This month, with staff members Trevor Jackson, Sue and
Ed Holbrook, I discovered a beautiful golfer's sanctuary, The
Evergreen Club. It has been around for many years, yet few area
golfers have had the opportunity to play here. Buying a house in this
lovely Palm City community would be a nice idea, but you don't have
to be a homeowner or equity member to play The Evergreen Club. A
variety of inexpensive annual membership plans opens the door to club
membership and everything that a private club offers. The other day,
while attending a picnic, I bumped into Mark, someone who recently
got bitten by the golfing bug. He said, "I'm now playing at least 5
times per week. While in the off season it's costing me over $100 per
week in greens fees at area courses, in the peak season I'll be
spending two or three times as much, and I may have trouble getting
tee times. Where can I go for a membership?" Mark, listen to what the
FORE FLORIDA staff had to say about The Evergreen Club.
After we played the front nine,
Trevor, who last played this course when it had first been built,
said, "The front nine is pretty much how I remembered it - a pretty,
Florida Pine-tree lined course. This is an ideal membership layout.
Not overly punishing. A very pleasantly landscaped environment. After
15 or 20 years of growth, the maturity is evident. I found the
opening holes to be rather unusual, a par 5, followed by a par 4 and
another par 5, the second hole being the number 1 handicap. The
course is ideal for the average golfer. There's not a lot of frontal
trouble to get into. There are canals and lakes to the side of play,
but carries over trouble would not pose a problem."
Sue noted, "This is a pretty, pleasant golf course. I like the
fact that it is fairly wide open. A good course for ladies. I managed
to find a few sand traps that caused some trouble, but the course has
been fair and enjoyable."
"This is a nice, residential, family golf course, a good choice
for golfers of all abilities" added Ed. "There are several choices of
tees. We played the white tees today, and it is fairly easy from
there, however from the blue and gold tees it would be entirely
different. It's in good condition, well maintained."
As we moved along into the back nine, Sue remarked, "The par-3,
13th presents an illusion. There are dips in the fairway, playing
uphill to a undulating green. Not very simple...but quite
interesting."
Upon completion, Sue noted, "The back nine was more challenging
than the front, the greens more difficult. Not so difficult as to
spoil the fun."
Ed remarked, "The back nine was quite different from the front.
Some very interesting holes, with a couple of good par fives and a
good uphill par 3. The par-4 14th hole is a good lay-up hole off the
tee. What I most appreciated was the quiet peacefulness that was
evident on each hole. The greens have all been renovated in the past
year or two, as well as other improvements to tee areas and
landscaping... all were evident in the enjoyable round we
experienced."
According to Sherry Westerfield, Director of Membership, "The club
currently has only 243 members (of which 150 are equity members). The
maximum number of equity members allowed is 300, non-equity 100.
Non-residents can be equity or non-equity members. Annual membership
costs only $2,500. There are also great values on Lifetime
Memberships and Social Memberships. There is even an Intermediate
Membership for younger members. For o nly $1,000, you get your first
30 rounds of golf. There are several special programs available for
equity membership as well. At The Evergreen Club you can always get a
game. Give head pro Mike Tommeraas your handicap and he'll set you up
in a group any day. Women's day is Tuesday morning, men's is
Wednesday. Then there's a shotgun and everyone plays. The Evergreen
Club is a golf club. It's informal. It's friendly."
The day that FORE FLORIDA spent there was exactly that.
The friendly members enabled us to feel quite at home. While I
enjoy playing all the courses our area has to offer, there are
certainly benefits to having a course that you can call your own.
