News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (1917-1935)

The Origins
Increasing interest in golf in the wealthy resort town of Palm Beach immediately after World War I was a primary factor which motivated the Florida East Coast Hotel Company’s to build a new course in town. Florida East Coast already owned the Palm Beach Golf Club (now called the Breakers Ocean Course) along with The Breakers and Royal Poinciana Hotels. In undertaking this project, they not only wanted a new golf course where their guests would be able to play and take pressure off of their existing course but a better, more challenging golf course which would be the first in the Palm Beach area to have grass not sand putting greens. Having already used him to build other courses, the company chose Donald Ross to design the the Palm Beach Country Club on a property previously owned by the Palm Beach Gun Club which occupies approximately 75 acres between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth.


Figure 1: The Island of Palm Beach (source: Google Maps)






Fig. 2: The Royal Poinciana Hotel
   
Unlike the courses attached to the Breakers and the Everglades Club (and pretty much every other course in Florida, save Seminole), the land on which PBCC is built is not naturally flat. On the contrary, it contains two areas of significant natural elevation. The tract encompasses the vast majority of an ancient coral reef, affectionately/jokingly referred to as “The Palm Beach Highlands” which run as a ridge along the western boundary, only 15 yards from Lake Worth. A low ridge of had probably been sand dunes are along the eastern boundary where North Ocean Boulevard separates the course from the Atlantic.


Fig. 3: Topography of the Palm Beach Country Club in 1950 (source: www.historicaerials.com)

On January 18, 1917, the first 9 holes of PBCC’s golf course opened for play. Donald Ross built a 5744 yard, course with a par of 68 which not only plays much longer than its yardage but also masterfully incorporates the property’s natural ridges on 13 holes.
 
When all 18 holes were opened in 1918, articles in golf publications such as Golf Illustrated and The American Golfer referred to the new course as being one of the best in the South. In the period between its opening and the Great Depression, PBCC held many important golf tournaments and hosted important visitors. With the exception of one article published on Sports Illustrated’s website in 2012 (http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/palm-beach-95-year-old-classic-80-acres-represents-best-hope-future-golf), the golf course has fallen into obscurity to the extent that there are no pictures of it anywhere on GCA.


Fig. 4: Patty Berg at PBCC in 1935 (source: Corbis)


Fig. 5: President Warren G. Harding at PBCC in 1921 (source: Corbis)


Fig. 6: President Harding on the 9th tee PBCC in 1921 (source: Corbis)

Though the location of Donald Ross’s original plans and drawings is unknown to the club, the Tufts Archives at the Given Memorial Museum has a copy of an aerial painting which was done of the golf course in 1924 by the artist, R. Kawashima. This routing map accurately portrays what the course looked like in the first years after completion.  


Fig. 7: An artist’s rendering of the golf course as it was in 1924 (source: Tufts Archives)


Fig. 8: Taken in 1918 (source: The American Golfer)


Fig. 9: Taken January, 1923


Fig. 10: Taken March 19, 1934



The Dunes
The challenge in building this golf course came from the need to make the whole site playable. The middle section of the property is flat and low and drains terribly thus tending to be muddy, (even when there has been very little rain). To fix this problem, Ross built two ponds and constructed an intricate series of manmade sand dunes across the entire lowland area which served to help fill the swamp.

The challenge in building this golf course came from the need to make the whole site playable. The middle section of the property is flat and low and drains terribly. Up until recently, it tends to be muddy even when there has been very little rain. To fix this problem, Ross built two ponds and constructed an intricate series of manmade sand dunes across the entire lowland area which served to help fill the swamp.  

This is the feature of the course which I find most compelling. The original dunes are no longer part of PBCC’s golf course. I doubt that there is a living memory of them anywhere as they seemed to have vanished in the 1950s. So, when I started finding early pictures of the course which confirm they once existed, I wondered whether they were natural. Not only have I never seen natural dunes in Palm Beach except for right along the ocean but articles in local newspapers about the construction of the course have referenced the former swampy nature of the site. This seems to rule out the possibility that these sand dunes could have been native to the property. This being the case, I was long confused as to how Ross obtained the enormous amount of sand that was clearly necessary to have built such a significant dunescape.

