Any day at Jupiter Hills, is a good day. It starts with the feeling of anticipation you get as you enter the gates, climb the hill, and round the bend, finally arriving at the the clubhouse. You are greeted by a world class outside staff, mostly comprised of young PGA of America professionals down for the winter. They take care of your clubs, park your car, and give general assistance. Next, you head into the perfectly laid out clubhouse to change your shoes. Again, you are met with first class locker room attendants, ready to meet your needs. The full magnificence of what lies ahead has just begun to be realized.
Now it is over to either the North or South range for a warm up. Pro-V1 practice balls, great targets, and multiple short game areas are available for your tune-up. The conditions you find, one would expect from a PGA Tour stop, tightly mown, firm, and fast. When you are ready to head to the first tee, you check in with the starter. With only 400 members and two courses, there is no need for tee times.
A round on the Hills Course begins from an elevated tee with a superb view of the course below and the adjacent property of Johnathan Dickinson Park. The entire course traverses a natural dune that Fazio used brilliantly to create interesting holes, requiring thoughtful strategy, while highlighting the beauty of the landscape. It is difficult to peg down a signature hole, as an argument could be made for most of them. The collection of Par 3’s is second to none, with the ninth getting much of the attention, but both eleven and fourteen are terrific as well. The round ends much as it began, with an elevated tee shot, however one must hit a mid to long iron back up the hill for the finishing approach. Walking off the final green, a memorable golf experience was certainly made.
Jupiter Hills has been host to two USGA championships, the 1987 U.S. Amatuer, and the 2018 U.S. Amatuer Four-Ball. George Fazio designed the original Hills Course, and his nephew Tom gets the credit for renovations and the newer, Village Course. While, the Hills Course gets the well deserved highest praise, both courses offer a wonderful challenge.
Jupiter Hills excels in every aspect of the experience. The service, the golf courses, the facilities, and the food, are all top notch. Jupiter Hills is ranked #6 in the state of Florida, behind Seminole Golf Club, TPC Sawgrass, Calusa Pines, Streamsong Red, and Streamsong Blue. I think a case can be made, that it should be #1, or maybe #2. While, being ranked ahead of The Bears Club, Medalist, McArthur, and the Floridian is a nice consolation, I don’t believe Jupiter Hills is getting it’s due recognition at #6.
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