With no master plan, Coore and Crenshaw are free to design the best golf holes without worrying about housing.
The team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, one of the premium firms in golf course architecture, have signed on to design a new 18-hole course at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina.
Owned by developer and course operator South Street Partners, the private Palmetto Bluff is already home to an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus course named May River that is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as tied for No. 171 among all modern courses in the United States. Palmetto Bluff also recently opened Crossroads, a nine-hole short course designed by the team of Tad King and Rob Collins.
For the newest 18, Coore and Crenshaw were given free run of 500 Lowcountry acres to choose the best spots for golf holes without worrying about where houses might fit, South Street said in a media release announcing the course. The course will anchor what is to become Palmetto Bluff’s third village, to be named Anson. The layout, yet unnamed, will play through four types of forest with coastal and wetland views.
The new course, located on the east end of Palmetto Bluff, is slated to open in the winter of 2025-2026 with a temporary clubhouse. A later Phase 2 will include a full clubhouse
Davis Love III returns to the site of a big win for him to add a short course and a putting course.
Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota, has announced a long-range plan for the club named Vision 2040 that includes in its first stage a new short course, putting course, performance center and more.
The private club announced Wednesday that Love Golf Design, headed by Davis Love III, has broken ground on the 10-hole, par-3 short course that will open in summer of 2025. Love also will design the putting course.
“It’s an exciting time for Hazeltine, and the future is bright,” Love said in an announcement on the club’s website. “We are very excited to see the finished products, and I cannot wait to tee it up out there.”
Hazeltine National’s main 18-hole layout is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 4 private course in Minnesota, and it ties for No. 77 among all modern courses in the United States. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1962, and Jones’ son Rees Jones renovated it in 1991. Love Design also is developing a long-range master plan for the main 18.
Among other top-tier professional and amateur tournaments, the club has hosted two U.S. Opens (1970, won by Tony Jacklin; 1991, Payne Stewart), two PGA Championships (2002, Rich Beem; 2009, Y.E. Yang), two U.S. Women’s Opens (1966, Sandra Spuzich; 1977, Hollis Stacy) and the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (Hannah Green).
The KPMG Women’s Championship will return in 2026. The club also hosted the 2016 Ryder Cup won by the American side captained by Love, and the club will again be the site of a Ryder Cup in 2029.
Check out the photos of one of the most interesting new courses of the year.
The mostly private Broomsedge Golf Club in Rembert, South Carolina, has opened for preview play, giving its members a first taste of the course designed by Kyle Franz and Mike Koprowski.
Broomsedge sits about 30 miles east of Columbia and was built atop sandy soil that features surprising elevation changes for the region.
“Members are going to love the intimate routing and optionality among the holes,” said Franz, whose design credits include the new Karoo course at Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida as well as restorations to Mid Pines, Pine Needles and Southern Pines in North Carolina and the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina.
“No hole even remotely resembles another, which speaks to how much topographical diversity existed within a relatively small footprint,” Franz said in a media release announcing the start of preview play at Broomsedge. “It was always a freakishly good site for golf, and I think the routing and hole concepts maximized every bit of that inherent advantage.”
Perhaps best of all, Broomsedge will allow limited outside play for non-members. Such practice is common at many great clubs in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Broomsedge’s operators plan to adopt such a “U.K. model” – they have included a form for prospective guests on the club’s website. The amount of outside play to be allowed eventually is still being determined, but it likely won’t include more than a couple foursomes a day.
Check out a selection of photos of Broomsedge below.
Tom Doak has routed Old Shores on sand dunes near Panama City, Florida.
After news was reported last week that a development order had been approved by Washington County for a new course in the Florida Panhandle, Dream Golf announced Friday the name and designer for the 18-hole project.
Architect Tom Doak has routed what will become Old Shores, assuming all necessary permitting continues to be approved. The course will be built 30 miles north of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport that services Panama City.
The course will be an easy drive from the 30A region of beaches in South Walton County between Panama City and Destin, which has grown at an astonishing rate in recent years. The property is about a 30-minute drive north of Panama City Beach.
Speculation about the course has swirled in recent years, as happens with any project by Dream Golf. The collection of properties includes Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon and Sand Valley in Wisconsin, with new projects on the way outside Denver and another in Texas.