This question puzzled me for a long time and it was not until I spoke to architect, Brian Silva, who completed a 2010 renovation of PBCC, that I became convinced of an answer. Silva thinks that Ross simply moved all the sand from the beach across the street to the course where he turned it into dunes.  Fig. 10, below convinces me that this is the correct explanation.


Fig. 10: (L)An area of beach less than a mile north of PBCC
(R)The area of beach in front of PBCC (source: Google Earth)

As shown in the image on the left, dunes and beach are naturally present just north of the course but they are completely nonexistent in front of the course. I had often wondered why PBCC’s stretch of beach is unusually small. Judging from the aerial photographs, it has been that way since the course was built, it now makes sense that all of that sand was moved onto the golf course.  

This was an amazing feat; one which I have never heard of happening anywhere else and I certainly think that it merits attention. In 1917, before modern construction equipment, an entire beach was moved across the street to build a golf course. I cannot begin to imagine how much time and manpower this must have taken.

The course had a unique character which I doubt exists anywhere else in Florida. Ross’s contouring of the sand dunes and green complexes at PBCC was reminiscent of the mounding most often associated with his early work in Massachusetts. My guess is that they extended the seaside feel of the course well into the middle of the property. Originally, PBCC’s dunes were just sand but eventually natural grasses grew over them. Judging from Fig. 18, it looks like they functioned as inverse bunkers.

When I first posted this history, someone asked whether PBCC’s dunescape was similar to the sandy areas at Seminole, just up the road. As you can see, their sandy areas are not dunes but rather flat expanses of sand.


Fig. 11: My picture of the 4th Tee at Seminole GC



The Course

1918 Scorecard
Yds        par                par
1.   370   4   10.   383   4
2.   220   3   11.   517   5
3.   402   4   12.   181   3
4.   135   3   13.   350   4
5.   376   4   14.   386   4
6.   416   4   15.   395   5
7.   230   4   16.   210   3
8.   198   3   17.   150   3
9.   480   5   18.   345   4
     2827   34         2917   34

Total Length:     5744   par  68


Fig. 12: Teeing off on the 1st hole in 1921 (source: Underwood Archives)


Fig. 13: A 1918 view of the tee from 4th green. (source: The American Golfer)
Note: The site of 4th green has the highest natural point in Palm Beach County at about 28 feet of elevation. The tee box sits at about 8-10 feet above sea level.


Fig. 14: The 6th in 1918 (source: The American Golfer)


Fig. 15: The caption says this is the 4th hole but judging by the bunker on the left, it is definitely not the 4th. My guess is that it is the approach to the 6th green. (source: The American Golfer)


Fig. 16: A 1930s postcard showing a view of the 6th hole from behind the 6th green


Fig. 17: source: Golfers Magazine


Fig. 18: The approach to the 7th green in 1918 (source: Golf Illustrated)


Fig. 19: A view of the 9th green from the clubhouse (source: The American Golfer)


Fig. 20: The 14th green was extremely severely sloped back in 1921 (source: Florida Memory)


Fig. 21: A 1930s postcard showing the view from the 15th tee


Fig. 22: A picture taken near the 15th green towards the 14th green


Fig. 23: The Approach to the 18th hole in 1921 (source: Florida Memory)
« Last Edit: December 14, 2014, 02:14:03 PM by Andrew Mack »

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) before 1935
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2014, 10:31:27 PM »



If you know anything about the painting of the golf course, the artist, R. Kawashima, the source of this painting, Ross's original drawings, or his original plans please let me know...



« Last Edit: September 24, 2014, 11:02:20 PM by Andrew Mack »

John Kirk

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) before 1935
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2014, 10:48:34 PM »
Andrew,

The site historians will enjoy this brief historical profile.  It was nice to meet you this last May.

John Butler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2014, 03:05:00 PM »
Andrew, thanks for sharing the background information and photos.  I'm a member at Mountain Lake Club in Florida (where there is significant natural elevation) and visited The Everglades Club last winter because of the Seth Raynor connection.  I'm involved with the Donald Ross Society so glad to know more about PBCC, sounds like you thoroughly looked into what the Tufts Archives has, would like to visit PBCC next time.   John

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2014, 03:17:28 PM »
Andrew, thanks for sharing the background information and photos.  I'm a member at Mountain Lake Club in Florida (where there is significant natural elevation) and visited The Everglades Club last winter because of the Seth Raynor connection.  I'm involved with the Donald Ross Society so glad to know more about PBCC, sounds like you thoroughly looked into what the Tufts Archives has, would like to visit PBCC next time.   John

I plan to visit Mountain Lake this winter. Do let me know if you visit PB.

