West Palm Beach, Florida
Banyan Golf Club delivers a strong championship test on rare South Florida elevation. Golfers will find thoughtful design, a legacy of creative land use, and a playable but challenging public experience.
Pause atop the 13th tee—the former highest elevation in South Florida offers a unique view, course lore, and a must-snap photo moment.
Banyan Golf Club is a rare South Florida layout where architect Joe Lee shaped strategic golf around deep shell-mine pits, bold mounding, and creative use of elevation—an almost unheard-of trait in the region. Its much-loved routing spaces holes widely, rewarding players with quiet fairways framed by mature trees that Lee famously brought in by the truckload. The 2018 Kipp Schulties renovation refined bunker placement and revived the classic Lee greens, adding polish while preserving the course’s signature contours and playability.
Joe Lee’s philosophy of letting 'the land tell you what to do' is on full display, resulting in an uncommonly natural flow amid transplanted trees and imaginative mounding.
This robust par 5 rewards boldness and smart layups, with trouble lurking if you attack recklessly on the second shot. Mounding and mature trees shape your options, while the green demands a controlled wedge approach.
Plan your second shot for a favorite wedge distance—overpressing risks bringing bunkers or tree trouble into play.
Bail left or get greedy and misjudge distance, and you'll battle recovery from bunkers and sloped, tricky lies.
Solid daily-fee conditioning with well-kept fairways and classic South Florida greens.
Moderate daily-fee pace—usually steady but can back up on weekends.
Friendly but focused public club with local regulars and some serious play.
Standard golf attire recommended; check club site for details.
Long par 3s and some meaty par 4s will demand confident hybrid or fairway wood play.
Despite being inland, the course’s elevation and openness can make wind a surprise factor, especially on exposed tees.
Subtle contours and slope can make even short putts tricky—pace and line are both crucial.
Construction begins on abandoned shell pit site
Course opens as Joe Lee’s design
Thousands of trees added from I-95 project
Kipp Schulties completes major renovation
Banyan Golf Club sits on a landscape that once held nothing but shell-mine pits. Architect Joe Lee saw beauty in its ruggedness, sculpting fairways atop mounds and pits to create a layout with real elevation changes—a true South Florida anomaly.
Joe Lee’s ingenious routing ensured most holes are spaced apart, rarely running parallel and giving players an uncrowded, contemplative round. This design philosophy is still cited by members decades later.
Facing a treeless property, Lee orchestrated the transplantation of thousands of mature trees from the newly built I-95 highway corridor. These trees now frame the course, softening vistas and creating crucial shot shapes.
Banyan Golf Club’s 13th tee was long celebrated as the highest natural point in South Florida.
The club allegedly imported thousands of mature trees from the I-95 construction corridor to frame the course in its early years.
Shell-mine pits and spoil mounds created one-of-a-kind elevation and strategic movement uncommon in Florida layouts.
Joe Lee described Banyan’s original land as 'majestic,' inspiring his naturalistic design approach.
The course has no parallel fairways, maintaining a relaxed, uncrowded feel across the routing.
Stunning new public course with modern routing, highly rated and easy to book.
Home of the Honda Classic, famed Bear Trap, and a must-play in the region.
Excellent value, 27 holes, and a no-fuss municipal setup for a relaxed tune-up.
Exclusive championship venue if you can secure a tee time.
Impeccably conditioned, historic, and a sharp contrast to Banyan’s mounded layout.
Stay in West Palm Beach or Palm Beach Gardens for easy access to Banyan, resort golf, and great restaurants.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character, making it a compelling counterpart to Banyan Golf Club.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Lone Pine Country Club's own setting.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Conewango Valley Country Club's own setting.
Chicago’s king of public championship tests
Atlanta’s legacy of tournament-caliber, private club golf.
Accessible championship challenge in Jupiter’s heart
Historic private club with championship pedigree
Tournament pedigree meets pure championship golf
South Florida private club with Champions Tour pedigree
Community Sentiment
See something inaccurate in this listing?