For years, southeastern Florida has been a stronghold of American golf. In fact, 13-time PGA Tour winner Mark Calcavecchia built a home on the Loxahatchee River while extolling the virtues of Florida golf. At the center of Florida's golf universe lies the city of Jupiter. From there, it seems, there are impressive courses in every direction.
West Jupiter
The focal point of a 285-home residential community, the Loxahatchee Golf Club is a private course with 71 acres of freshwater for players to deal with. The private, 18-hole course, which spans 7,147 yards, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened its doors in 1984, when Golf Digest deemed it the best new course. The same publication listed Loxahatchee as one of North America's top courses just five years later and has since recognized Loxahatchee as one of the state's best.
The Bahia grass course has a slope rating of 134 carries a course rating of 73.8.
North Jupiter
The opening round for the course at the Tequesta Country Club, north of Jupiter, was played in 1957 and featured a young Arnold Palmer. Designed by Dick Wilson, the par-71 course is 6,421 yards long, with a course rating of 70.6 and a slope rating of 123.
South Jupiter
The 7,200 yard, 18-hole, Bermuda grass Abacoa golf course was designed by Joe Lee and has been open to the public since 1999. Abacoa has numerous bodies of water in play. The par-72 course has a rating of 74.6, with a slope rating of 137.
The Bear's Club golf course is also located south of Jupiter. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the Bear's Club is Nicklaus' home course. With the club, Nicklaus hoped to realize his vision of creating an elite golf experience near his hometown. The 400-acre, 18-hole Bermuda grass course is surrounded by dozens of estate residences, golf villas, vintage estate homes and club cottages, as well as a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse. The Bear's Club course is 7,164 yards, with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope rating of 146.
East Jupiter
If you are looking for a change of pace, check out Jupiter Dunes, a public par-3 course. The course was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1973. The course rating is a 65, and the slope rating is 100.
PGA Courses
If you are looking for something a bit more official, the PGA National Golf Club lies just 10 miles south of Jupiter and boasts five separate courses: The Champion, The Palmer, The Quire, The Haig and The Estates. Three of the courses were designed by Tom and George Fazio, one by Arnold Palmer and one by Karl Litten. Jack Nicklaus oversaw a redesign of The Champion. As part of his redesign, Nicklaus turned the 15th, 16th and 17th holes into a now-legendary stretch known as "The Bear Trap."
The PGA National is the home of The Honda Classic and has hosted the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship and numerous PGA Seniors Championships.
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