Luxury development is being built on the site of the former Palm Beach Polo & Country Club in South Florida
By Kasturi Datta |
David McLay Kidd of DMK Golf Design has developed an 18-hole design for The Wellington, a new private golf and residential community in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The Wellington, managed by Wellington Lifestyle Partners (WLP), spans 400 acres of what was previously Palm Beach Polo & Country Club, which was once home to three 18-hole courses (the North closed in 1999, while the Dunes and Polo West shuttered in 2018 and 2019, respectively).
NEXUS Luxury Collection – backed by Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Justin Timberlake – is serving as an investor, development partner to WLP and an operating partner for the new community. The group brings experience of managing Albany, a 600-acre oceanside luxury resort community on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas.
The Wellington development is being led by WLP CEO and NEXUS executive Douglas McMahon. “We believe in creating enduring, multi-generational club communities that have amenities that appeal to the entire family and offer incredible quality of design and service,” he said. “Taking a page out of our experience at Albany in the Bahamas, we believe in partnering with top designers to create a true sense of place – from the grand gestures, like David McLay Kidd’s sweeping links-style golf course, down to the smallest details that make the club community unforgettable.”
Kidd’s course will be laid out over 136 acres of land, with construction expected to start in March 2027 and the 18 holes ready for play by December 2028.
“This property began life as one of the three golf courses in the Palm Beach Polo & Country Club, but I never saw our task as simply renovating an existing golf course,” said Kidd. “The developer asked us to reimagine everything. The opportunity was to rediscover the best qualities of the land and allow the site to dictate the design. That’s always where great golf begins – not with an architect imposing ideas on a landscape, but with listening to what the land wants to become.
“The mature tree corridors, interconnected lakes and surprisingly subtle movement across the property provided all the ingredients for a course with its own distinct identity. Rather than manufacturing difficulty, we’ve focused on creating interest through strategy, variety and angles of play. The goal is to produce a course that rewards thoughtful decision-making and embraces the ground game, giving golfers multiple ways to play each hole while allowing the natural character of the property to shine through.”
A rendering of The Wellington development, which includes luxury residences near the new golf course (Image: Wellington Lifestyle Partners)
“One of the most interesting aspects of this project is that we are working largely within existing golf corridors,” said Kidd. “Some might see it as a limitation, but I see it as a design challenge. Great golf architecture isn't about moving holes for the sake of change – it’s about finding opportunities to make each hole more engaging, more strategic and more memorable while respecting the framework the land provides.
“That said, every project deserves a place where you can be a little more ambitious, and for us that opportunity came across holes six through ten. Here, we’ve been able to reshape the landscape in a way that creates an entirely new experience. A new par three anchors this sequence, while a series of interconnected landforms ties all five holes together into a single composition. Rather than feeling like five individual holes, this stretch unfolds as one continuous landscape. It’s the kind of place that gives the course its own identity – something golfers will hopefully remember long after the round is over.”
The masterplan of The Wellington community, with the golf course located to the east (Image: Wellington Lifestyle Partners)
Architectural firm Workshop/APD is leading the design of The Wellington’s masterplan and core amenities, with landscape work being spearheaded by LaGuardia Design Group. The community’s 253 luxury residences are being designed by architects from Workshop/APD, Morris Adjmi Architects, D. Stanley Dixon, Squire & Partners and Geoffrey Mouen Architects.
At the heart of the development will be The Marketplace, which will include an 80-room luxury boutique hotel, residences, shops, restaurants, gathering spaces and offices. Other aspects of the development will be a racquet centre, fitness, spa and wellness centre, swimming pools and clubs for children and adults.