The Park West Palm

I've been waiting with much anticipation for a while to try out The Park; I've finally played it and it succeeded my expectations. The redesign kept the sandy waste features and unique dunes-like character and layout of the original course, but made it a million times better. I tip my hat to Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner who took it from a pretty decent course that was in atrocious shape, to an absolute gem that'll sure be a top 10 US course. For the 3.5 hours of play, I felt like I was immersed in golf heaven and I did not want it to end. This course is so unique is indescribable. It's not gimmicky yet it has all the features of a high-end golf course. Each hole is unique and challenging, even the holes that seem like easy holes will eat your lunch. I thought I came in to the round with confidence in my golf game but I ended having a humbling experience. The conditions tee to green are second to none, of the same same quality that you would find in Doral Trump or a high end course like it. I've been to a few members-only/country clubs here in Palm Beach, and the Park is better even though is a just muni. Give it some time for the true golf aficionados to experience the Park and chime in, and you'll notice that this course will be up in the ranks of Torrey Pines, TPC Sawgrass, Bandon Dunes, Streamsong, etc. The practice facilities are amazing, only negative thing is that the driving range is closed because they're fixing to put up higher protection nets. The 9-hole putting course is a treat and great preview of how difficult the greens are in the course. The greens truly ate my lunch, they roll so true, but there are so many undulations and real tricky to read. Overall, the course is very pretty, but it's those pretty ones that are a tough challenge. The layout is so unique, with a ton of elevations changes, especially for Florida. Two of my favorite features are that there's no housing around, so it's a wide open course and there are no water hazards; both of which are predominant and annoying features found in most Florida courses. I will come back over and over again in the hopes that I can shoot a better round than my first one.

There’s a lot of money floating around the Palm Beaches, and PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and several wealthy friends have brought a great deal of it to bear in totally revamping the former West Palm Beach Golf Course into a totally new municipal golf experience for the 21st century. Think more country-club-for-a-day than cheap-and-cheerful – the Gil Hanse/Jim Wagner/Dirk Ziff-designed big course is one of the best public plays in the Sunshine State: open and sinewy with attractive bunkers, sandy waste areas and very large, firm, fast, undulating greens.

City residents pay as little as $60 while out-of-staters get charged a premium – potentially $200 or more depending on the time of year. This sounds like a hefty tariff, but with a golf course that blows away the vast majority of the competition in South Florida, it’s worth a splurge if you’re in the area. Be sure to hang out a little extra and play the 9-hole, lighted par 3 course and enjoy the putting course as well as the outdoor Cabana bar.