WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s noon on a mid-November Saturday afternoon and the word of the day is eclectic. I had just finished my morning round at The Park with a three-putt for par on the forgiving 18th hole, and I leaned into the cabana, the bar/small bites strategically located at the front of the property.
A foursome a few holes ahead of me headed to their cars — while allowing their anonymity, let’s just say they could be members anywhere they wanted to be in the golf-rich West Palm Beach/Jupiter area. Turning the back of the nine are the brothers who want to continue their translations at High Noons. Although they represent different ends of the Saturday golfer spectrum, you recognize both groups as what a golfer “looks like.”
But the cabana occupies a central place on the property, and not just for its distance from No. 10 in the main course. At the start of the par-3 course (a collection of wedge-and-putt holes lit at night) are three 20-somethings with few clubs to share. And on the walk-on putting course, some kids share the green complex with another group of 20-somethings — three boys, three girls and two putters.
Oh, and that building behind the putting course? That’s The Path, where students from local schools — one of which is just at the other end of the driving range — come in the afternoon for free tutoring, academic enrichment and golf lessons. Everything here is ultimately for the benefit of the more than 60 children from five local schools who come here at least a few days a week.
When a group of local leaders took over a failing municipal course and raised $50 million for it — and recruited Gil Hanse, one of the world’s leading working architects, to build a new course in its place — they had designs that were more over the top. -100 golf courses.
They want change, use golf to help and be a vehicle to support the community surrounding the course, which is far from as rich as the larger area.
“We define success as saving two to three families,” said Dave Andrews, director of The Path. “If only we could take three or four families and give them the world. We have families who come to us homeless and struggling with things we can’t solve. But we’re helping.”
If it is easy to imagine a future where a person can say that they have come to The park putt and sip cocktails with their buddies, graduate from The Lit 9 and eventually make a tee time to play the big course, that’s because that’s the dream of many professionals in the golf industry. Recreational golf’s post-COVID-19 moment continues unabated, and the more pathways that exist to make the first 18-hole, par-72 round less intimidating, the better. But it won’t be everyone’s trip, and that’s okay.
“The par 3 gives you the fun and the game doesn’t see it. That’s perfect,” said The Park’s general manager Brian Conley. “Too many times setting finish lines are the obstacles. “
But for those who do – and for those looking for the next cool new course – The Park is a tremendous option. It stands out especially in this area, where so much golf is played with housing to the left and water to the right. There is no water on the course designed by Hanse and partner Jim Wagner, who were drawn to the project by its community aspect. (Both waived their payment, Fried Egg reported.)
The Park’s wide fairways are forgiving, but if you miss the left on No. 1, this is problematic.
Instead, what they’ve created is a huge ballpark, with generous fairways and enough waste management areas to keep your attention. The rolling topography is uniquely Florida-like, and it is used to great effect. The par-3 seventh plays slightly uphill to a reverse redan green. The dogleg par-4 12th features a blind shot to the green. The three-hole stretch from 15 to 17 is very scoreable with a par 5 that the average player has a chance to hit on two, a driveable par 4 and a par 3 that features the kind of eye-catching greenside bunkers fans of Hanse’s other works (including Streamsong Black, another Florida property). But it remains challenging enough – a playing partner and I watched on-line tee shots on the 17th that were pushed 10 yards to the right of the green by a gust of wind.
The Park is just a great golf course, and when you consider that it’s municipal — with a variable pricing model that makes it very reasonable for locals — the value is sensational.
“If you play well, you’ll score well,” Conley said. “If you play bad, you’ll know you’re playing bad but you won’t be ashamed.”
You know they’ve got something that those of the area’s many private clubs still travel to, as well as the chance that The Park will host a future iteration of “The Match,” the famous made-for-TV golf special .
All from a piece of land the golf course was closed in 2018 because it was too much of a loss for the city.
West Palm Beach has been approached many times with different opportunities for what to do with the closed West Palm Beach Golf Course, all centered around the idea of a private company coming in, revitalizing the land and operating it for in the city.
The Park has garnered attention since it opened earlier this year.
Seth Waugh, now the CEO of the PGA of America, and a group of residents had a vision — “Create a first-class facility with world-class resources and give the West Palm community access to it while still run at a very high level,” Conley said — and then managed to secure $50 million-plus in donations to make it a reality.
The city bought in — it was a 50-year, $1-a-year lease — and as Hanse and his team went to work, so did Andrews. Path, which is supported by an endowment and any revenue from the course, was a blank slate when he arrived, and Andrews spent months in the community, trying to figure out where the need was. Over time, it became clear.
“The Path was created to be the most authentic, engaging and engaging program to identify the next generation of leaders,” said Andrews. “Not only do we grow the game and introduce these kids to golf but we also pour into them as a mentor and teach them education and help them with homework.”
There are 63 students from 50 families in five local schools who attend the center, which is staffed by paid teachers who provide academic support and enrichment in art and STEM classes. Topping the readiness tests is a priority for elementary school kids, and high schoolers are looking at internship opportunities in the golf industry.
There’s also golf — half their time on the property each day is spent with a club in their hands. The goal is to introduce sport as a fun activity and let any passion develop organically. Children who ask for a new glove or club for Christmas count as a winner.
What next? They do not know. Everything is still so new that anything seems possible, as long as they keep getting the foundation right. That’s a great place to be, and it’s because The Park is bold in its origin story.
(Photos courtesy of The Park)
