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The Emerald Dunes Club invited Tom Fazio, the course’s original designer, back in 2011 and asked him to polish this jewel to full luster. The result of Fazio’s Golf Course Master Plan is a stunning refinement of this much heralded course that opened in 1990 and was listed as one of the best 100 courses in the U.S. and rated in the top five of all Florida clubs.
Fazio personally managed the extensive multi-million dollar renovations recommended to vault the private Emerald Dunes Club into the exclusive category as one of the very best courses in the country. New championship back tees were added, other tees were expanded or redesigned, fairways were widened on several holes, some new greens were created and others reshaped, bunkers were added to increase their number to over 100, and two holes were reconfigured. A new state-of-the-art irrigation system will ensure that the course conditions remain consistent and visually stimulating.
“Tom Fazio took the gem of his original design and perfected it,” stated Executive Vice President Ken Green. “We’ve created a sanctuary for golfers who appreciate a pure golf experience that’s challenging yet fun to play on a daily basis. While we’ve added length for scratch golfers, the course remains playable for all skill levels. And the new world-class Tom Fazio Short Game Area, along with the two-bay indoor Golf Learning Center, generously complements the club’s variety of practice facilities and game improvement amenities that
rival any in Florida, if not the nation.”
Few clubs offer the extensive practice facilities found at Emerald Dunes. The eight-acre,310-yard double-sided driving range includes more than 28,000 square feet of tee surface.
This exceptional game improvement arena also provides five target greens, each framed with shallow sand bunkers, four mini chipping target greens and a USGA regulation putting green. The separate Tom Fazio Short Game Area includes a 19th hole par 3 that plays from 85 to 135 yards. Two dedicated target greens, a chipping green and an additional putting green, all built to USGA specifications with identical turf conditions as the golf course. Six practice bunkers and a grass pot bunker complete the vast practice amenities available for members to hone their short game skills.
A total investment of approximately $15 million dollars was made by Emerald Dunes’ ownership to upgrade the course and refine the clubhouse. Attractive landscaping also was a priority and an astonishing 2,000 towering mature palms and trees were planted around the course’s perimeter to screen any visible outside architecture and to serve as privacy buffers. A noteworthy aesthetic improvement was the replacement of old cart paths with crushed shell paths and pavers that seamlessly complement the overall natural look and feel of the
golf environment.
Terraces with a Tuscan influence and a comfortable verandah overlooking the Tom Fazio Short Game Area and 18th green add to the relaxed atmosphere encouraged at Emerald Dunes. The end result is a placid haven for a round of golf, secluded practice time or socializing.
“Emerald Dunes has always been one of my favorite courses and I was pleased to be invited back to make some strategic enhancements to one of the most highly regarded clubs in Florida,” said Tom Fazio. “Emerald Dunes is truly a gem and with the recent improvements it’s an even more dazzling jewel. Although it’s hard to imagine, we’ve upgraded the quality of the overall golf experience by ten-fold. With the addition of soft shell paths, native vegetation and an expansive short game area, the dream keeps getting better. To take something that originally was so well received and make it substantially superior is a special achievement.”
Today, following the dedicated work on all aspects of the golf club lifestyle, Emerald Dunes Club is a traditional golfer’s retreat whose course provides members with a memorable test of skills over a variety of spellbinding holes that weave subtly through dunes, contoured mounds and around some 60 acres of lakes snaking alongside fairways and greens. A signature 50-foot high unique dune with a waterfall at the heart of the layout, and where several holes converge, is a distinctive feature that offers panoramic views of the course from the 11th and 18th tees. Remarkably, tranquil Emerald Dunes is just minutes from Palm Beach and the surrounding community.
