Bay Hill Club & Lodge on Simulators: Complete Course Matrix Guide
By the Course Matrix Writer | July 22, 2026
There is a reason Arnold Palmer called Bay Hill home.
The Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida has been the host of the Arnold Palmer Invitational since 1979 — longer than any other course on the PGA Tour has hosted the same tournament with the same name. It is the course that Arnie built, the course that Arnie played, and the course where every March, the King’s presence is still felt in the Champions Locker Room, the 19th Hole, and the six-foot bronze statue of Palmer on the driving range.
Bay Hill is not the longest course on Tour. It is not the most architecturally radical. But it is one of the most demanding — a par-72 that plays like a par-70 for professionals, with water in play on twelve holes, the most famous par-5 in Florida (the 6th), and a finishing hole that has decided more Arnold Palmer Invitationals than any other single hole on the course.
This is the thirty-second installment of our Course Matrix Series, and we are finally tackling the course that the King himself called home.
Course Profile
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Orlando, Florida |
| Architect | Dick Wilson (1961); Arnold Palmer redesigns (1979-2015) |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,467 yards (Championship) / 6,521 yards (Member) |
| Slope/Rating | 76.5 / 148 |
| PGA Tour Event | Arnold Palmer Invitational (since 1979) |
| Signature Feature | The 6-3-6 stretch — holes 6 (par-5), 7 (par-3), 8 (par-5) |
| Signature Hole | 18th — 458-yard par-4, water left, peninsula green |
| Grasses | Bermuda fairways, TifEagle Bermuda greens |
Three things make Bay Hill a must-play on simulators:
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The 6-3-6 Stretch. Holes 6, 7, and 8 are the most distinctive three-hole sequence in professional golf. The 6th is a 602-yard par-5 with water on the right and a massive green. The 7th is a 199-yard par-3 over water to a two-tiered green. The 8th is a 529-yard par-5 with water down the entire left side. You play par-5, par-3, par-5 — and the par-5s are both birdie holes if you execute, but double-bogey holes if you don’t.
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The 18th Hole. The 18th at Bay Hill is a 458-yard par-4 that demands a 200-yard carry over water off the tee, followed by an approach to a peninsula green with water on three sides. It is the fifth-hardest hole on the PGA Tour relative to par, and it has decided more Arnold Palmer Invitationals than any other hole in the field.
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Water on 12 Holes. Bay Hill is a water hazard course. Twelve holes feature water in play, and the water is not decoration — it is the primary defense. The 6th, 11th, 14th, 16th, 17th, and 18th all have water directly in the landing zone or guarding the green. On a simulator, the water hazard strategy is the defining feature of the round.
Platform Availability Matrix
| Platform | Available | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSPro | Yes | 5 stars | Community LiDAR version — captures the Palmer design with excellent accuracy. The 6-3-6 stretch is faithfully recreated, including the 6th’s water carry, the 7th’s two-tiered green, and the 8th’s left-side water hazard. The 18th hole’s peninsula green and forced water carry are the best simulator version available. |
| E6 Connect | Yes | 4 stars | Officially licensed in the premium course collection. Accurate yardage, proper Arnold Palmer Invitational tee setup, and official club branding. The water hazard rendering is good — the 18th’s peninsula green looks excellent. |
| Trackman Virtual Golf | Yes | 5 stars | Premium library inclusion. Trackman ball-flight physics and wind modeling are the gold standard here — the 18th’s approach shot with water on three sides and the 6th’s 602-yard distance with a helping wind are both exceptional. |
| FSX Play | Yes | 4 stars | Licensed library. Good graphics — the Florida landscape, water features, and Palmer branding are well-rendered. The green contours on the 6th and 7th are accurately modeled. |
| TGC 2019 | Yes | 3 stars | Community version. The routing and hole shapes are accurate, but the water hazard penalty modeling is simplified — the 18th’s peninsula green does not feel as punitive as it should. |
| Full Swing Simulator | Yes | 4 stars | Licensed library. The KIT launch monitor captures the water-carry strategy well. The 6-3-6 stretch plays authentically. |
| Golfzon TwoVision | Yes | 3 stars | Available in the international course library. The screen-golf format works well for the water hazard strategy — the visual cues for forced carries are effective. |
| Garmin Home Tee Hero | No | - | Not available. |
| Rapsodo Course Play | No | - | Not available. |
| Awesome Golf | No | - | Not available. |
Which Platform Should You Choose?
For the best experience overall: GSPro community LiDAR version. The water hazard modeling, forced carry distances, and green contour accuracy are unmatched. The 18th hole — 458 yards, water carry off the tee, peninsula green — is the best single simulator finishing hole in the Florida section of this series.