John Butler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2014, 03:59:01 PM »
Andrew, let me know when you're coming to Mountain Lake and perhaps we can meet and talk Ross and Raynor, my cell is 914-400-4228.  John

cary lichtenstein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2014, 11:45:09 AM »
The Everglades Golf Club had/ has an anti Jew basis, hence the Jews needed a place to play golf.
Live Jupiter, Fl, was  4 handicap, played top 100 US, top 75 World. Great memories, no longer play, 4 back surgeries. I don't miss a lot of things about golf, life is simpler with out it. I miss my 60 degree wedge shots, don't miss nasty weather, icing, back spasms. Last course I played was Augusta

Steve_ Shaffer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2014, 12:06:58 PM »
Great article by Michael Bamberger:

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/palm-beach-95-year-old-classic-80-acres-represents-best-hope-future-golf

"Having six par-3 holes is excellent. What hole represents the best chance for the ordinary golfer to make a par? The reachable par-3! And check out this range of lengths (from the back tees): 216, 120, 207, 180, 212, 150. And two of the four par-5s are 528 and 552. So what’s short about any of that? Nothing. You could easily take 150 yards off those eight holes and make the course only more playable for more people.
 
The fact is, 6,200 yards is plenty long for most people, certainly when a course is configured like PBCC is. The mental hurdle is really 6,000 yards, but there’s nothing wrong with a regulation course that measures less than 6,000. For everyday play at Palm Beach, many male members play a mix of forward and back tees that total 5,940 yards. This is known there as the Donald J. Ross Course. It’s 5,300 yards for women.


 To repeat: the par-70, 6,000-yard course with six par-3s and four par-5s on 80 acres is the future of golf.  It’s faster to play and much less expensive to maintain."

And a little bit of PB social  history:
http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/social-history/2008/best-friends-jewish-society-in-old-palm-beach


« Last Edit: September 26, 2014, 01:09:02 PM by Steve_ Shaffer »
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Adam_Messix

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2014, 01:54:30 PM »
Andrew--

Palm Beach Country Club has a cool golf course that is a pleasure to play.  It's on small acreage, but doesn't feel claustrophobic and I don't remember it being overtreed either.  There is just enough movement (and surprising given it's location) to make for an interesting course.

There is great variety in the short holes.  I particularly liked the really short, but uphill 4th and the way the 5th hole presents itself on the property.  I was surprised by the drawing that the 6th was a reasonable dogleg when first built.  With the maintenance building the corner of the dogleg, it would be easy to think that the hole had been adjusted to provide enough room to get the building in.  10 and 18 have been adjusted too, mostly so they could have a wide enough place in the 10th fairway to also serve as a practice range.  It made the finisher a pretty sharp dog leg with water on the outside of the dog leg. 

If offered the chance, don't pass up the chance to play PBCC, a fun and very sporty course. 

Mark Bourgeois

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2014, 09:49:20 AM »
Andrew, this is fantastic. I suggest you submit this post as an "In My Opinion" piece.

"The middle section of the property is flat and low and drains terribly thus tending to be swampy, even when there has been very little rain. To fix this problem, Ross built two ponds and constructed an intricate series of manmade sand dunes across the entire lowland area which served to help fill the swamp and acted like inverse bunkers."

What documentation do you have of this? What more can you tell us? I am fascinated by Ross's engineering abilities -- it sounds like this is a case study worthy of sitting alongside Seminole.

Have you visited the Historical Society of Palm Beach County? I bet they have some interesting old images and even aerials.

Lastly, the Kawashima color drawing: that's the same as the b&w one dating to 1924?
Charlotte. Daniel. Olivia. Josephine. Ana. Dylan. Madeleine. Catherine. Chase. Jesse. James. Grace. Emilie. Jack. Noah. Caroline. Jessica. Benjamin. Avielle. Allison.

Rees Milikin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) before 1935
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2014, 12:15:24 PM »
Andrew,

The site historians will enjoy this brief historical profile.  It was nice to meet you this last May.

