The Park, in West Palm Beach’s newest public golf course, opened with a philosophy of “Open Golf” for all ages and experience levels. A product of an unprecedented public/private partnership, built entirely with charitable donations from private individuals on rolling, sandy city land, The Park had been the site of the city golf course, The West Palm Beach Country Club, since 1947.
The new facility features a world-class 18-hole golf course designed by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Park Co-founder Dirk Ziff. In addition, there is a lighted nine-hole par three course; an 18-hole putting course; a two-acre kids-only golf area; and a lighted two-sided driving range with a state-of-the-art practice facility featuring Top Tracer technology and designed pro bono by PGA Tour Coach, Darren May. The facility is also the new home of the South Florida PGA Section.
“Golf is such an integral and important part of our community but sadly there is a real shortage of public golf facilities in the area. It has been so gratifying to work side by side with such an amazing group of like-minded donors, local volunteers and public officials led by Mayor Keith James. To bring this incredible project from idea to reality in just over three short years has truly been a dream come true,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America and co-founder of The Park.
The mission of The Park includes dedicated youth programs and community outreach such as affordable golf instruction, classrooms for mentoring and after-school tutoring and a two-acre kids-only golf area. “Golf is not only the greatest game in the world but also a remarkable vehicle for impacting and improving lives. From the beginning, the goal has been to make The Park into the happiest, most welcoming, most complete and most inclusive place in all of golf,.” said Waugh. “We love the idea of ‘Open Golf.’ We wanted to call it The Park because this is 190 acres owned by the residents and like a park it should be open to all. We have the abiding view that if we can help to make the game look more like the world, then just maybe the world will adopt some of the core values of the game. I speak for everyone involved when I say we cannot wait to throw open the doors to the community and the world and watch the joy and the impact on lives both young and old.”
Mayor Keith James said, “When ideas for this site were being considered, I never imagined an outcome like this was possible. This is a tremendous gift to the city of West Palm Beach. People will be astounded when they see the outstanding facility that has been built for the city and its residents, especially the next generation. The process has been smooth and the progress has been amazing. My staff and I are very proud to have helped bring this project to reality for current and future generations.”
Hanse, arguably the most admired golf architect working today, said, “When Jim Wagner and I understood that private citizens, including many of our friends, were giving charitable money to build a new course and facility for the public to enjoy, within the city limits of West Palm Beach, we decided right away to donate our normal design fee and jump in with both feet.” He continued, “The site is incredible, almost 200 acres of rolling sand and mature trees with 30 feet of elevation change, extremely unusual for South Florida. It’s obvious why it was chosen for a golf course in 1947 when the entire area was undeveloped. Jim, Dirk and I set out to design and build a new course that is wide, strategic, easy to walk, and above all, fun to play and appropriately challenging for golfers of all abilities. It was a blast to create, and the reaction to pre-opening play by everyone from PGA Tour players to near-beginners gave us belief that we achieved our goal. Jim and I are honored and thrilled to be co-founders of this wonderful facility.”
Other volunteer co-founders are Tom Frankel, president of Frankel Development, who oversaw all aspects of construction and operations from day one; and retired Goldman Sachs Partner Dan Stanton, who has led the fundraising effort that has amassed $56 million in contributions, all from private citizens. The Park was led by General Manager Brian Conley, who brings years of experience from Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, a similar mission-driven public facility.