For the best officially licensed version: E6 Connect. The officially licensed version includes Arnold Palmer Invitational branding, accurate tournament tee configurations, and polished visuals of the lake, the clubhouse, and the Palmer statue. The 6-3-6 stretch is presented with the proper tournament atmosphere.
For the best value: E6 Connect subscription. The $299/year subscription gives you access to Bay Hill alongside hundreds of other courses, including many other PGA Tour venues. The cost-per-round drops dramatically after the first few plays.
For budget setups: Connect a Garmin R10 ($395) or Rapsodo MLM2 Pro ($699) to GSPro via third-party connectors. Total cost starts around $850, and you get the full GSPro LiDAR version of the course.
Five Tips for Playing Bay Hill on a Simulator
1. The 6-3-6 Stretch is Your Tournament
The 6th (602-yard par-5), 7th (199-yard par-3 over water), and 8th (529-yard par-5 with water left) are the most unique three-hole sequence in golf. Play the 6th and 8th as three-shot par-5s — lay up to your favorite wedge distance, hit the green, and walk away with two birdie looks. The 7th is a one-club longer par-3 than the yardage suggests — the green is two-tiered and the back-right pin is nearly impossible to get close to. Par is a good score on the 7th.
2. Set the Wind to 10-15 mph
Bay Hill plays differently in every wind condition. A north wind makes the 18th play 470 yards. A south wind makes the 6th reachable in two. Set the wind to 10-15 mph and enable gust variability. The Florida wind is a feature, not a bug — Palmer designed the course to be played in it.
3. The 18th is a Par-5 in Disguise
The 18th at Bay Hill is 458 yards on the card, but with the water carry off the tee and the peninsula green, it plays like a 520-yard par-4. Hit driver. Just get it over the water. The fairway is wider than it looks from the tee. A 200-yard lay-up with a 3-wood leaves you 258 yards to the green — and that is a worse position than 150 yards from the fairway.
4. Lay Up to the Correct Side on Par-5s
Bay Hill’s par-5s — the 4th, 6th, 8th, 12th, and 16th — all have water on one side. The 6th has water on the right. The 8th has water on the left. The 12th has water down the right. The 16th has water left of the green. Lay up to the side that gives you the best angle to the green, not the side that feels safest. On a simulator, the correct lay-up position is worth 0.3 strokes per hole.
5. The Greens are Slower Than They Look
Bay Hill’s TifEagle Bermuda greens are notorious for being slower than they appear. The grain runs toward the closest water source, and the internal contours are more subtle than dramatic. On a simulator, use the putting grid to read the break — the greens break more than the visual suggests, and the grain adds 2-3 inches of break on 15-foot putts.
The Verdict
Bay Hill Club & Lodge is the most distinctive course in the Course Matrix Series for one reason: the 6-3-6 stretch. No other course in professional golf has a par-5, par-3, par-5 sequence that is simultaneously that birdie-friendly and that double-bogey-dangerous. On a simulator, the 6-3-6 stretch becomes a pure decision-making challenge — do you go for the 6th in two with water on the right? Do you lay up on the 8th to avoid the left-side water? Do you hit a 4-iron to the center of the 7th green and accept the two-putt?
The 18th hole is the second reason. The 18th at Bay Hill is a 458-yard par-4 with a forced water carry and a peninsula green. It is the fifth-hardest hole on the PGA Tour relative to par, and on a simulator, it is the single most stressful finishing hole in the Florida section of this series. The water is everywhere. The fairway is smaller than it looks. The green is surrounded on three sides by the lake. And the consequence of a bad swing is a double bogey — or worse.
Bay Hill is not a course for the faint of heart. It is a course for the golfer who wants to understand why Arnold Palmer called this place home. It is a course for the golfer who wants to test their decision-making under pressure, their water hazard strategy, and their ability to execute under the most demanding finishing conditions in professional golf.
The King built it. The King played it. And on a simulator, you can play it too.
This is the thirty-second installment of our Course Matrix Series. Previous installments covered Pebble Beach, St Andrews Old Course, TPC Sawgrass, Augusta National, Bethpage Black, Pinehurst No. 2, Whistling Straits, Royal Birkdale, Kiawah Island Ocean Course, Torrey Pines South, Oakmont, Winged Foot West, Riviera, Los Angeles Country Club North, Shinnecock Hills, Carnoustie, Harbour Town, Southern Hills, Royal Troon, Merion East, Muirfield Village, Valhalla, The Country Club (Brookline), Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes, TPC Scottsdale, Quail Hollow Club, Medinah No. 3, Olympic Club Lake Course, Congressional Blue Course, and Kapalua Plantation Course.