Definitely true.  Andrew, this is a great addition to the history of Florida golf that is housed within the GCA website.

Morgan Clawson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2014, 09:49:08 PM »
Nice write-up!

Too bad they didn't stick with the natural sandy areas.   :P

Wonder when it was "modernized" with water hazards?  :'(

Ryan Hillenbrand

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2014, 10:16:24 PM »
Was this the club Bernie Madoff belonged and fleeced so many of the members?

What a great location with the ocean and the intercoastal waterway on either side.

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2014, 11:05:13 PM »
Was this the club Bernie Madoff belonged and fleeced so many of the members?

What a great location with the ocean and the intercoastal waterway on either side.

Ryan,

Yes. The Madoff family belonged there for many years and it is where many of the investors were recruited for Bernie's funds.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2014, 09:41:48 PM by Andrew Mack »

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2014, 11:06:42 PM »
Nice write-up!

Too bad they didn't stick with the natural sandy areas.   :P

Wonder when it was "modernized" with water hazards?  :'(

Morgan,

The sandy areas were completely manmade and were eliminated in the mid-50's when Dick Wilson in his wisdom decided water hazards were better.

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #15 on: September 27, 2014, 11:27:39 PM »
Andrew, this is fantastic. I suggest you submit this post as an "In My Opinion" piece.

"The middle section of the property is flat and low and drains terribly thus tending to be swampy, even when there has been very little rain. To fix this problem, Ross built two ponds and constructed an intricate series of manmade sand dunes across the entire lowland area which served to help fill the swamp and acted like inverse bunkers."

What documentation do you have of this? What more can you tell us? I am fascinated by Ross's engineering abilities -- it sounds like this is a case study worthy of sitting alongside Seminole.

Have you visited the Historical Society of Palm Beach County? I bet they have some interesting old images and even aerials.

Lastly, the Kawashima color drawing: that's the same as the b&w one dating to 1924?

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County does not have a lot of information on PBCC. I've also looked through the microfilm collection in the Town of Palm Beach's archives to no avail.

I know that this low, flat area at PBCC has drainage issues from all the times I've had muddy lies on the 11th, 13th, and 15th holes.

Finally, the color image and the black-and-white image are of the same painting though I have only seen that color portion of the painting. I would love to see that rest of it in color but have not been able to locate it.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2014, 09:40:37 PM by Andrew Mack »

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) (all photos from before 1935)
« Reply #16 on: September 27, 2014, 11:32:50 PM »
Andrew--

Palm Beach Country Club has a cool golf course that is a pleasure to play.  It's on small acreage, but doesn't feel claustrophobic and I don't remember it being overtreed either.  There is just enough movement (and surprising given it's location) to make for an interesting course.

There is great variety in the short holes.  I particularly liked the really short, but uphill 4th and the way the 5th hole presents itself on the property.  I was surprised by the drawing that the 6th was a reasonable dogleg when first built.  With the maintenance building the corner of the dogleg, it would be easy to think that the hole had been adjusted to provide enough room to get the building in.  10 and 18 have been adjusted too, mostly so they could have a wide enough place in the 10th fairway to also serve as a practice range.  It made the finisher a pretty sharp dog leg with water on the outside of the dog leg. 

If offered the chance, don't pass up the chance to play PBCC, a fun and very sporty course. 

Adam,

This is only my first post on PBCC. When I get some time, I am going to write two more sections of this post. Part II will go into detail with pictures of the changes made to the course prior to 2009. Part III will post pictures of what the course looks like now. Brian Silva did a renovation (not a restoration) in 2009-2010 and it's basically a new course playing over Ross's original routing. When did you play it last? Silva ruined the 4th hole which I thought was one of the best holes under 125 yards I've ever seen. The good news is that no damage is permanent.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2014, 09:39:44 PM by Andrew Mack »

Patrick Kiser

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) - The Course Before 1935
« Reply #17 on: September 29, 2014, 01:38:28 PM »
Andrew,

Great stuff and enjoying this thoroughly.  Thanks for sharing!
“One natural hazard, however, which is more
or less of a nuisance, is water. Water hazards
absolutely prohibit the recovery shot, perhaps
the best shot in the game.” —William Flynn, golf
course architect

Adam_Messix

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) - The Course Before 1935
« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2014, 09:10:11 PM »
Andrew--

The last time I played PBCC was 1999 and it was my second visit.  It sounds like Silva made some serious changes to the course.  I look forward to reading your future posts. 

