With the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches returning to PGA National Resort the last week in February, the spotlight shines once again on one of the golf meccas of the world—Palm Beach, Fla., and its surrounds. The Palm Beaches—the entity—refers to the collection of 39 affluent coastal towns in southeast Florida, which take in 47 miles of Atlantic coastline. The region boasts an unparalleled assemblage of top-ranked private courses; outstanding public courses are tougher to come by—but not impossible.
Here are the top 10 courses you can play in The Palm Beaches.
PGA National (The Champion)—Palm Beach Gardens
Venue for the 1983 Ryder Cup, 1987 PGA Championship, and to the PGA Tour since 2007, this 1981 Tom Fazio design was considered an elite tournament venue, primarily because it was situated at the headquarters of the PGA of America, though the design was roughly that of an upper-tier Florida real estate course, drenched with water and lined with homes. Jack Nicklaus arrived in 1990 to create the infamous “Bear Trap,” comprised of holes 15, 16, and 17, which bedevils PGA Tour competitors year after year, amid liquid peril on every swing—and that goes for the reachable, birdie-able par-five 18th as well. Its storied tournament tradition makes this the top must-play in The Palm Beaches.
The Park—West Palm Beach
In April 2023, a new golf course from Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner appeared on a south Florida site with a rich but checkered past. Named The Park, it occupied ground that once housed West Palm Beach Country Club, a 1947 public Dick Wilson design owned and operated by the city of West Palm Beach. That course hosted multiple PGA Tour events, including the 1959 West Palm Beach Open Invitational, won by Arnold Palmer, and ranked among the nation’s best public spreads through the early 1980s. Eventually, following several redesigns and downturns, the course closed for good in 2018—only to be revived by businessman Dirk Ziff and then PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, leaders of the West Palm Golf Park Trust. They enlisted Hanse’s firm to provide a new, walkable, par-71 layout of 7,145 yards on the rolling, sandy terrain with an emphasis on strategy. The public-private partnership succeeded in elevating a golf course on this spot once again into the ranks of the nation’s top public courses.
North Palm Beach Country Club—North Palm Beach
Local boy Jack Nicklaus modernized this 1926 Seth Raynor layout in 2006, adding 800 yards, wildly undulating greens, and an expanded practice and teaching facility, all for the fee of $1—Jack’s way of giving back to his adopted hometown. The city of North Palm Beach purchased the course in 1962, and it has served its citizens admirably with a prime location on U.S. Highway 1. With a pair of holes along the Intracoastal Waterway, strategic bunkering, and a reasonable green fee for a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, this 7,071-yard, par-71 test is worth the effort to get aboard.
PGA National (The Match)—Palm Beach Gardens
Architect Andy Staples picked up a lot of year-end hardware for transforming The Squire course at PGA National into The Match in 2021. The least played of the original group of the resort’s courses, it was reimagined into a 5,744-yard course designed around match play, not stroke play. It’s perhaps the only course in Florida that’s not rated, because you don’t post a score. It was designed to have a match, not go beat the course. There are no set tee markers during a round. The winner of the previous hole chooses where to play from next. The grass is cut short throughout, emphasizing the ground game. With hazards minimized, and playability maximized, the result is a faster, more fun experience for all skill levels.
The Breakers (Ocean)—Palm Beach
One of Florida’s oldest tracks is the Ocean Course at The Breakers, a pint-sized pearl that dates to the late 1890s. Brian Silva reworked it in 2000, followed by a comprehensive renovation by Rees Jones in 2018, and today it boasts lush landscaping, multiple water hazards, and striking views of the incomparable, Gatsbyesque hotel. Just 5,778 yards, par 70 from the Black tees, the Ocean earns a sturdy slope of 126, thanks to the frequent coastal breezes and emphasis on accuracy. You must be a guest of The Breakers to play the course, but for its history, beauty, and location, it’s worth the freight.
The Breakers (Rees Jones)—West Palm Beach
A 20-minute drive (or complimentary shuttle ride) from The Breakers is the Rees Jones Course, which delivers all the modern length and challenge that its elder sibling doesn’t. Originally a Willard Byrd creation from the late 1960s, Breakers West came into its own following a Rees Jones makeover in 2004, turning a ho-hum real estate layout into one brimming with vitality, complete with timber cart bridges and a quartet of eye-candy par threes, three of the rinse/reward variety. Today, the 7,104-yard, par-72 spread sparkles even brighter thanks to a 2022 renovation by Jones that revolved around full regrassing, added width, and enhanced sightlines and landscaping.
PGA National (The Palmer)—Palm Beach Gardens
Always a popular choice for PGA National resort guests due to its balance of playability and challenge for golfers of all abilities, this Arnold Palmer design was known as The General when it debuted in 1985. Today, it’s named for the King, and following a 2017 refresh by longtime Palmer Design associate Brandon Johnson, it’s more appealing than ever. At 7,077 yards, par 72, with a slope of 142, it’s all the golf most of us could want, yet it’s definitely fun and fair. Highlights include the 202-yard par-three 10th with its two-tier (lower-front, upper-back) green and the 601-yard par-five 18th, which concludes in fine Florida fashion with a lake front-left.
The Boca Raton—Boca Raton
One of Florida’s most historic golf properties, The Boca Raton features a remarkable design pedigree. It began life as a 1928 William Flynn creation. Subsequent revisions arrived at the hands of Robert Trent Jones and then Joe Lee. In 1997, former Nicklaus associate Gene Bates joined Fred Couples to perform an extreme makeover of this pint-sized beauty. Only 6,253 yards, par 71, that version reflected the late ’90s aesthetic, with mounds framing nearly every fairway. However, the lush landscaping, spectacular Banyan trees, and tropical rock gardens and waterfalls made for a visual treat. Look for another massive transformation soon. The course is expected to close for six months in April 2026, to undergo a Brian Silva resto-vation. Boca Raton has charged Silva with putting back some of the classic elements the course debuted a century ago, while enhancing playability, flow and long-term sustainability.
PGA National (The Fazio)—Palm Beach Gardens
The earliest course designed for PGA National was called The Haig, named for five-time PGA champ Water Hagen, with design credit to Tom Fazio. The name was later changed to The Fazio, in part for its original designer and also for the man who revamped it in 2012, Tom Fazio II, “Tommy,” nephew of Tom Fazio. Tommy added 250 yards, stretching the course to its present length of 6,977 yards, par 72. However, he also made it friendlier to higher handicaps thanks to softened bunkering. The Fazio boasts a strong finish, a 464-yard par four where water, bunkers, and a two-tier green can make pars and birdies elusive.
Palm Beach Par 3—Palm Beach
The Palm Beaches roll out a fistful of superb short courses—from Gil Hanse’s The Lit 9 at The Park West Palm to Andy Staples’s The Staple at PGA National to The Nest at Sandhill Crane crafted by Chad Goetz of Nicklaus Design—but the must-play is Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course. If you’re pressed for time, on a budget, or just craving scenery and challenge, this municipally owned, 1961 Dick Wilson design hits the spot. Few, if any, 18-hole par-3 courses in the U.S. enjoy a more spectacular location, right on the Atlantic Ocean. Since its 2009 Raymond Floyd redesign, it’s an itty-bitty brute; a blur of sand, water, and wind, and a great way to experience golf in the region.
Have you played golf in The Palm Beaches? Tell us about your experience.
