Course Review & Guide
Palm City, Martin County
Best For
Palm Cove Golf & Yacht Club is a guard-gated community of about 235 homes on the wide waters of the St. Lucie River in Palm City, roughly seven nautical miles from the St. Lucie Inlet. The course opened in 1990 as Cutter Sound Golf & Yacht Club on a Gary Player design; in 2002 Toll Brothers bought the course and remaining lots and brought in Chi Chi Rodriguez and Rick Robbins, who changed several holes and switched the nines so the round finishes on a par 5. After years of deferred maintenance, new ownership closed the course in 2024, hired Sanford Ferris Golf Design (principal John Sanford, a past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects) and converted Palm Cove Golf from public to an exclusively private boutique club. Superintendent Jim Kilgore's team regrassed every tee and fairway (Celebration Bermuda, with TifEagle greens), removed more than 400 tons of overgrowth, rebuilt bridges, installed a new irrigation system, and widened fairways, and the club reopened to members in March 2025. The par 71 is short by modern standards, a little over 6,200 yards from the tips and just under 4,400 from the forward tees across five sets of Roman numeral tees, but small greens, narrow corridors, and water make it a test of strategy more than muscle. Membership is capped at roughly 275 to 300, with no tee times, no dress code, and no assessments.
Par 71 · Current ratings and slopes per FSGA (Roman numeral tees) · The club has not published post-renovation yardages; Hometown News reported a little over 6,200 yards from the tips and just under 4,400 from the forward tees
| Tee | Yards | Men's Rating / Slope | Women's Rating / Slope |
|---|---|---|---|
| IV | Not published | 69.7 / 126 | 75.8 / 139 |
| III | Not published | 67.4 / 121 | 73.2 / 133 |
| II | Not published | 64.3 / 112 | 69.2 / 122 |
| I | Not published | 61.3 / 105 | 65.0 / 110 |
Conditioning is the headline of the reopening. All tees and fairways were redone in Celebration hybrid Bermuda with TifEagle greens, and the club reported greens rolling toward 11.5 on the Stimpmeter at its March 2025 debut, with Mach 1 Bermuda planned for the greens in the next phase. Hometown News called it the best condition the course had seen in a decade: wider fairways, cleared edges so balls no longer disappear just off the short grass, and small greens that hold well and break less than you expect. Next-phase plans from Sanford Ferris include lengthening and widening fairways, enlarging tee boxes, reshaping greens, and stretching the range by more than 100 yards.
Current Weather
Palm Cove Golf
Coordinates
27.2009° N, 80.2830° W
Elevation
7 ft
Climate
Humid Subtropical
Avg. High
Seasonal: 75°F-91°F
Palm City has a humid subtropical climate with mild, drier winters and warm, humid summers that support year-round golf. Peak season from November through April brings comfortable mid-70s highs. Summers push into the upper 80s and low 90s with typical afternoon thunderstorms from June through September. Breezes off the wide St. Lucie River add a club or two on the exposed holes.
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From Alex Haigh
“Palm Cove is one of those rare communities where you can tee it up in the morning and take your boat out on the St. Lucie River by afternoon. The Gary Player original with the Rodriguez-Robbins redesign gives the course real character, and the marina lifestyle is genuinely unique. I've had clients who came to look at homes here and fell in love with the combination of golf, boats, and waterfront living. It's hard to beat that lifestyle.”
Private. Members and their guests only.
Palm Cove Golf no longer sells public tee times; the course converted from public to private play in 2024-25. Members are encouraged to host guests for a round or a meal on the veranda. Guest fees are not published.
The club does not publish dues, initiation, or guest fees online. Details are from club announcements and press coverage and are subject to change; contact the club directly for current membership information.
Membership is capped at roughly 275 to 300. The club advertises family privileges, no assessments, transferable memberships, no tee times (play 3, 9, or 18 holes whenever you are ready, even with larger groups), and no dress code. Golf membership is separate from the Palm Cove homeowners association, so living in the community does not require a golf membership.
The Palm Cove Golf & Yacht Club community has a private, non-equity, 93-slip marina for yachts up to 60 feet with protected waterways and easy access to the St. Lucie Inlet. Slips are sold to residents only (the community site lists prices from $45,000), and Yacht Club membership is open to all homeowners, not only slip owners. Marina manager: (772) 285-8050.
Call the club at (772) 238-7442 or email info@palmcovegolf.com.
The club does not publish dues, initiation, or guest fees online. Details are from club announcements and press coverage and are subject to change; contact the club directly for current membership information.
The open-air veranda is the heart of the club's social life, overlooking four holes, with seasonal menus from a chef trained under Michelin-starred chefs. The rebuilt restaurant was announced with indoor and outdoor dining, chef's tastings and casual handhelds, and a 1,400-bottle wine wall.
The homeowners' two-story clubhouse on the St. Lucie River has a dining room and bar for community and private catered events, included in HOA dues.
Palm Cove's homeowners association maintains Har-Tru tennis courts as part of the community amenities covered by monthly association fees.
The riverfront clubhouse has a fitness center, lockers, card rooms, and an outdoor heated pool, with yoga, pilates, and water aerobics classes, plus a children's playground and barbecue patio, all covered by HOA dues.
Downtown Stuart's riverfront restaurants are about 10 minutes away across the Palm City Bridge.
Memorial Park and Shepard Park anchor downtown Stuart's riverfront, and Stuart Beach on Hutchinson Island is about 20 minutes east.
Historic downtown Stuart on the St. Lucie River has boutique shopping, dining, the Lyric Theatre, and the Stuart Heritage Museum.
Palm City is a quiet, river-centered town, and the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center on Hutchinson Island makes an easy afternoon off the course.
2363 SW Carriage Hill Terrace, Palm City, FL 34990
Contact
Golf membership inquiries go through Palm Cove Golf at (772) 238-7442 or palmcovegolf.com. Contact us if you want local context on Palm City golf and waterfront homes in Palm Cove.