What did Silva change to the 4th hole, I remember it was being a cool little up hill short hole. 

I don't remember the course as being over treed though.  It was a bit of an issue on 6, but that's the only hole that I remember being like that. 

The course I remember was quite sporty and fun. 

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) - The Course Before 1935
« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2014, 02:19:59 PM »
Andrew--

The last time I played PBCC was 1999 and it was my second visit.  It sounds like Silva made some serious changes to the course.  I look forward to reading your future posts. 

What did Silva change to the 4th hole, I remember it was being a cool little up hill short hole. 

I don't remember the course as being over treed though.  It was a bit of an issue on 6, but that's the only hole that I remember being like that. 

The course I remember was quite sporty and fun. 

Here is my issue with the 4th hole. Having substantially decreased the green's elevation during the renovation has made the hole significantly worse. I remember that before the renovation, in order to reach the green, a shot (playing a full club more than the yardage) needed to be hit solidly. If you recall, any shot which did not reach the green would repel back down the hill towards the player. Now with a lower elevation, less solid shots are getting the green. Additionally, there is a new backstop which makes the green easier to hold. This quality which has been largely lost is the factor which made 4 a fantastic short hole, only 120 yards; it is now just a short uphill par 3.

I hope that one day they will restore the green's original height as well as Donald Ross's original design which can be seen in the Kawashima painting

Adam_Messix

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) - The Course Before 1935
« Reply #20 on: October 01, 2014, 09:40:26 PM »
Andrew--

They lowered the 4th green???  Why?  It was a simple pitch up the hill, a hill that repelled shots that missed the green.  My guess is that they have needed to blast to lower the green there.

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) - The Course Before 1935
« Reply #21 on: October 01, 2014, 09:46:11 PM »
Adam,

I am not sure why they lowered it but I remember seeing it under construction and they did need to blast out the coral base. If I had to guess, their aim was to build a larger putting area as the original was quite small.

abmack

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Part I: Palm Beach Country Club (Ross - 1917) - The Course Before 1935 New
« Reply #22 on: October 02, 2014, 12:42:00 AM »
--PART II--  Changes Before 2009
In 1953, a group of Jews and Catholics who had been denied membership at The Everglades Club bought the Palm Beach Country Club from the estate of Henry M. Flagler who had built The Florida East Coast System. The Royal Poinciana Hotel had closed and been demolished in 1935 and the golf course had fallen into something resembling a state of disrepair. The newly formed club adopted the old name but sought to improve the course.


Fig 24: This aerial view of the course is from 1953, the same year that it was purchased by a new group of members. (source: www.historicaerials.com)
Note: Grass looks like it had grown over the sand dunes, turning them into mounds. Additionally, this aerial makes it look like a pond was added behind the 16th green. Apart from those changes, the course shows no signs of having been altered from the original Ross layout.

At some point between 1953 and 1959, the course was completely transformed by Dick Wilson. Bunkers and greens were (re)moved, reshaped and formalized. Ross’s rough-hewn look vanished to be replaced by dead-straight fairways and perfectly round bunkers and greens; five ponds were dug and rows of little trees were planted to separate the holes. These new additions replaced Ross’s carefully shaped and positioned sand dunes and greenside mounding (e.g. around the 2nd, 7th, 12th, and 16th greens). These Ross features had added character and challenge to the flat center of the course. Not a trace of any of them remains and I often what became of all the sand which used to be on such prominent display at PBCC. Additionally, a new 7th green was added to give the hole 20 extra yards, and the 17th hole was reconfigured and the green was expanded dramatically. Finally, the 10th and 18th holes which had been 383 and 345 yards respectively each lost more than 90 yards to accommodate a major clubhouse and parking lot expansion (These holes currently measure 279 and 260 yards according to Google Earth). This resulted in the construction of a new 18th green.


