A new design duo crafted the second layout at this golf haven in Florida’s high-end Hobe Sound
The second of three planned 18-hole courses at ambitious private golf development Apogee in Hobe Sound, Fla., officially opened in November.
Apogee’s South course is the first project from Fazio & Davis Golf Design—the firm formed by Tom Fazio II & former USGA CEO Mike Davis. Massive amounts of earthmoving took place to turn dead-flat farmland into significant elevation change, a sharp juxtaposition to the club’s first course, the West (Gil Hanse/Jim Wagner), which opened in the fall of 2023 with a much lower profile.
Spread over 400 acres, the new team’s 7,138-yard, par-72 layout is big and bold but not over-bearing, providing numerous options—by air or ground—to find the green on any given hole. Splashy sand waste areas, steep-faced bunkers, and three massive manmade lakes, one stretching a mile long, frame holes and add drama to the mix. Yet the threat of finding the drink occurs only if the golfer decides to risk playing near it; in fact, the only forced carry over water comes at the reachable par-five 4th, where a small creek hugs the left side of the hole then slants across in front of the green.
The South is awash with variety, as Fazio & Davis creatively mix short and long par threes, multiple drivable fours, and distinctly different fives into their routing. The 340-yard par-four 8th (much shorter if played directly at the green over a sandy gap) and 331-yard par-four 16th practically beg to be tried off the tee—both with dire consequences. The round crescendos at another short four, the 13th, nicknamed “Stairway to Heaven” with its approach climbing some 40 feet to the green. (Unofficially, classic rock fan Fazio named every hole after a Led Zeppelin song.) The Cape-style, par-four 18th is a worthy finale, prompting you to bite off as much as you can chew before sizing up a second shot to a 40-yard-long putting surface.
More is on the way at Apogee, including the North course from Kyle Phillips (anticipated to open in December 2025), the 7-hole par-3 Wee Course featuring classic template-inspired greens, and a Himalayas-style putting course.
