The Local's Loop: 3 Palm Beach Public Golf Experiences Worth Prioritizing
You don't need a member’s invite to play well in Palm Beach.
Palm Beach County is one of the great private club destinations in American golf. Seminole, The Bear's Club, - the list of elite, members-only layouts in this corridor is legitimately staggering. If a member invite lands on your trip, take it.
But here's what often gets overlooked: this same stretch of South Florida coastline has quietly built one of the strongest public golf scenes in the country. Great weather for most of the year, ocean and Intracoastal scenery that most golf regions can't touch, and a dining and nightlife infrastructure that makes the non-golf hours just as compelling. The courses below are where locals actually play. They're not secrets, they're just the ones worth knowing before you book.
For the full planning picture (hotels, dining, logistics, and the complete course lineup) start with the GCN Palm Beach Collection. And when you're anchored at a property like Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, the logistics make all three highly executable in a single long weekend.
North Palm Beach Country Club
A Nicklaus-designed municipal course is a rare thing, and this one delivers. The 2006 redesign restored firm coastal playing surfaces and clean Intracoastal sight lines throughout.
Quick Facts:
Architect: Jack Nicklaus (Redesign, 2006)
Distance: 15–25 minutes from most Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens hotels.
Best tee time: Early morning, booked in advance.
Non-golf pairing: An early round also sets up a natural afternoon pivot: Juno Beach and John D. MacArthur Beach State Park are both close by and among the better beach options in the county.
Insider note: Coastal wind builds through the afternoon — the 17th plays into the Intracoastal and, as one of the more wind-exposed holes in the region, can swing two to three clubs depending on conditions.
Post-round: Stormhouse Brewing is less than a mile away, and a perfect place for a beer and great food.
northpalmbeachcc.com
Palm Beach Par 3
Thirty-nine acres squeezed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, with 18 holes ranging from 81 to 211 yards on paspalum turf and ocean breezes factoring on nearly every shot. Golfweek ranked it #10 on its 2025 Top 25 public-access short course list, and #1 if you strip out the resort short courses such as Bandon Dunes and Big Cedar Lodge.
Quick Facts:
Architect: Raymond Floyd (Redesign, 2009)
Distance: 3.5 miles from Eau Palm Beach; under 10 minutes from the Palm Beach coastal corridor.
Non-golf pairing: Worth Avenue is a natural dinner stop at the end of the S. Ocean Boulevard drive.
Insider note: If you're coming from Eau Palm Beach or anywhere along the Palm Beach coastal corridor, the drive down S. Ocean Boulevard is the move. It’s the most direct way to the course, with a spectacular stretch of oceanfront estates the whole way.
Post-round: The Al Fresco Restaurant on the second-floor veranda is a great call, and right on property.
golfontheocean.com (yes, that URL is exactly what it sounds like. Hard to argue with that.)
The Park — West Palm Beach
Ask around or run a quick search and The Park will be the first course that comes up — and for good reason. Hanse's 2023 routing is the standard-bearer for public golf in South Florida: wide enough to be fun, complex enough to hold up on the third visit.
Quick Facts:
Architect: Gil Hanse (Redesign, 2023)
Distance: 15–25 minutes from most Palm Beach and West Palm Beach hotels.
Greens fees: Run on a dynamic pricing model. Peak season typically ranges from $250 to $350 for out-of-state players, but the off-peak summer window drops to $100 to $150. Florida residents and West Palm Beach locals receive discounted rates.
Walk it if you can: The Park encourages walking - push carts are complimentary, and their average walking round runs 22 minutes faster than riding. Cart rental is available if preferred.
Non-golf pairing: Head down S. Ocean Boulevard rather than routing inland if you haven’t driven that route yet. The stretch of oceanfront estates through Palm Beach is worth the extra few minutes, and Worth Avenue is a natural dinner stop at the end of it.
Insider note: The lighted 9-hole short course is walk-ups only. It's a legitimate post-dinner option if the group has energy left, and one of the better-kept secrets at a course that's anything but secret.
Post-round: The House is on-site and earns the stop. No need to get back in the car before the debrief.
A Note on Abacoa — Jupiter, FL
Joe Lee's 1999 design in Jupiter is a consistent local favorite and worth the trip, but it sits 25–30 minutes north of the Palm Beach and West Palm Beach hotel corridor. If you're staying near Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens, it belongs near the top of your list. If you're based further south, prioritize the three above and save Abacoa for when the home base shifts north. abacoagolfclub.com
Bonus: Add a TGL Night
If your trip falls during the season, TGL at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens deserves a spot in the itinerary. The tech-forward team golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy plays in a custom-built 1,500-seat arena unlike anything else in the sport. Season 3 is expected to return in late 2026. Check tglgolf.com for schedule and tickets. A morning at The Park, a TGL match at night — that's a strong single day.
The Anchor: Eau Palm Beach
For groups wanting a five-star base within reach of all three courses, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa sits oceanfront in Manalapan and puts you squarely on the right side of the island for the S. Ocean Boulevard routing. The spa program is legitimate, which matters on a multi-round trip where recovery is part of the equation.
The Takeaway: Private clubs define Palm Beach's golf identity. But the public game here is genuinely strong, and the loop above proves it. North Palm Beach CC delivers Nicklaus pedigree without the rope line, the Par 3 is a bucket-list experience on one of the best pieces of real estate in Florida golf, and The Park is already one of the best public courses in the Southeast.