Fig 25: An  aerial view of the course in 1968 (source: www.historicaerials.com)

One can tell by looking at this aerial photograph from 1968, Dick Wilson made more changes in the 1950s than I can go through one-by-one in this forum. In the following 50 years, the course did not undergo any serious renovations but rather the usual sort of adjustments which clubs, their greens committees, and greens keepers tend to make: holes were tweaked, trees were removed and added, and greens were reshaped (probably to soften whatever was left of Ross’s severe features). A few significant changes were made which I shall explain as I go through the holes.


Fig 26: A 2009 aerial view of the course just before the most recent renovation done by Brian Silva (source: Google Maps)

The Course

2009 Scorecard Yardages
Yds       par                par
1.   388   4   10.   335   4
2.   210   3   11.   537   5
3.   427   4   12.   180   3
4.   120   3   13.   490   5
5.   517   5   14.   405   4
6.   425   4   15.   418   4
7.   291   4   16.   200   3
8.   207   3   17.   150   3
9.   520   5   18.   335   4
     3105          35                3050        35

   Total Length:     6155          par:    70

2009 Actual Yardages [Estimates yardages from Google Earth]
Yds       par                par
1.   355   4   10.   305   4
2.   220   3   11.   510   5
3.   395   4   12.   180   3
4.   120   3   13.   455   5
5.   490   5   14.   380   4
6.   395   4   15.   385   4
7.   275   4   16.   200   3
8.   210   3   17.   145   3
9.   480   5   18.   310   4
     2940          35                2875        35

Est. Tot. Length:              5815     par:    70

Of the following pictures, the ones which are taken from a helicopter, I bought from Premier Aerials (http://www.premieraerials.com/). The ones taken on the golf course are mine. They were all taken in 2007


The setting really is special!

1st Hole – par 4, 357 yards
PBCC's opener is not the most exciting hole. The old sand dunes probably once made it more interesting.






2nd Hole – par 3, 220 yards
This is a fantastic long one-shot hole. It plays into the prevailing wind and can sometimes play more than 240 yards. The hedge 5 yards behind the green is O.B. and the green is impossible to hold if you are left or right of either greenside bunker. During the course of the past two years, I have been playing this hole as a two-shotter by hitting 5-iron off the tee.





Taken from the 7th green

3rd Hole – par 4, 395 yards





The approach to the well elevated 3rd green from behind the right fairway bunker

4th Hole – par 3, 120 yards
Before Silva’s renovation, this was one of the better holes I know under 125 yards. More about this in Part III.






5th Hole – par 5, 490 yards
This hole was converted into a par 5. More than 120 yards were added by moving the 4th tee box right so it could be replaced by the new 5th tee. The green complex was also reconfigured and elevated a few feet above its former height.





The 5th hole is on the left



The tee shot on the 5th hole plays to a fairway which slopes significantly from right-to-left



The approach to the 5th green

6th Hole – 395 yards (around dogleg) par 4
It plays more than long no matter whether or not you try to cut the corner but it can play very long if you cannot carry any part of the trees which enforce the dogleg.




Another uphill approach at the 6th

7th Hole – par 4, 275 yards
The original yardage of this hole was a mere 230 yards. Even though this hole plays into the prevailing wind, the downhill component of the hole keeps the wind from mattering much. Ross's hole was unquestionably too short for a modern par 4, Wilson moved the green back 20 yards from its original position but did not move the sand dunes which surrounded the fairway on both sides of the fairway short of the green, acting as a stern deterrent for players attempting to drive the green. The tee was eventually moved back between the 4th and 6th greens, adding 20 yards.





The tee shot of the severely downhill short 7th hole

8th Hole – par 3, 215 yards
This is the second of four long one-shot holes at PBCC. Until 2009, the hole remained exactly as Donald Ross originally designed it.





The pond in front of the par 3 8th fairway is one of the two original to the golf course

9th Hole – par 5, 480 yards
Though short by modern standards, its tendency to play into a prevailing wind makes all but the very long hitters play the 9th  as a three-shot hole.





The approach to the 9th

10th Hole – par 4, 305 yards (around dogleg)
Having originally measured 383 yards, changes to the clubhouse and parking lot cut the hole by 90 yards. Adding insult to injury, the 10th green was moved back by 10 yards to accommodate the new 13th green. At 280 yards, the hole was now considered too short. By rerouting the fairway left around a new a grove of tall trees which had been planted between the tee and the green, the club created a dogleg right hole which causes it to play as a two-shot hole rather than a drivable par 4. This change not only effectively prevents long hitters from trying to drive the green but also prevents shorter hitters from hitting a long club off the tee in order to gain an advantage. The trees limit the rational player’s options, forcing him to hit a 210 yard tee shot and then a wedge to the green.





