Golf Course Architecture - Issue 74, October 2023

72 REPORT Panther National will be the first of several planned new openings in south Florida, to accommodate a post-pandemic shift in demand over supply in the area. This new private club, in Palm Beach County, has a course designed by Jack Nicklaus and PGA Tour golfer Justin Thomas. The club has been developed by Dominik Senn, founder of investment firm Centaur Holdings. GCA had the opportunity to sit down with Chris Cochran, senior designer for Nicklaus Design, to discuss the process of bringing Panther National to life. “The site was a pasture used for grazing cattle,” says Cochran. “From the beginning, Dominik outlined that he didn’t want a typical south Florida golf course, which tends to be pretty flat and surrounded by homes, small lakes and roads crossing through the property. Therefore, Jack and I routed a core golf course with the home sites separated by large lakes and no road crossings.” Excavation of lakes and importing of dirt would give the design team the fill they required – around three million Panther ready to prowl in south Florida Richard Humphreys speaks with Nicklaus Design’s Chris Cochran ahead of new course opening. Image: Nicklaus Design Panther National’s extensive lake system provides a barrier between the golf course and the over 200 home sites

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