Comedian Bob Hope, architect George Fazio and motor industrialist William Ford decided that southeast Florida should have an exclusive, private golf club and so Jupiter Hills was born. George and his nephew Tom Fazio designed both 18-hole courses at the Jupiter Hills Club. The Hills layout came first in 1970 and was followed by the Village course in 1978.
The course at Jupiter Hills which scoops the accolades is the Hills courses and it can be stretched out to a whopping 7,344 yards against a measly par of 70. It’s set on some of the highest ground in Florida between the 3,000-mile long Intracoastal Waterway and Jonathan Dickenson State Park.
The Hills is Fazio’s all-time favourite course and one to which he made subtle but regular improvements over time. Even Fazio cannot pick his favourite hole on the Hills course but perhaps the most cunning hole is the par three 11th which has six tees and can be stretched from a little more than 100 yards to around 200 yards. Multiple tees are not unusual, but it’s the varied angles of approach to the long narrow green that make this par three so special.
Elevation change is the most outstanding characteristic of the course, especially given Florida’s pancake flatness. Jupiter Hills is indeed quite hilly with a 60 feet variation between its lowest and highest point. With holes routed across this unusual site between acres of pine, oak and palmetto, it’s no surprise that Jupiter Hills is so well regarded and so fiercely protected by its ultra-exclusive membership.
