The Park West Palm Beach combines classic golf course design – the punchbowl green on the 12th hole being a solid example – with modern business practices to create what might be the best daily fee golf course in Florida. Now in its second year (The Park opened in April 2023), the 190-acre facility, just minutes from downtown West Palm Beach, is what golf’s “grow-the-game’’ advocates have touted for years – family friendly, daily fee golf with upscale amenities and service.
“I think we check all of the boxes that we’ve been trying to check,’’ said Brian Conley, general manager of The Park West Palm Beach.
Let’s take a look:
An outstanding Gil Hanse/Jim Wagner/Dirk Ziff designed course? Check.
One of South Florida’s top public course practice facilities? Check
A dynamic youth golf program? Check
Lighted par-3 course? Check
Caddy program? Check
12-minute tee times? Check
Food and beverage options? Check
Hanse and his team pay homage golf’s “golden age’’of design – with a good amount of Australian Sandbelt tossed in, particularly on the par-3, 11th hole, where sand protects the green on all sides except in the front, thus allowing players who miss short the opportunity to play the ball on the ground to get on the green.
Many of the green complexes at The Park have that “low mow’’ design that gives players the option of playing the ball on the ground or in the air.
“We do not have a water hazard feature anywhere,’’ Conley said. “A lot of the inspiration did come from the Sandbelt. When the ball can be advanced and played on the ground, the game is more enjoyable. And it’s faster.’’
Those “low mow’’ areas, along with 12-minute tee times, help explain the 41,000 rounds played in The Park’s first year.
Located on the footprint of the original West Palm Beach Golf Course, The Park West Palm Beach is a $55 million project funded by individual donations, including Tiger Woods. Former PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh was a vocal proponent of the project. The PGA itself is not involved in The Park, although its South Florida Section headquarters is located on the property.
It can be argued that The Park’s business roots go back to 1990 and the original concept for Emerald Dunes. Located only a few miles to the west, Emerald Dunes, designed by Tom Fazio, was born with great fanfare. One, it was marketed as the 1,000th golf course in Florida; and two, it was supposed to be at the vanguard of a state and national boom in high-end, daily fee golf.
That boom was a bust. But is The Park West Palm a reincarnation of that five-decades old idea? Maybe. But it’s better armed, better planned and better at owning its identity.
“We’re still very much a new business and new golf course,’’ Conley said. “There is a learning curve we all have encountered. We came out of the ground from a high-end, daily fee perspective, but there’s a learning curve in educating people as to what that is and what it looks like.
“But even the things that haven’t progressed as fast as we’d like are trending in the right direction. So, in some instances, we’ve surpassed expectations, and in other ways we’re still learning.’’
In a way, learning is what The Park is all about. Whether that’s learning to play the game for the first time; learning the importance of being custom-fit for clubs; or even learning how to take a lesson, The Park is proving to be a template for one way (or many ways) to grow the game.
“We’re really one of one,’’ Conley said. “Is it important for others to follow? Not necessarily. Is there an opportunity for others to follow. Sure, but it’s not a necessity.
“Golf can be consumed in all kinds of different manners. Here at The Park – whether its an outing on the par-3 course or playing the Hanse course – we want people to have fun.’’
Photos Courtesy of The Park West Palm Beach