PGA National Resort + North Palm Beach CC Pics

[Ryan Farrow]

Looks like I will be staying here for a couple of days while visiting my sister over Thanksgiving.

5 Courses:

The Champion - Fazio. Jack Nicklaus redo
The Haig - Tom Fazio       
The Palmer - Arnie
The Squire - Tom Fazio       
The Estate - Karl Litten

What should I play, what should I avoid?

I am also thinking of North Palm Beach CC and or a return trip to the Dye course at PGA Village.    

[Matt_Ward]

Ryan:

I've had the pleasure in playing PGA National quite a few times -- a good friend of mine has a place there.

Clearly, you need to play at least two (2) rounds on The Champ. Nicklaus really brought this course to life and the last few holes -- starting w the par-3 15th really brings you home in grand fashion. The par-3 17th is for me one of the top four par-3 holes I have played in the Sunshine State and I've played more than a fair share of worthy contenders for such an honor. Ditto the demands of the finishing hole -- you just can't sleep for a NY second on this solid closer.

It's no secret that I am not a big time fan of Florida golf but The Champ is one of the very best golf courses I've played in the Sunshine State. It calls upon the player to hit solid accurate tee shots -- there are, of course, serious penalities for being off but you can build some early momentum with the first few holes.

The Haig is a good back-up layout for the second position. Just a good bit less intense and less real strategic calculations throughout the round. The Palmer, The Squire and The Estate were for me nothing more than just filler.

You also mentioned a return trip to the Dye Course ay PGA Village and I would agree that such a play there is well worth it -- I see the layout there just a few strokes behind in overall challenge to The Champ.

Just my 2 cents worth ...

[Ryan Farrow]

Alright, Matt Ward approved, I'll try not to get my hopes up too high. To be honest I wasn't expecting much of anything from that Dye course but I was pleasantly surprised, it was a real treat. So much so that it was more memorable than my tour of Seminole. Not saying it was better or in the same league but expectations have an emotional and take away effect that just can't be ignored.

Have you played North Palm Beach C.C.?

[Matt_Ward]

No ...

Just walked it.

One warning -- when you play The Champ be sure not to steer the long shot at anytime -- the course will bite you so fast and spit you out and leave you spinning your head.

The final four there when any serious wind is blowing -- it's akin to the net result of an airplane crash --

No one walks away unhurt !

[Robert Emmons]

Play the champ with a caddie or its cart path only. The Arnie has just been redone and interesting. The Haig handles most club pro tourney's and ok for difficulty. The Squire is short and the ladies fav. The estate is down the road about 5 miles past Ibis...RHE

[Michael Moore]

Opening in 2012 -

The Cliff Kresge

The Brad Adamonis

The Charley Hoffman

[Chip Gaskins]

nice come back Shivas....101 to 68.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I think North Palm Beach CC is worth a play. It has been discussed here many times. Are the greens really that severe for a public course? I've played there and think the greens are challenging but not ridiculous.If one plays there regularly, they can be managed. I always view playing a course for the first time as a learning experience. I'd return there. From tee to green it's a very good course.

Another course in the area that's worth a play is Roy Case's Park Ridge GC in Lake Worth. It's built on a former landfill. There are no houses. There is elevation. It's a 6-6-6 routing with some very interesting holes.

[John Moore II]

I think North Palm Beach CC is worth a play. It has been discussed here many times. Are the greens really that severe for a public course? I've played there and think the greens are challenging but not riduculous.If one plays there regularly, they can be managed. I always view playing a course for the first time as a learning experience. I'd return there. From tee to green it's a very good course.

Another course in the area that's worth a play is Roy Case's Park Ridge GC in Lake Worth. It's built on a former landfill. There are no houses. There is elevation. It's a 6-6-6 routing with some very interesting holes.

Yes, I think the greens at North Palm are 'that' severe. They have very wild undulations. I think it would be a great members course, but for the daily fee golfer who might be seeing the course for the first time, it is extreme.

And I think Park Ridge is a great option. Very fun course, not too far from PGA National and quite cheap when I played it last spring. Send a message to either Roy Case or Jeff Grossman through the site here, they may be able to play it with you, thats how I played it.

[Matt_Ward]

Just a quick item to add -- golf prices at PGA National -- specifically The Champ are not cheap and frankly as others have mentioned it pays to see what other options are available. The PGA complex in Port St. Lucie is well worth one's time when in the immediate area.

[Pete Stankevich]

Ryan:
I would agree with Steve that Park Ridge is definitely worth a play.  I used to work for Roy Case and he and Jeff Grossman gave me a tour of it in early 2007 when it first opened.  It's definitely unlike anything else in Florida: very little sand or water, plenty of elevation change (with 360 degree views), lots of options both with full shots and around the greens. 
It has a great open feel to it and usually plays firm and fast.
Also, the cost is very reasonable, which is not the case at PGA National or pretty much everywhere else in the area. 

[mike_beene]

That is the biggest ,meanest collection of gators I have ever seen. The "lost dog" signs with the cute little poodle pictures are hard to take.

[Ryan Farrow]

Mike, there is no such thing a cute poodle.... to me at least. They should all be used as gator food.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, well except for Shivas and his story time. I'm glad I could elicit some of your childhood memories though.