The first step in planning for Old Shores has been approved by Washington County in Florida. (Courtesy of Dream Golf)
The development order was the first step in receiving official sign-off to build Old Shores. As reported by the Washington County News, the development order was for 80 acres for the golf course amid 1,438 acres that have been acquired. No plans for further development have been announced or approved.
The name Old Shores is a reflection of the sandy dunes on the site, which used to be shoreline before the Gulf of Mexico receded to its current boundaries to the south thousands of years ago. Dream Golf said there is no set timetable for construction or completion.
“This land just makes you want to get to the next bend or over the next hill,” developer Michael Keiser said in a news release announcing the name of the course and Doak’s involvement. “There is so much variety – it’s hard to believe you could experience so many environments in one place. Every time I visit, I discover a side I had never seen before. This is an amazing and unexpected site.”
The site for Old Shores to be designed by Tom Doak for Dream Golf, assuming all permitting is eventually approved, is about 30 miles north of the Panama City, Florida, airport. (Courtesy of Dream Golf)
Micheal Keiser is the son of Mike Keiser, the developer of Bandon Dunes. Michael and his brother Chris are the developers of Sand Valley, the in-progress Rodeo Dunes in Colorado and the in-progress Wild Springs Dunes in Texas.
“We are grateful for the reception we received from Washington County, and we are eager to continuing the process of presenting our plans for this extraordinary property,” Michael Keiser said in the release. “I’ve walked the routing with Tom Doak numerous times, and I know this will be world-class.”
Doak’s extensive resume includes building the Pacific Dunes course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, which is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the top public-access course in Oregon and the No. 3 modern course in the U.S. Doak recently completed the now-open Sedge Valley course at Sand Valley, and he also constructed the Lido at Sand Valley, which brought back to life a famous but lost course on Long Island.
Groundbreaking plans will be announced in the coming months.
The nine-hole Sweetens Cove – ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 1 public-access golf course in Tennessee – announced this week that it will collaborate with Reef Capital Partners to introduce a new par-3 course and much more.
Plans also call for stay-and-play cabins, a new winding putting green, a fishing dock, a skeet range, a restaurant and a distillery at the famously laid-back facility in South Pittsburg, about a 30-minute drive west from Chattanooga. Groundbreaking plans will be announced in the coming months.
Sweetens Cove had a tough 2024, closing for several months to replant greens and fairways after a particularly bad winter killed off much of the playing surfaces – its operators opted to shut down for repairs instead of presenting sub-standard conditions. The course reopened this fall with new grass that has grown in well, and the layout should regain its often fiery and bouncy playing conditions in 2025.
The masterplan for expansion at Sweetens Cove includes a par-3 course, shooting range, fishing dock, cabins, a restaurant, distillery, events space and more. (Courtesy of Reef Capital Partners)
Besides excelling as a nine-hole layout, Sweetens Cove is different than most courses in many other ways. Operators started several years ago offering all-day passes instead of traditional tee times, with players going round and round the course as often as they like. The dress code is basically non-existent, and music typically blasts from a patio overlooking the first tee and ninth green. The clubhouse is named the Shed because it is one, and it’s packed with much-loved merchandise sporting multiple logos. A patio built around a tree has been tagged as the heckle deck.
There have been discussions about expansion for years, with the biggest concern among die-hard fans being that the facility retains its vibe.
“Sweetens Cove grabs you the moment you step onto the course – there’s an energy here that you won’t find anywhere else,” Jared Lucero, CEO of Reef Capital Partners, said in a media release announcing the new partnership for which terms were not disclosed. “It’s not just about golf; it’s about the experience, the people and the simplicity of spending a day out here.
“We aim to preserve that unique charm while adding a place to stay, a bit more to do, including Sweetens at Night, and some amazing food and drinks. Those things will only make every visit even more memorable, whether you’re playing the course for the first time or the hundredth.”
The heckle deck overlooks the ninth green at Sweetens Cove in Tennessee, as seen after the course reopened following the re-grassing of its greens in 2024. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Sweetens Cove opened in 2015 on the site of a former course, which was erased as a new course was laid out by the team of Tad King and Rob Collins. It quickly gained a following among Golfweek’s Best course raters and catapulted into the top 100 modern courses in the U.S., where it now is No. 90.
King and Collins soon took over operations of Sweetens Cove from its founding family, and investors have come onboard including sports stars Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick. The ownership group also has released a bourbon named for the course, with the planned small-batch distillery an extension of that.
