The Golf Capital of Florida Makes Its Case: The Best Courses in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County is not modest about its golf. The region markets itself as Florida’s Golf Capital and, with more than 160 courses spread across Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton, it has the inventory to support the claim. What the marketing does not adequately capture is the range. Seminole Golf Club is consistently ranked among the top 15 golf courses in the country. Palm Beach Par 3 is an oceanfront par-3 course that is among the most scenic public rounds available in the state. Between those two extremes is one of the most varied and most compelling golf landscapes in America. Here is where to play.

Seminole Golf Club

Photo Credit: Seminole County Club

The standard against which everything else in the county is measured. Seminole Golf Club is ranked #12 in America by Golf Digest and among the top 100 courses in the world. Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1929, and it has appeared on every Golf Digest and Golf Magazine ranking of America’s greatest courses since rankings began in 1966. The links-style layout plays along Florida’s Atlantic coast into the prevailing ocean wind, and it rewards the kind of precision and course management that distinguishes serious golfers from casual ones. Men only. Invitation only. No public tee times under any circumstances. A Seminole membership is the most coveted golf credential in Palm Beach County and one of the most difficult to obtain in the country.

The Bear’s Club

Photo Credit: The Bear’s Club

Jack Nicklaus designed The Bear’s Club in Jupiter as his definitive personal statement in course design, and the result is ranked #13 among the best golf courses in Florida by Golf Digest and consistently cited among the top private club experiences in the country. The 7,261-yard layout plays through a luxury residential community of custom estates and features Nicklaus’s signature dramatic elevation changes, strategic bunkering, and the specific combination of beauty and difficulty that defines his best work. The Bear’s Club was recently named one of the ten best private golf courses in Florida by Golfweek. Membership is invitation-only and limited. For a private club experience that combines a genuinely world-class course with the full luxury amenity package, The Bear’s Club is the strongest answer in the county outside of Seminole.

Panther National

Photo Credit: Panther National

The newest and most anticipated addition to Palm Beach County’s golf landscape, and the one that has generated more conversation than any course opening in the region in years. Panther National in Palm Beach Gardens features an 18-hole championship course co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Justin Thomas, making it the only course in the world to carry both their design signatures simultaneously. The 60,000-square-foot clubhouse is scheduled to open in fall 2026. Membership is invitation-only with a reported initiation fee of $500,000. The course is operational and the membership roster already includes names that reflect the caliber of what Panther National is building. For the collector of great golf experiences who wants to be part of something genuinely new, this is the most compelling club opening in South Florida in years.

Old Palm Golf Club

A masterpiece designed by Raymond Floyd that consistently ranks among Florida’s best private courses. Old Palm in Palm Beach Gardens is built around the philosophy of golf without tee times and without foursomes forced together, which means every member plays at their own pace in their own group. The 7,401-yard layout plays through a luxury residential community with the kind of mature landscaping and natural beauty that takes decades to achieve. Golfweek has ranked it among the top private courses in Florida for multiple consecutive years. The membership model and the no-tee-time philosophy make it the most relaxed and most member-friendly private club experience in the county.

Dutchman’s Pipe

The most understated private club in the county and the one most worth knowing about for the golfer who values pace of play and member experience above social prestige. Dutchman’s Pipe at The Belgrove in West Palm Beach is built around a 7,287-yard Jack Nicklaus Signature Course where members play without tee times at their own pace. The philosophy is identical to Old Palm: golf as it was meant to be played, without the scheduling constraints that most clubs impose. The Nicklaus Signature layout is demanding and beautiful, and the membership is intentionally limited to protect the experience the club was designed to provide.

PGA National Resort

The most famous golf resort in Palm Beach County and the one most visitors associate with the region. PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens is home to five championship courses including The Champion, the host of the Cognizant Classic PGA Tour event, which is consistently ranked among the most demanding resort courses in the country. The resort also offers The Fazio, The Squire, The Estates, and The Palmer courses, giving golfers of every skill level a layout calibrated for their game. The David Leadbetter Golf Academy on property makes PGA National the best choice in the country for golfers who want to play and improve simultaneously. Open to resort guests, club members, and the public at varying fee levels.

The Breakers Ocean Course

The oldest 18-hole golf course in Florida, originally designed in 1897 and recently reimagined and redesigned. The Breakers Ocean Course in Palm Beach is available to resort guests and club members and offers a unique combination of historic prestige, an oceanfront setting, and the full Breakers hospitality standard that makes it one of the most distinctive golf experiences in the state. It is not the most technically demanding course on this list, but it may be the most beautiful, and the post-round experience at one of the most storied luxury resorts in Florida elevates it beyond what the scorecard alone would suggest.

For more of Haute Living’s Palm Beach coverage, see These are the Restaurants Serving Palm Beach’s Best Sunday Brunch This Season and The Palm Beach Steakhouses Worth Booking Before Season Starts.