The first thing one notices at the Cape Club of Palm City is that there isn’t a starter—and that’s a good sign. At this completely reimagined club that sits just off I-95 along Florida’s Treasure Coast, members have open access to the first tee. The three-hour round is alive and thriving.
The Cape Club of Palm City is part of a triumvirate of clubs that offers “elegance with an edge.” The golf is solid and challenging, requiring skilled shotmaking around a layout where water serves as a primary defense. The atmosphere and culture exude fun. Golf is a game, after all.
The course (7,003 yards from the tips) opened as Cobblestone Country Club in 1989 and underwent an extensive renovation by Darren Clarke and Eoghan O’Connell a decade ago. New ownership arrived in 2022 and has retouched everything at the club. The Cape Club has a terrific new shine, right down to the radiant Augusta bunker sand. The once dark clubhouse now features shiny white marble floors, and the outdoor patio space has doubled. Firepit Fridays with live music are not to be missed.
The club recently flipped its nines, which means a friendly par 5 to ease a golfer into the round and a demanding double-dogleg par 5 (586 yards from the tips!) around water as the new 18th, one final stern test in a good string of them. A solid drive, precise layup (cut off what you dare) and smartly played third can lead to one final birdie to make a post-round beer taste better.
Each hole has its own fingerprint, and all of the par-3 holes are memorable, especially the island green 15th hole. The Cape Club of Palm City may sit in relatively flat Florida, but the golf course offers surprising elevation changes. In fact, “elevation” is a key word around Cape Club. Everything about the club has been elevated to new levels.
The elevation and enhancements quickly got the attention of top brands and tour players who selected the club as their backdrop for activation. As an added bonus, membership grants players access to two affiliate sister clubs in Massachusetts (Cape Club of Falmouth, Cape Club of Sharon). Those clubs have undergone impressive enhancements, too.
Change is good, much like a vacant starter’s shack.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