“I’ve been with Sweetens Cove from the beginning, from designing and building the original course with Tad to being responsible for its operations and management for the last 10 years,” Collins said in the media release. “It is thrilling to me and everyone involved with Sweetens Cove to see how the expansion builds on that foundation and brings to life every big dream we ever had for the place.”
Sweetens Cove was built on the site of a former course, but the new design by Tad Kind and Rob Collins vaulted into the No. 1 spot among Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access courses in Tennessee. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Reef Capital Partners’ has been expanding in golf with its development of Black Desert Resort in Utah, which opened in 2023, jumped to the No. 1 spot among that state’s public-access courses and recently hosted an eponymous PGA Tour event. The company also is developing Marcella Deer Valley, which will include Tiger Woods designing his first mountain course.
“Reef Capital Partners has an incredible vision for this expansion,” Collins said in the media release. “They came to Sweetens to play the course and by the seventh fairway they had drawn up a model, envisioning a par-3 short course that offers flexibility and creativity. It’s not just a regular short course – you can play each hole in multiple ways, adding a cross-country style that you won’t find anywhere else.”
Sweetens Cove tee times are coveted and sell out incredibly quickly each year, a testament to the layout’s architecture as much as its atmosphere. King-Collins Golf Design has gone on to lay out several other courses around the country including Landmand, which opened in 2022 in Nebraska and has jumped to the No. 1 spot in that state’s ranking of public-access layouts.
“Sweetens Cove is a golf anomaly,” GM Matt Adamski said in the media release. “We’ve created a place where you can play all day with no tee times, no dress codes and no pressure. It’s a giant adult playground, where everyone can find something to love.
“(The expansion) will maintain our unique culture and enhance guest experience. The demand is incredible – we’re sold out through the end of the year. But even with this expansion, we’re maintaining our focus on a quality experience by keeping a limit on the number of daily passes to ensure that Sweetens Cove remains the special place people love.”
Check out the photos of a new reversible nine-hole course by the team behind Landmand and Sweetens Cove.
One of the more interesting golf course openings of 2024 has been Crossroads at the private Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina. It’s fitting that it was designed by one of golf’s more interesting firms, King-Collins Golf Course Design.
Tad King and Rob Collins are the architects – and now co-owners – of the nine-hole Sweetens Cove, which for the better part of a decade has been the No. 1 ranked public-access layout in Tennessee. They also designed Landmand, which in two years has shot up to become the No. 1 public-access course in Nebraska. Their resume of courses continues to grow, including the new Red Feather in Texas.
At Crossroads, they went back to their nine-hole roots. Situated on 54 acres of rolling dunes alongside an extensive inland waterway, the layout features a mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s integrated into a reversible layout. Playing it in one direction sports the name The Hammer, and the other direction is called The Press as the course crisscrosses itself. Like Sweetens Cove, the layout was built with match play in mind and is a great venue for cross-country golf in which players pick their own holes, should they choose.
Crossroads opened in January of 2024, the second course at Palmetto Bluff following the Jack Nicklaus-designed May River course that opened in 2005. In keeping with a low-key vibe, Crossroads features a pro shop in an Airstream trailer and a food truck on site, plus a 34,000-square-foot Himalayas-style putting green near the first tee. The course is accessible by electric boat or kayak. The course plays anywhere from 1,000 yards to 3,100.
The Crossroads is mostly private, but there are a limited number of tee times available to guests of the onsite and upscale hotel at Montage Palmetto Bluff.
Check out a selection of the latest photos of Crossroads below.
New course at Buenaventura Resort will focus on fun and playability.
The firm of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects has signed on to build a second course at Buenaventura Resort in Panama 90 miles southwest of Panama City.
The new course will top out at 6,810 yards with a par of 72, and it will feature long ribbon tees that allow players to choose their best distances. Instead of heavy earth-moving to build the course, the designers plan to rely on the varied natural topography to create interest and provide long sightlines and ocean views. Fairways will feature generous width, allowing players to choose strategic lines into the greens with an emphasis on fun and playability.
The routing plan for the second course, to be named No. 2, at Buenaventura Resort in Panama (Courtesy of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects)
“As they play, golfers will journey through a variety of distinct environments,” Bruce Charlton, president of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects, said in a media release announcing the plans.
