HomeMy WebLinkAboutCourse Review NPCC (Florida Golf Journal)--zok4r
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Perhaps jack's gone too far this time.
If you card a low number, you'll call this one of his greatest
works. If you limp home in triple digits thanks to a multiplic-
ity of three putts, you'll mutter his name in your sleep.
The greatest golfer in history, now one of the game's most
renowned designers, has a catalog of triumphant designs to
his name, and seemingly adds another every week.
North Palm Beach Country Club, a project that hit close to
home for the Golden Bear, is one of the most recent addi-
tions. It's also one of the most noteworthy for several reasons.
First and foremost, Nicklaus charged the Village of North Palm
Beach just $1 for the redesign, since the course is only a few
miles from his family home and thus has a special place in his
heart. Second, unlike many of his projects, at North Palm
Beach he was not given an endless landscape of dynamic land.
While the acreage of North Palm Beach Country Club,
which originally opened in 1927 and underwent major reno-
vation in 1963, would make any real
estate developer salivate due to its
prime location on a prime corner of
the Intracoastal Waterway, it's a
rather cramped and flat location for
18 holes.
The challenge for Nicklaus was t
fashion an undulating and provoca-
tive golf course — one that is
playable for seniors with still enough
muscle for today's young hitters.
He has succeeded. Nicklaus got
quite creative in adding several hun-
dred yards length to the course, re-
routing several holes, and adding tee
boxes where the unimaginative
might think impossible.
But the memorable part of North Palm
Beach Country Club, the part that will impel high praise or high
criticism, is the greens.
Up and down and around and over and through and around
once more, you've never played greens like these. It's like
Donald Ross meets a demonic Tom Fazio nnet:-; a guy who
Block
White
Red
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buries household appliances randomly
beneath putting surfaces. You will not escape
this course without a trio of triple swipes, at the
very least.
Nicklaus makes you gamble early, as the short par-
4 third hole brings glory- or goat, and little in between. Your
dramatically uphill approach of only about 100 yards requires
precision and guile. If
you play too safe and
overshoot the green,
your return chip or putt
is liable to go right back
off the front. Pull up
short, and your ball will
zip back at you 50-70
yards, leaving you with
virtually the same shot
again. This is the hole
where John Daly would
slap his ball into the
woods and stomp off.
bv Jack is,IcHaus
SEMIPRIVATE
Ycrdaoe Rating
7071 -74.8
6365 71,3 135
5932 66,3 130
5203 70,7 128
PC-SfeS
Peak Season
Off Season
• ,. ,
6108 •
$63
951 U.S. HighWC-1,1 1 - North Palm Beach
561.691.3433
www.village-npb.org
The 319-yard eleventh
hole is another love it or
hate it moment. Assistant
Pro Robert Lane says "I
absolutely despised this
hole the first time I
played it, and with each
successive round I grew
to appreciate it more.
Now it's one of my
favorites on the course."
Numerous mid -fairway
and bordering sand traps
make any tee shot risky
on 11, but it's a rare
design in that driver, fair-
way metal, long iron and
even a 6-iron are possible
options. The tiny, heavi-
ly sloped green makes your approach club and angle critical.
You can play this hole 10 different ways and still not have a
solid strategy.
North Palm Beach Country Club is owned by the city and
offers memberships as well as public play.
10 1 Florida Golf Journal