About the Project
The City of Delray Beach has commissioned Sanford Ferris Golf Design, with the support of Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to provide consulting services to renovate the City’s municipal 18-hole golf course located just west of I-95 and south of Atlantic Boulevard on Highland Avenue. The golf course is an important component of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and a valuable community amenity, providing programs for families, juniors and seasoned golfers for the past 90 years. Additionally, the golf course contains many of the City’s surficial aquifer wells which provide valuable drinking water to Delray Beach residents. The goal of the renovation is to restore and preserve the golf course in a manner that is in step with the vision of its original architects, Donald Ross and Dick Wilson, while modernizing the course to meet today’s standards.
Additional information for this phase can be found on the Golf Course Renovation page.
Project Summary
For nearly a century, the Delray Beach Golf Club has earned distinction and prestige from its original design by the legendary golf course architect, Donald Ross, considered the most famous and prolific designer from the ‘Gilded Age’ era.
The City purchased land for the course in 1923 and a nine‐hole course was officially opened in 1926. During the 1930’s, the course was home to renowned golf course architect Dick Wilson, who served as the club pro and greenskeeper until it was forced to close during World War II. After reopening in 1945, City leaders voted to add a second nine holes (today’s front nine) and turned to another prominent architect, Dick Wilson, for that design. Wilson is considered one of the top golf course architects from the post WWII era The second nine holes opened in 1950.
In the 1950’s, touring professionals, such as Tommy Amour, and celebrities, such as Jackie Gleason, would stop over in Delray to play the excellent Ross/Wilson‐designed layout. As Betty Jameson, LPGA Hall of Fame member and long‐time Delray resident recalls, “It was accurate in measurement, had excellent fairways and exceptional drainage.” In fact, it was listed as one of the top ten courses in the country at the time! As word spread, more and more players and club professionals began “hanging” at Delray Beach Golf Course.
Michael Fay, of the Donald Ross Society, toured the course and agrees with our findings that there isn’t much of Ross’s work left. He also expressed an admiration for the work of Mr. Wilson and believes restoring the other nine in the Wilson character would be an advantageous approach. The City wishes to maintain the Donald Ross designation and utilize this unique design history to guide the restoration of the entire course in the style and character of the original architects.
The project will include new and improved practice facilities, a new irrigation system, improvements to the drainage system, removal of exotic vegetation, new cart paths, new cart crossing on the Ross (south) 9, a new maintenance facility, and restroom and rain shelter upgrades.
Schedule
Project is expected to start construction in 2026.