“The jungle holes will be surrounded by dense foliage and towering Guanacaste trees, punctuated by a series of running streams and offering an adventurous experience of navigating winding fairways. The meadow holes, with their wide-open spaces, provide expansive scale and invite bold, strategic play. Players will encounter the challenge a breathtaking beach and ocean-view hole, a one-of-a-kind challenge comprised of ocean breezes and sandy shores.”
Buenaventura is an 800-acre Central American beach resort and residential community, and its first course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2012.
Check out Tiger’s letter to perspective members of new course near Fort Worth.
This story was updated to include information about Mark Brooks at the new club.
Tiger Woods announced on social media Thursday that his course architecture firm, TGR Design, has signed on to build a course at a new residential community underway near Fort Worth, Texas: Bluejack Ranch.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the developers behind the project – Andy and Kristin Mitchell – also built Bluejack National north of Houston in 2016. That is the site of Woods’ first course design in the U.S., Bluejack National.
The name Bluejack, by the way, references a bluejack oak, a tree native to Texas with one present at Bluejack National.
Bluejack Ranch in Aledo will be about a 30-minute drive southwest of Fort Worth. It is planned to be a residential club on 914 acres of working cattle ranch, according to the club’s website. Plans call for it to open in 2026.
Over a decade ago, I designed my first U.S. course at Bluejack National. I’m excited to announce that @tgrdesignbytw, @BluejackNation, and the Mitchell family are teaming up again to create @BluejackRanch, an exceptional new golf community in Aledo, Texas.… pic.twitter.com/k2nNCR82nB
Course details were not included in the social post, but Golf.com reported that the plans include a full-size course built by Woods and his design partner, Beau Welling. There also will be a lighted 10-hole, par-3 course.
Fort Worth native Mark Brooks, winner of the 1996 PGA Championship among his seven PGA Tour titles, confirmed to Golfweek that he is a senior advisor to the project and will transition into running the club’s player development programs. The club will include a full golf and fitness performance center.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over ten years since we embarked on my first U.S. course design at Bluejack National in Houston. The response to that golf experience has been truly gratifying, and when I hear how much Bluejack means to people, I feel incredibly proud of the TGR Design team.
Now, we’re bringing that same Bluejack spirit and passion to Fort Worth- a city celebrated not only as Cowtown but also as a golf town. With legends like Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, the love for the game here is genuine. I’m grateful for the encore opportunity to reteam with Bluejack National and home-towners Andy and Kristin Mitchell to design a course around this incredibly special property and community.
Bluejack National’s success has paved the way for this next chapter at Bluejack Ranch. Our shared vision of creating a space where families can enjoy the game and have fun inspires us all once again at The Ranch.
It’s extremely motivating for me to contribute to the golfing legacy of Fort Worth, and I’m excited to see what we’ll build together. We’ll share more after our next design meeting in Aledo.
Mysterious group says it was behind plans to add golf to a treasured Florida State Park.
A mysterious foundation called Tuskegee Dunes, whose Florida lobbyists include a former secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, says it is behind the controversial proposed golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park – and that it is now pulling the plug on the plan.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection confirmed late Sunday that the foundation withdrew its application for the golf course proposal.
The Delaware-registered foundation said in a statement sent to The Palm Beach Post late Friday that the golf courses and other facilities would have told the “inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II.”
But facing extreme opposition from park fans, lawmakers and environmental organizations, it backpedaled on the project Sunday, sending a note to media representatives and through political commentator Daniel Bongino that it was no longer pursuing the proposal.
“Serving God and Country is our daily goal,” said the statement, which Bongino posted on Facebook. “That was the spirit for the idea to bring world class public golf to south east Florida … We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location. We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
It was the latest twist in a saga that began with documents being leaked to environmentalists a week ago showing plans for the installation of three public golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson as part of the state’s 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative.
The fervor of discontent that followed led to the state postponing public meetings that were scheduled for Tuesday, and a multitude of politicians decrying what many said they knew nothing about. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, said he couldn’t find anyone with knowledge of the courses and will use Florida’s Sunshine Law to get more information on the “proposed plan to bulldoze Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
“Our community deserves answers,” Mast said Saturday.
A map released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows the proposed areas of Jonathan Dickinson State Park that were considered for conversion into golf courses. (Florida Department of Environmental Protection)
But Sunday’s statement from Tuskegee Dunes Foundation about pulling out of the project still leaves questions. Mast reposted the statement to his Facebook page, but the lack of comment from any state agency or online footprint by Tuskegee Dunes has left some to question the veracity of the claim and whether the post by Bongino is from a counterfeit account.
