South Florida is a golfer’s nirvana.
With a warm year-round climate facilitating a lengthy playing season, it’s no surprise the Sunshine State has more golf courses than any other state in the nation. What’s more, Florida’s dynamic golf tourism industry plays host to major PGA events and many of golf’s Hall of Famers and top professionals call the state home. The number of premier residential golf communities and private clubs in Palm Beach County alone attests to the sport’s impact on the Florida lifestyle along with the many golf charity events that take place.
Luckily, you don’t have to pay for a membership in an elite private club or stay at an expensive resort to play a great round of golf here. Palm Beach County boasts award-winning public courses with reasonable green fees. We’ve done the research for you and picked out four top golf spots. All you have to do is grab your clubs, enjoy the course and strive to hit a hole-in-one.
Park Ridge Golf Course
Elevate your game at county-owned Park Ridge Golf Course in Lake Worth. Designed by architect Roy Case, Park Ridge Golf Course, a project of Palm Beach County and the Solid Waste Authority, is built on a retired landfill, turning a liability into an asset for Palm Beach County, according to course construction documents.
The elevation changes from fairway to green (up to 85 feet at its highest point) make Park Ridge Golf Course unique, explains golf course Manager Rich Smolen.
“Such a contoured and hilly course is a rare occurrence in Florida,” says golfpass.com.
“Without any doubt the most unique Florida course I’ve ever played,” writes a reviewer on golfnow.com.
The course opened to the public in 2007 and is committed to environmental stewardship. Like all county-operated golf courses, Park Ridge participates in Audubon initiatives.
The 18-hole, par-72, 6,707-yard course features Bermuda grass fairways and TifEagle greens. Five sets of tees accommodate all abilities. The course includes six par 3 holes, six par 4s and six par 5s, another feature that makes it unusual and fun for scoring, says Smolen. Most courses, he explains, have four par 3s, five par 5s and the balance par 4s.
Park Ridge made the grade many times over in Golf Range Association of America’s annual recognition of top public ranges. All you need to know about the course’s practice area can be found on the course website videos. The practice area, at 80 feet above sea level, covers an acre of land and has 25 grass hitting stations on a tee renovated in 2014. It includes target greens and yardage markers across the driving range. A 7,000-square-foot putting green and two practice chipping greens with green-side bunkers are also available.
Bill Abrams, PGA, is director of instruction. He works with a staff of PGA and LPGA professionals offering a range of individual and group lessons for adults and junior golfers.
Refuel at Georgie’s on the Green, the course’s snack bar serving burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and other quick and tasty chow.
Sandhill Crane Golf Club
Owned and operated by the city, Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens meanders through the Loxahatchee Nature Preserve. The 18-hole, par-72 course, originally designed by Roy Case and redesigned in 2013 by Dusenberry Design, winds through about 6,500 yards of Southern pines, palms and wetland areas. Elevation changes make for some stunning views and a challenging track, as do plentiful water hazards.
“This course is amazing and when you consider it’s a town-owned course, it’s just mind blowing,” wrote one reviewer on golfpass.com.
Michael Armit, Golf Operations manager, calls Sandhill Crane “a hidden gem.”
The fairways are Celebration Bermuda grass and the greens TifEagle, a variety of Bermuda grass that delivers speed and consistency, according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Seven sets of tees provide plays from 3,181 to 6,330 yards, according to the course’s online scorecard.
For a change of pace, warm up at the aqua practice range where you hit your ball into a target in the water. “There’s nothing more relaxing than sipping a cool drink while smacking a bucket of balls into the water,” says visitflorida.com.
Casey Mitchell, PGA, is Sandhill Crane’s director of golf and staff includes Bill Decker, a certified PGA professional. Learning opportunities abound at Sandhill Crane’s Golf Training Center with a variety of clinics, classes and camps, including an elite junior training program targeting youngsters interested in the game.
“Sandhill Crane is a very special golf course to many of our regulars who call our course ‘home,’” says Mitchell. “Some have been playing Sandhill for more than 30 years and recognize the natural beauty that can be found in the sunrise just above the horizon on our driving range lake, in the sandhill cranes taking flight over the property or the picturesque backdrops found as the sun starts to set behind our clubhouse. Cut through the Loxahatchee Slough, Sandhill Crane offers a unique golfing experience where you can enjoy playing a thoughtfully designed course that plays tribute to ‘true’ South Florida nature.”