The approach to the 10th hole

11th Hole – par 5, 510 yards
Except for the front-right greenside bunker, this hole remained unchanged from its original design until 2009.





The tee shot on the 11th hole, the approach shot plays uphill

12th Hole – par 3, 180 yards
The 12th tee shot is downhill but hitting into the prevailing wind with an iron often makes the hole play longer, not shorter, than its yardage.





The Australian pines trees behind the green block what would otherwise be an incredible view.

13th Hole – par 5, 455 yards
From what I have been able to ascertain about Ross’s original design for the 13th hole, it was an uninteresting 350 yard par 4. Not only was a new back tee added 90 yards behind the original tee box but the green complex was reconfigured, and moved back 10 yards onto the elevated dune along the courses eastern boundary. 13 now measures 455 yards and plays as a par 5. The prevailing winding blows directly into the players face and the significantly uphill approach to the green make this hole play significantly longer than its yardage.






14th Hole – par 4, 380 yards
Nowhere can the loss of the sand dunes be so acutely felt. As seen in the Kawashima painting, this tee shot was once treacherous, the player wanting to avoid the dunes which surrounded the fairway. It became a landing strip. The approach to the 14th plays uphill to a severely sloped green with a false front. The greenside bunkers are very deep.





A long or short miss is often very costly on this hole

15th Hole – par 4, 385 yards
This hole often plays significantly longer than the yardage. 15 is another hole where the loss of the dunes which once lined and protruded into the fairway has left a rather uninteresting tee shot.





The 15th green with its narrow landing area and false front does not provide a large target.

16th Hole – par 3, 200 yards
The last of PBCC’s the long par 3s… a par here is especially satisfying.


The 16th and 17th holes are a rarity, back-to-back par 3s.



17th Hole – par 3, 145 yards
A very weak par 3: Wilson’s expanded green provides a target which is far too large for such a short hole. The pond on the right does not make 17 much more interesting.





Not my favorite hole…

18th Hole – par 4, 310 yards
It is not surprising that the club selected the other loser of the clubhouse expansion to be reconfigured. Although Wilson built a new green for the hole in the 1950’s, it was not until the 1982 that the club made changes, with the help of architect Joe Lee, so that the short par 4 would no longer be drivable. The fairway was shifted right and a row of trees were added along the left side of the fairway to prevent long hitters from hitting driver directly at the green. To ensure that even the most irrational player would not be tempted, the 15th green was moved and a pond was constructed to the right of the green (they even built a small waterfall…). It extends back toward the fairway, narrowing the approach to the green to 10 yards as far as 80 yards from the green. A new green was built which slopes towards the pond. The resulting a hole required a tee shot of 180 - 200 yards and a second shot of 130 yards to the green.

To be fair, the club now has a driving range adjacent to the 18th green and having players on the tee hitting drivers at target so close to players practicing on the range is impractical from a safety perspective. Although 18 at PBCC competes strongly with 18 at Cypress Point for worst finishing hole in golf, I give it something of a pass.




In this picture, you can see how why you would have to be crazy to attempt to drive the green or even try driving your tee ball into such a narrow neck of fairway on the 18th.


Donald Ross’s original design of the Palm Beach Country Club was greatly ameliorated by the club during this period. Although Dick Wilson’s addition of ponds, trees and wall-to-wall Bermuda grass made PBCC feel much more like every other course in Florida, the natural contours of the land and Donald Ross’s magnificent routing remained untouched. It is this factor which gives the course so much variety and endows each hole with a perceptible individuality. When playing courses more typical of the region, I notice the holes blending together and becoming indistinguishable in my memory. This is not the case at PBCC.

In Part III, I will discuss my take on Brian Silva’s extensive 2010 renovation and post up to date pictures of the golf course along with my assessment of those changes.


I am unable to resist posting this picture of how beautiful the Atlantic Ocean looked from the 10th green on that summer day. It almost made me not want to play golf…
« Last Edit: October 02, 2014, 06:23:59 AM by Andrew Mack »

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back