Tequesta resident Jessica Namath, who is spearheading the fight against the golf courses, said on social media the opposition must continue until there is confirmation from DEP that the plan is kaput. “If the state agency decides at the last minute to not keep Jonathan Dickinson State Park in the mix we need to pivot to supporting the other Florida State Parks,” Namath said.
“Everyone’s decided we need to see something official,” Namath told The Palm Beach Post on Sunday. “We have a lot of questions. Why is (Bongino) the one sending this out? I think this raises more questions. We are not buying it or believing it until we see something formally issued.”
DEP spokeswoman Alex Kuchta said in a statement late Sunday that the proposal was withdrawn.
“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection appreciates the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation’s good-faith proposal for a public golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park,” Kuchta wrote in the statement. “While they are withdrawing their proposal, the foundation worked with the state to pursue a project that would have created a public, world class golf course for all, while supporting veterans, first responders and their families. Their plan to honor the Tuskegee Airmen was noble.”
In Bongino’s personal note, he mentions the nonprofit charity Folds of Honor, which had tried previously to push the golf course plan at Jonathan Dickinson but was rebuffed. Oklahoma-based Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships for the families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders, had not come forward as having been associated with the current plan.
“My good friends at Folds of Honor have also assured me that they do not plan to move forward on this project,” said Bongino, who lives in Palm City. “They are great people, doing great things. They just didn’t understand the local passion for JD Park. They heard us and did the right thing.”
Because of Delaware’s strict corporate privacy rules, no information about anyone connected to the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation is available. The foundation, which incorporated in August 2021, is listed as having $436 in delinquent taxes, according to the Delaware Division of Corporations.
The Tuskegee Dunes statement also does not give information as to where Tuskegee Dunes is based, whether it is a nonprofit organization, a website address, board members or its history. The website TuskegeeDunesFoundation.com says it is “launching soon.”
In the original note from Tuskegee Dunes when it was still promoting the plan, it says it would donate profits from the courses at Jonathan Dickinson to Folds of Honor.
In Florida lobbyist records, Ryan E. Matthews is named as a representative of Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, which lists the same Owasso, Oklahoma, address as that of Folds of Honor. Matthews, who is now with the law firm of GrayRobinson, was interim secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection under former Gov. Rick Scott. He served for four months in 2017.
Phone and email messages to Matthews were not returned over the weekend.
Folds of Honor is also associated with American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan.
The creation of American Dunes in 2018 was led by North Palm Beach resident and golf legend Jack Nicklaus, with him donating his $3 million design fee, according to the American Dunes website. The American Dunes motto is “The church that Jack built. God. Country. Golf.”
In 2011, legislators tried to add golf courses to state parks through bills that would have created the “Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail of Florida.” The only park specifically mentioned in the House’s version of the bill was Jonathan Dickinson, which is nearest Nicklaus’s North Palm Beach home.
The bills were quickly withdrawn after public outcry.
Last week, Nicklaus Companies, which is no longer affiliated with founder Jack Nicklaus, said it was not associated with the recent golf course plans. The statement from Nicklaus Companies emphasized that it was from the firms – Nicklaus Companies and Nicklaus Design – alone, not Jack Nicklaus personally.
“We take great pride in the Nicklaus name, our reputation, and the work we do at Nicklaus Design – particularly as it relates to environmental and community stewardship,” the statement from Nicklaus Companies said. “Florida is our company’s home, and many of our employees are frequent patrons of our beautiful state parks. You can be assured that everything we do is in keeping with these principles.”
According to the Tuskegee Dunes, the proposed golf courses would have taken up about 600 acres of Jonathan Dickinson State Park’s 10,500 acres and include 36 holes designed by “world class golf course designers.” The planned design would have included a nine-hole course called Red Tail that would have been fully accessible in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. A practice park would double as an outdoor gathering place for local community events.
Tuskegee Dunes filed for multiple trademarks in June 2023, including for golf course design and development.
Mountain bike and hiking trails would have been incorporated into the plans and “enhancements will be made to the Observation Tower,” according to the statement sent to The Post on Friday.
“Southeast Florida, including the Jupiter area, has limited public golf,” Friday’s statement from Tuskegee Dunes says. “A total of 85% in the Southeast corridor is private golf. This is a dramatic contrast to the national average of 80% public vs. private golf access.”