I think I'm going to try and take a look at Park Ridge as we are currently designing a landfill course down in Mexico. I really can't think of a much more appropriate conversion for brownfield sites.

Actually it looks like PGA National is sinking lower and lower on my list. How crowded does North Palm Beach CC get? I don't think I could make it through a 5 hour round playing behind a bunch of FOPs.

[Matt_Ward]

Ryan:

If you want a top quality layout that can really test your game and has plenty of design elements of interest -- take a short detour south to Tamarac and play Colony West.

You don't fork over a second mortgage and the course by von Hagge / Devlin still shines after so many years.

Just my two cents worth.

[Ryan Farrow]

Matt, I only have a few short days here... stop bombarding me . Think of it this way, out of the courses discussed. Which course is the most original. I don't really care which one is a championship test or even if its a better design. Where will I find something really interesting.

[Matt_Ward]

Ryan:

I don't know how you define "really interesting."

I stick by what I said -- Colony West in Tamarac has plenty of interesting qualities based on how I would define such qualities.

You also asked about the vague meaning of the word "original."

I've simply pushed forward a few layouts that would be more than what you generally find in SE Florida.

Only after you play them will you know for 100% certainty if they met your specific needs.

[John Moore II]

Matt, I only have a few short days here... stop bombarding me . Think of it this way, out of the courses discussed. Which course is the most original. I don't really care which one is a championship test or even if its a better design. Where will I find something really interesting.

I thought either Park Ridge or PGA Dye were the most interesting courses I played while down there. (I thought President Country Club (Eagle) was very interesting as well, RTJ Jr, but somehow I don't think you can get access, its fairly private).

[Ryan Farrow]

$250-300 to play the champion or $150 to play the others at PGA national. What kind of drugs do i have to pretend to be on to make this worth the money?

[David_Madison]

Ryan,

Play Colony West! It is one of the best flat courses you will ever play, with just enough elevated greens and humps and bumps along the sides to keep it interesting. Before they built the clubhouse and shortened the 1st and 10th holes, it was a 7300 yard brute back when a 260 yard drive was a big hit. It's not just long, but also required accuracy and good thinking. If the holes were all assembled in an interior configuration and it was a private country club with comparable conditioning, I think this might have been considered one of the best courses in Florida. I used to live in the Boca Raton area, and have played CW hundreds of times. Years ago, when the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic was a big tour event, many of the players would go over there and on windy days shoot 78+. And as an added bonus, one summer there was a really pretty girl who lived in a townhouse by the 12th tee who used to sunbath topless.

[Matt_Ward]

David M:

Point well taken.

CW gets little attention and the work by Von Hagge and Devlin is one of their very best designs.

The course opened, if memory serves in 1971, and as you said many of the pros who were playing in the Gleason event would venture over there and many would get their butts spanked.

I still believe two of the very best holes in Florida can be found there -- the par-4 12th at 452 with its H20 cutting into play on both tee shot and approach. The 18th, also a par-4 but at 475 yards slides more to the right and is equally testing.

What makes my head spin is that Colony West WAS extremely long when you had the previous clubs and balls of that time frame. It has not gotten easier for many and as I said from the get-go in recommending it to Ryan is that the fees and general location are all quite reasonable.

My feelings on Florida golf have been stated many times here but I tip my hat to Colony West because I have played the place a few times and it still resonates a good feeling for me. Hats off to the ownership and to Von Hagge / Devlin for what could be their finest design.

[David_Madison]

Matt:

Other than for #8 (or now #17) which is a short par 3, there isn't a weak hole on the course. The amazing thing about the course is that the greens are really pretty nothing. Even the surrounds are nothing special. I can't think of many courses that are as pure a shot making test, where the better ball striker will almost always win. Hit the fairways on the correct side, and be long enough off the tee to make it to where the doglegs turn, and then hit your irons to the right spots, or you are dead. Short game magic is not the equalizer here that it is almost anywhere else. I agree with your assessment about #12 being a fantastic hole, maybe the single best hole in all of South Florida. 

[Jerry Kluger]

I played the Links at Madison Greens and enjoyed it - well priced too.

[Ryan Farrow]

Disappointed with the lack of comments that said Ryan, you should play North Palm Beach Country Club.

I only ended up playing 1 round of golf and it was here, and I'm glad it was. Great golf course, very strategic, great elevation changes(especially for FL.) oh... and a boatload of fun.

Some pictures to prove it.









 (Looks like the tree house needs to get out more, and offer some better advice.)

[Ryan Farrow]

Nothing? What did you guys think about NPBCC? Better than the Dye course at PGA Village?

[cary lichtenstein]

Disappointed with the lack of comments that said Ryan, you should play North Palm Beach Country Club.

I only ended up playing 1 round of golf and it was here, and I'm glad it was. Great golf course, very strategic, great elevation changes(especially for FL.) oh... and a boatload of fun.

Some pictures to prove it.









 (Looks like the tree house needs to get out more, and offer some better advice.)

"Great golf course"...sorry but I beg to differ. Greens are terrible, traps are very good in spots, color of the sand is a welcome relief from the pure white sand that blinds u and gives u a headache. Half the course appears unfinished, no continuity from hole to hole, looks a bit of a hodgepodge.

Cary