Miami Beach Golf Club

The history of the Miami Beach Golf Club is as full of doglegs as its course is. The club opened in 1923 as the Bayshore Golf Course, the brainchild of developer Carl Fisher, whose nearby Alton Beach subdivision was created as a luxurious winter draw for rich residents of Northern cities.

During World War II, the U.S. Army rented the course for $1 a year and used it as a training outpost, providing ample space for soldiers to practice their tactical moves between the palm trees.

The course almost disappeared entirely in 1944, when a group of Chicago investors made a play to buy it and build 650 upscale homes on the grounds, but golf-loving neighbors convinced the city to buy the land and preserve the course.

The golf course, set in the historic South Beach community, underwent a top-to-bottom, $10 million renovation in 2003, removing most of the trees and grass; redesigning water features for better drainage and challenge; resculpting bunkers and hills; adding a modern practice facility; and razing the old clubhouse and building a new Art Deco one. After this massive transformation, the course became the Miami Beach Golf Club.

The 18 holes of this par-72 course are lined with native palm trees and water features. The lush space is covered in blue-green paspalum grass, known to be a highly versatile species of turfgrass that keeps its bright hue and is ecologically friendly.

The course builds to a challenging conclusion. Miami Beach’s three final holes are its most notable, from the short par-four of the 16th hole to the 18th hole, also a par four, admired for its Old Florida feel with plentiful palm trees and other tropical foliage.

The Miami Beach Golf Club also features a full-service restaurant, fully stocked pro shop and individual lessons taught by golf pros.