PGA National Resort, host of the PGA Tour, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Ranked · 7 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in Palm Beach

Palm Beach County has more great golf per square mile than almost anywhere in America, much of it behind private gates. Here are the seven courses we rate most highly, from Donald Ross's untouchable Seminole to the PGA Tour test at PGA National and the new public Gil Hanse course at The Park, with clear notes on which ones you can actually play.

See the ranking Plan a trip here

By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: PGA National Resort, Palm Beach Gardens, via Google

How we chose them

We ranked these on architectural quality and significance first, the way the courses would stand up to any list in the country, then noted access plainly so you know where you can tee it up and where you would need a member. Palm Beach is unusual in that several of its very best courses are intensely private, so a visitor's trip and a critic's ranking are not the same thing, and we have tried to serve both.

Every designer, opening year and host event below was checked at the time of writing, and where a course has a full profile we link to it. The verdicts and the order are ours. If you want to actually play here, tell us your dates and we will tell you which doors open and book the tee times that do.

The ranking

01

Seminole Golf Club

Donald Ross, 1929 · Juno Beach · par 72 · private

The benchmark, and one of the finest courses in the United States. Donald Ross routed Seminole across a low coastal ridge in 1929, using two dune lines and the wind off the Atlantic to create a course that looks gentle and plays anything but. Ben Hogan tuned his game here every spring. It is a private club of the old school, so most golfers admire it from the rankings rather than the first tee, but as architecture it sets the standard for the whole county.

Private club, member access. Ask us about access

02

PGA National, Champion Course

Tom Fazio, redesigned by Jack Nicklaus · Palm Beach Gardens · par 72 · resort

The most famous course you can actually play here, and a real PGA Tour test as the host of the Cognizant Classic each spring. The stretch of the 15th, 16th and 17th, known as the Bear Trap, is one of the hardest closing runs in resort golf, all water and wind. With a full resort, five courses on site and a championship pedigree, it is the natural anchor for a Palm Beach golf trip.

Book a tee time at PGA National

03

The Breakers, Ocean Course

Alexander Findlay, 1897, restored by Rees Jones 2018 · Palm Beach · resort

The oldest eighteen holes in Florida, laid out by Alexander Findlay in 1897 and sympathetically restored by Rees Jones in 2018. It is short by modern standards and all about strategy and charm rather than length, threading between the grand old hotel and the sea. For history, atmosphere and a round you can pair with a stay at one of America's great resort hotels, nothing in the county matches it.

Book a tee time at The Breakers

04

The Bear's Club

Jack Nicklaus · Jupiter · par 72 · private

Jack Nicklaus's own club, built on a former nursery in Jupiter and home to a who's who of touring pros who live nearby. It is a beautifully natural Nicklaus design through pine and sand, and one of the most exclusive addresses in American golf. Visitors will not get on without a serious connection, but it belongs on any honest ranking of the county's best courses.

Private club, member access. Ask us about access

05

Trump International, West Palm Beach

Jim Fazio · West Palm Beach · 27 holes · private

A polished, generously bunkered Jim Fazio design with 27 holes and conditioning to match the membership, just across the water from Palm Beach island. It plays longer and bolder than most parkland in the area, with water and waste areas framing the better holes. A private club, but a genuinely strong course that a planned trip can sometimes reach.

Private club, member access. Ask us about access

06

The Park West Palm Beach

Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, 2023 · West Palm Beach · public

The best news in Palm Beach golf for years: a Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner public course on the site of the old municipal, opened in 2023 and instantly rated among the country's top public layouts. It gives visitors and locals genuinely first rate architecture at an accessible rate, with a smart short course and practice ground alongside. The course to book if you want quality without a membership.

Book a tee time at The Park

07

Jupiter Hills Club, Hills Course

George Fazio · Tequesta · par 72 · private

An unusual, genuinely rolling course for Florida, George Fazio's Hills Course at Jupiter Hills uses real elevation and sandy scrub to feel more like the Carolinas sandhills than the coast. Long a quiet favorite of those in the know in the north of the county, it rewards shot makers and stays firm and fast. Private, but a course that earns its place ahead of many flashier names.

Private club, member access. Ask us about access

Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026 from club and resort sources. Access rules and green fees vary by season and membership; always confirm directly before booking.

Plan a Palm Beach golf trip

Tell us your dates and your group and one concierge builds the trip around the courses you can play, books the tee times at PGA National, The Breakers and The Park, and advises honestly on the private clubs, with no obligation.

Palm Beach golf: questions

What is the best golf course in Palm Beach?

Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach is the standout, a 1929 Donald Ross masterpiece ranked among the very best courses in the United States. It is a private club, so most visitors play the more accessible greats instead: PGA National's Champion course with its Bear Trap, the historic Ocean Course at The Breakers, and the new Gil Hanse public course at The Park.

Which Palm Beach courses can visitors play?

The most accessible top courses are PGA National's Champion course, the Ocean Course at The Breakers, both attached to resorts, and The Park West Palm Beach, a high quality public course. Seminole, The Bear's Club, Trump International and Jupiter Hills are private and generally require a member connection. We can advise on access when we plan a trip.

When is the best time to play golf in Palm Beach?

The Palm Beach season runs from roughly November to April, when the weather is warm, dry and reliable and the courses are in peak condition, which is also when green fees are highest. The summer and early autumn are hot, humid and prone to afternoon storms, but much cheaper, with early tee times the move. Always confirm directly before booking.

How much does golf cost in Palm Beach?

On the accessible resort and public courses, indicative 2026 in season green fees run from around 100 dollars at The Park to several hundred at PGA National and The Breakers in peak winter, with off season rates far lower. The private clubs are member access only. All figures are indicative; always confirm directly before booking.

Related

Golf in Florida Best golf courses in Florida Best golf resorts in Florida Florida golf holidays All best lists

The Tee Sheet

Florida course news, tee time windows and the trips worth taking. Every other week.

Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, designers and access rules verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.

Keep planning: Palm Beach golf