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How
many times have you arrived late for
your tee time and had to frantically
rush to the starting blocks? Now imagine
that you're playing partners are the
Editor-in-Chief of Golf Magazine and
the Director of Marketing for the
Ritz-Carlton Club, at an ultra-exclusive
residential golf development designed
by the legendary, Jack Nicklaus.
My
flight was late arriving at the Palm
Beach International Airport and the
½ hour limo ride got me to
the resort just after my scheduled
2pm tee time and sunset was at 6.
All I had time to do was throw my
luggage into the room and change into
my golf attire before I was whisked
over to the practice range.
Thank
goodness that both David and Tom were
gentleman and allowed me to hit and
putt a few balls before I had to step
up onto the dreaded first tee. If
that's not intimidating enough, I
am now introduced to Charlie Gallagher,
an aspiring young tour player, who
I am told will be our caddie for the
day.
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would let us know you how far
to hit it and in what position
then hustle down the fairway to
spot all of our shots. Cool! To
my complete surprise, I drove
a bullet down the fairway to set
up for an easy shot iron to the
1st green. Of course I chunked
the next shot, but hit my 3rd
onto the green and made a 30 footer
to save par thanks to the guidance
of Charlie.
Now
I'm relaxed and listened intently
to every word that our caddie
was saying. It was a true pleasure
receiving guidance, local knowledge
and someone helping me find
our errant shots when needed.
In fact, we finished our game
before dark, so speed of play
is not an issue here.
One
of the most memorable holes
was the #11th a par 3 where
a mid iron is needed to hopefully
land you on an island green
with an imposing bulkhead that
encircles the entire putting
surface - reminiscent of the
17th at TPC Sawgrass.
As
with most Nicklaus designs,
Jack has strategically placed
bunkers to make sure you play
from the right tees. The 13th
will definitely test his theory
and your accuracy. There are
13 of them on this scenic uphill
par 5. Two on the left and three
running diagonally down the
right side off the tee with
another fairway bunker 80 yards
from the green. When you finish
putting out, take a look back
down the fairway. If hadn't
just played this ‘bear'
you'll say "So what is
so difficult about this hole"
since you cannot see any of
those nasty bunkers that ‘bit'
you along the way.
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The
short par 4, 14th and 15th are classic
designs that reward placement versus
distance. Play it safe off the tee
to leave yourself a comfortable full
iron to these well protected greens.
The
Golden Bear has managed to design
an Audubon-certified 7,224 yard par
72 course that is member-friendly
yet challenging enough to test any
caliber of player. Unfortunately,
not everyone can play this fine layout.
It is reserved for Members, their
families and their guests. However,
on a limited basis, outsiders can
visit through a special Guest Membership
Program to experience the Ritz-Carlton
Club lifestyle prior to purchasing.
Fortunately, I was exempt!
The
Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa is
an outstanding 285 acre gated community
in prestigious Jupiter Florida with
a 68,000 square-foot clubhouse and
a 15,000 square-foot Spa, that can
only be described a "puttin'
on the Ritz". General Manger,
Craig Martin boldly stated "with
an exceptional golf experience and
the signature services available at
The Ritz-Carlton Spa, this property
sets a new standard for country club
living in Florida" and I couldn't
agree more.
There
are four different home ownership
options available with 30 Estate and
34 Residence homes having three, four
or five bedrooms, private courtyards
and views of the golf course or lake.
There are also 17 two or four bedroom
villas that are priced from $1.5 million.
Alternatively, there are 50 golf villas
that start at $189,000 USD for 1/8
fractional ownership.
For more information visit their website
at www.rcc-jupiter.com,
call toll free at 1-866-352-7489 or
email jupiter@ritzcarltonclub.com
Dave Finn is the Co-Publisher of
the travelinggolfer.net.
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