Sports & Entertainment: Golf

Early on, golf and golf courses were a major draw to Palm Beach County. It was one of the earliest distractions for winter visitors and gradually spread beyond the resorts in Palm Beach, Gulf Stream, and Boca Raton, for residents’ enjoyment as well. In the 1920s, more golf courses were being designed as more people came to Palm Beach County.

In 1923 Donald Ross designed a course for the City of Delray off of Atlantic Avenue, three miles west of the downtown business area. The nine-hole Delray Golf Club opened in 1926 and was renamed Delray Beach Golf Club along with the city a year later. The course closed during World War II, after which it gained another nine holes. In 1939 Delray Beach’s greens fees were 50 cents.

At the time, the municipal Lake Worth Golf Course was charging 75 cents. It has operated a 6,100-yard course since 1927 along 1.2 miles of the Intracoastal Waterway. By the 21st century, the number of golf courses increased to over 160, with more golf courses coming in the future.