When considering golf's most historic layouts, city-owned Delray Beach Golf Club probably is not top of mind for many.
With nine holes designed by Donald Ross in the 1920s and a second nine added three decades later by Dick Wilson, the course in South Florida has a history that stacks up against many more well-known tracks. And it is due to get a needed facelift.
Plans are in the works for a $27 million restoration of the course that opened in 1926. City officials say the project will be funded through a revenue bond and repaid over 25 to 30 years from green fees, not taxpayer dollars, according to the proposal. That plan goes before city boards for finance and contract approval on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, respectively, according to city manager Terrence Moore.
Golfers and residents of Delray Beach have lobbied for an update of the course for several years. A host of proposals submitted by several developers were rejected by the city commission in 2023. Many of those proposals included some sort of public-private development that involved constructing residential housing or a hotel to help offset the cost of the project.
"Quite frankly, this has been a well-regarded plan for a number of years, since before I got here," said Moore, who has been city manager since 2021. "This is a tremendous push to bring the course up to current standards."
Led by the Jupiter, Florida firm of Sanford Ferris Golf Course Design, the restoration will include a complete overhaul of the golf course, including everything from tee to green as well as the clubhouse. The project is expected to begin in November, and will take about a year to complete, Moore said.
With green fees priced at just $33 for 18 holes and $18 for nine, Delray Beach stays busy, with more than 50,000 rounds annually. That brisk business is why officials are confident the city can repay the bond using revenue derived solely from green fees.
"There is a great deal of excitement surrounding this project," Moore said. "We look forward to providing the city and residents the golf course they deserve."
Delray Beach has a long and storied past.
The original Ross-designed nine holes at Delray Beach opened in 1926.
By the 1930s, Delray Beach hired Wilson, then an aspiring architect, as club pro and head greenkeeper in the early days of his golf course design career. Closed during World War II, Delray Beach reopened in 1945, and city officials elected to add a second nine holes and commissioned Wilson for the job, with the routing opening in 1950.
After the opening of the second nine, Delray Beach Golf Club became a favorite of many Tour Pros, such as Tommy Armour, and celebrity Jackie Gleason, who was the namesake of a PGA Tour event from 1972 to 1980 at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, Florida, was a regular there.
Wilson's original designs include the North and South courses at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio and the Blue Course at Trump Doral in Miami, which was a fixture on the PGA Tour from 1962 to 2016. He completed restoration projects at many other well-known facilities, such as The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts; Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) in Mamaroneck, New York; Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia; Bel-Air Country Club in Southern California; and Cog Hill Country Club (courses 3 and 4) in Lemont, Illinois near Chicago.