In the business of golf, keeping up with the Joneses in South Florida comes at a cost. A very steep one.
In the ultra-affluent South Florida climes of Martin and Palm Beach counties, one of the few areas nationwide where new course construction is setting a blistering pace, playing catch-up can be even more costly.
With 36 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus in the 1980s, Bear Lakes Country Club is just minutes from downtown West Palm Beach and wedge shot from Interstate 95. The private club boasts a sophisticated membership and claims to have one of the lowest collective handicaps anywhere. With at least a dozen new high-end courses either recently opened or still under the shovel within an hour’s drive of Bear Lakes’ maintenance facility, the club is determined to maintain its lofty status as home to more golf courses than any county across the country…