The original West Palm Beach Golf Club was built in 1921, as a private club,on the North West border of the air force field. The club went through many ups and downs until the Second World War when it was taken over to enlarge the airport. The course was then rebuilt in its present location in 1947. West Palm Beach Municipal Golf Course was designed by Dick Wilson, one of America's foremost golf architects, the same guy who designed The Royal Montreal Golf Club, and the Blue Monster at Doral (Miami). The course was strong enough to host PGA tournaments during the 50's and 60's. Arnold Palmer, whose first professional victory was the 1955 Canadian Open (in his rookie year) also won the West Palm Beach Open Invitational on this course in 1959.
This course is different from all other courses we have played in Florida. It is waterless. That's right, not a single water feature on the West Palm Beach Municipal. But let's not get too excited as there are seas of sand. Yes, waste bunkers as far as the eye can see, and fairway bunkers, and, of course, green side bunkers. This day was all about sand. And rolling hills. And elevated greens which always required one or two clubs more than you would normally play. The course was both fun to play and yet demanding enough. My game was almost on and I managed an 89 in spite of two balls lost in the waste bunkers (therefore a 4 stroke cost) and a penalizing greenside bunker out of which I needed 3 strokes before I made it to the dance floor. Brenda found some challenges on the par 3's, for no apparent reason, which didn't do much for her score. Perhaps she was just too busy chasing the wild life found in the waste bunkers. This being the last game of 2011, we will meet again in 2012. Happy New Year to all and may all your dreams come true.
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| Racoon in waste bunker |
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| Further distraction |
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