The Dancing Crane, managed by Avi Sekerel (owner of Prosecco Café at PGA Commons and Saquella Café in Boca Raton), shines under the culinary expertise of Executive Chef Sean McKee. Locally sourced food makes up the menu with dishes like the Smoked Salmon Benedict for breakfast and the Classic Turkey Club Sandwich for lunch, all of which pair beautifully with the natural setting outside.
pbgfl.com/227/sandhill-crane-golf-club
Photos by Jake Nicholas Creative
Palm Beach Par 3
“There’s no other course quite like it,” says Michael Bamberger, a writer for golf.com when referring to Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course. The pros and amateur golfers alike enjoy this 18-hole, par-3 gem situated on 39 acres of oceanfront and Intracoastal property on A1A.
Operated by the Town of Palm Beach since 1973, Palm Beach Par 3, originally designed by Dick Wilson and built by Michael Phipps, was redesigned in 2009 by Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd.
Golf Digest named it one of the top 50 “most fun golf courses” in 2013 and in its March 2021 article, “Florida Golf Trips We Can’t Stop Dreaming About,” the magazine included Palm Beach Par 3, noting that it is “widely regarded as one of the most fun short courses anywhere.”
In September 2020, golf.com ranked it as one of the “best par 3 courses in the world.”
With a lush setting resplendent with water views along the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, you’ll have fun testing your short game on the paspalum turf and making the right club choice under the course’s windy conditions. Each hole has three sets of tees and distances range from 81 to 211 yards from the back tees. Water hazards and bunkers provide another challenge to improving your game.
Warm up at the full-length driving range with premium range balls, artificial and grass tees, a putting green and chipping bunker and be sure to check the calendar for daily golf clinics which are offered to adult and junior golfers of all abilities. For those wanting personalized instruction, private clinics and lessons can also be arranged.
Tony Chateauvert, PGA, is Palm Beach Par 3’s head professional and manager. An accomplished coach and instructor with 40 years’ experience, he says, “The Palm Beach Par 3 first and foremost is a wonderful, friendly and fun atmosphere. Second, golf may be the most over-analyzed, over-taught sport there is. The Par 3 has a wonderful stable of experienced teaching professionals to guide golfers through the minefield of golf instruction. We offer daily clinics, private instruction as well as golf schools and on course instruction.”
A two-story Key West style clubhouse houses the pro shop on the first floor. Stop for a meal at Al Fresco on the second floor where dishes like Lobster Salad and Ossobucco Milanese come with an ocean view.
Osprey Point Golf Course
Osprey Point Golf Course in west Boca Raton, operated by Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, opened in 2010 and ranks at the top of our list of public courses to play. The course has won many accolades, including making the cut in Golf Digest’s top 50 public golf courses in Florida and by Golf Range Association of America as one of America’s Top 50 public driving ranges and practice facilities.
Built in Burt Aaronson South County Park, the course is also an Audubon International Certified Classic Sanctuary, demonstrating a commitment to environmental management. While many courses in South Florida use Bermuda grass, Osprey features Platinum Paspalum turf, an environmentally friendly warm-climate turf that performs well from tee to green, according to Bo Preston, PGA, general manager of Osprey Point.
The par-72, 6742-yard course, designed by Roy Case and Jeff Grossman, features 27 holes with five sets of tees covering three challenging nine-hole courses offering multiple combinations to get in 18 holes or more. Course Falcon is the most challenging, followed by the Raven and Hawk courses, according to Preston.
Need some lessons? The Don Law Golf Academy offers instruction for all ages. Don Law, director of instruction, is listed in Golf Digest’s 2019/20 best teachers in Florida and was inducted into the South Florida Section PGA Hall of Fame in 2013.
Before teeing off, head over to the driving range for 28,000 square feet of practice greens, a putting green, chipping green and multiple target greens to test out the full range of clubs in your bag. YouTube videos on the club’s website will give you all the details and provide some tips on approaching some of the more challenging holes.
Finish off your game with a bite at The Nest Eatery where Executive Chef Simeon Morris serves classic American fare that includes dishes like BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and Cobb Salad in addition to breakfast options like the popular Croissant Breakfast Sandwich.