. Better thinking next time to the folks "trying" to wear a mask but not realizing it goes over your nose, too. Yes, even if you bought a beer a couple hours ago and are carrying it around. 2* Chin strappers - not even covering mouth. Really, we've had a year to shop around and find a mask that fits comfortably. 0.5* And, finally, to the ones with no masks (!) or those that ignored tournament volunteers' request to wear them correctly, I have no words. And no stars. read more

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We went to the Sunday event of API. Really great tournament. Since the parking lot was sold out at the tournament, we took the buses from Universal. Parking cost $27 which was a bit more than expected. We found the grounds to be in really great shape, concessions were plentiful and tournament associates, volunteers, and course officials were nice and very well staffed and prepared for the event. The weather was also remarkable, just a bit warmer than normal as well as gusty. Overall, the event was very well done and quite memorable at the end. read more

My first year attending the Arnold Palmer Invitational was a success. The course is beautifully maintained and the event was coordinated and executed without a hitch. We bought GA tickets online for $56 for Saturday. We used Lyft to get there, which I highly recommend to save on parking. Check in to the event was super simple, brief security run down, and we were right there in the middle of the action. For those not into golf, keep in mind there's a lot of waiting, a lot of walking, a lot of silence pauses, and a lot of rules to follow along the way. At some of the holes, you can really get close to the players, which was pretty cool. From an event standpoint, there were food and drink tents galore. Sometimes from hole to hole it felt like an eternity to find a bathroom or vendor, but for the most part they did a great job considering the thousands of people in attendance. Some brands went all out with their stations, and then there were some that were akin to ballpark options. Like a ball game, you'll work up quite a tab considering you're out here for six to seven hours. The gorgeous weather made the experience worthwhile. And for someone along for the ride, I just went with the flow and enjoyed myself. read more

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Great event. Came with my company and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The weather was wonderful and we had great views of all the golfers

Awesome experience. Up close and personal with best players in the world. Places to snack, drink, etc.. Gift shop (pricey) with cool stuff. I would probably get a Master Card in order to make even more areas available. read more

Strike 1. Our parking shuttle driver got lost. It literally took an hour to get from the parking to the course. Strike 2. We had to toss out our bottles of water before we got on the bus. Strike 3. No water was available on the course without purchase. Strike 4. No cash was accepted to purchase food or beverages. Give this tournament a pass. It was fun to see the big name golfers, but there are better places to do that. read more

This was the first year we attended. We had an amazing time and will be going back next year. The golf course is amazing, very pretty and well maintained. We purchased the additional package that included the bbq tent. It was only about 20 dollars more then a regular ticket but included all you can eat bbq and beer and water. The bbq was sponsored by Four Rivers so needless to say it was delicious. You were able to bring in lawn chairs but could not bring the carry bag that most come in which was definitely an inconvenience. There were a lot of policies and dos and don'ts but it was for the courtesy of the golfers. We walked pretty far to go to the merchandise tent and the prices were pretty high! I would highly recommend going next year if you are into golf. It's really fun to just pick a hole and watch that way you can see them all or you can follow your favorite. We will definitely be going back! read more

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Fun tournament! They even signaled everyone to get away well before the lightning and rain came!