The Cape Club of Palm City, located about 90 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale depending on traffic, was purchased in 2022 by an ownership group led by Massachusetts real estate developer Michael Intoccia, and the now-private facility has been hard at work on the property formerly known as Fox Club Florida.
In a South Florida market where entry fees for private golf clubs regularly climb into six figures, the Cape Club of Palm City is currently offering a comparative bargain with a $25,000 initiation fee. While that’s not loose change in every player’s pocket, it’s a relative steal in recent years for a solid, major-market course where ownership has committed to improved playing conditions and member facilities.
After five months of renovations and grow-in that are still ongoing, golfers who played the daily-fee Fox Club Florida might be hard-pressed to recognize several of the holes. Massive cleanup efforts included removal of overgrown brush and assorted native flora both in the line of play and especially on the perimeter of several holes. Turf was replaced, greens were resurfaced and sometimes recontoured, all the bunkers were overhauled and the range was renovated. Playing adjacent to Interstate 95 at the northern edge of Martin County, the layout now provides an upgraded Florida golf experience through slightly expanded corridors with water in play on almost every hole.
The Cape Club of Palm City’s course, which has been bought and sold several times, originally was designed by Roy Case and opened in 1989. It was redesigned in 2004 by Darren Clarke and Eoghan O’Connell. This most recent work was done in-house.
The new ownership also plans to install cabins along the ninth hole, which played as No. 18 before the nines were flipped in the recent renovation. All facilities including the clubhouse have seen marked improvements.
The Cape Club Collection of private facilities includes two other courses, both in Massachusetts: the Cape Club of Sharon and the Cape Club of Falmouth.
Check out several photos below of the Cape Club taken this week during an outing for Golfweek’s Best course raters.