Eric Draper, who was director of the Florida Park Service for four years through 2021, said he was disappointed that a former DEP secretary may have been involved in trying to “take away our state parks.”
“If it weren’t for everyone expressing their point of view, I think the governor and DEP would have pushed this right through,” Draper said. “So, I am so proud of what everyone has done. This is what the governor doesn’t get: The parks belong to the people.”
Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, said Folds of Honor approached her last year and asked if she would sponsor legislation aimed at bringing golf specifically to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. They highlighted the benefits to veterans the golfing venture could mean.
“They had a lovely presentation on what they are doing in Michigan,” Harrell said Saturday. “I told them, ‘It’s a marvelous idea, but you don’t do it in a state park.’
“This is not the appropriate use,” she continued, calling the park “a natural treasure of the Treasure Coast.”
“The state parks are to protect the natural habitat and environment of the area as well as preserve it for future generations,” she said. Harrell said she’s all about helping veterans – her daughter is one and married to another one. But there’s a limit.
“Golf courses are wonderful – somewhere else, not in Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
Eight other state parks have also been proposed for added amenities including pickleball courts, disc golf and 350-bed lodges.
– Palm Beach Post staff writer Anne Geggis and editor Holly Baltz contributed to this story.
Does Florida need more golf courses at the expense of protected land in state parks?
A proposal to convert sections of several protected Florida State Parks to golf courses, lodges and other non-traditional park amenities has started to garner plenty of opposition after the surprise “Great Outdoors Initiative” was announced on August 19 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The most eye-popping changes might be the introduction of 45 holes of golf to Jonathan Dickinson State Park, an 11,500-acre park in Martin County near Jupiter in southeast Florida that features sandy dunes – the kind of land frequently coveted by golf developers.
The Department of Environmental Protection released the plans on social media after they were initially leaked. With no detailed description of the golf plans, a map included in the official release shows the proposed courses (shown in pink below).
A map released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows the proposed areas of Jonathan Dickinson State Park that could be converted into golf courses. (Florida Department of Environmental Protection)
Equally eye-popping is that the proposals appear to many observers to have come out of thin air, with no public input in the development of plans to this point. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, a staunch environmental defender of the nearby St. Lucie River, told ThePalm Beach Post that park proposals came without any forewarning.
“Nobody that I spoke to in government had heard literally one thing about this,” Mast said during an interview at Jonathan Dickinson on Thursday. “Everyone was taken by surprise.”
After several days of silence, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s spokesman responded to criticism this week with statements on social media indicating the proposed changes are all about public access and utilization of the parks.
“The Department of Environmental Protection and the Division of Parks are looking at recommendations for ways to enhance Florida’s parks to make them more visitor-friendly.”
This is not the first time golf was proposed in Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Legislative initiatives in 2011 included a Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the park, but those plans were quickly swept away after substantial public criticism.
There are more than 1,300 golf courses in Florida, which has been dubbed in many marketing efforts as the Golf Capital of the World. The majority of Florida’s golf courses offer public access.
Florida operates 175 state parks within environments ranging from upland scrub to aquatic shorelines, with parks ranging in size from a handful of acres to more than 75,000 acres. Typical amenities might include campsites, cabins and trails, most constructed with a goal of minimizing human impact while providing recreational and educational opportunities. They are operated by the Florida Park Service, a division of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Some aspects of the Park Service’s historic mission could change if the new proposals are carried out. The proposed plans also include the introduction of pickleball, disc golf, paddling, cabins and lodges with as many as 350 rooms.
Changes have been proposed at nine parks around the state. As required by law, the DEP has scheduled a series of public meetings on August 27 in each county where park changes have been proposed. But those mostly simultaneous, in-person-only meetings will be limited to one hour with public speakers limited to three minutes of comments each. Opponents say the limited comment period indicates the rushed meetings are insufficient and that a wide range of comments isn’t valued.
DeSantis is a frequent golfer. Comments by Redfern, DeSantis’ press secretary, included the following:
“There will be multiple phases of public discussion to evaluate stakeholders’ feedback. The agency’s initial recommendations are based on public input and proposals—from pickleball to golf to additional bike trails and camping access; the proposals vary and may not all be approved.
“Finally, recommendations will be evaluated, and no final decisions will be made until the public comment and review process has been completed.”
