Abacoa Golf Club (Jupiter, FL)

Abacoa Golf Club was designed by Joe Lee in 1999 and is home to the UFA golf team. It’s in excellent condition and is exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of Florida golf which is a lot of sand and a ton of water. 

(The 457/405/376 yard eighteenth hole requires cape style shots both off the tee and into the green. This finishing hole demands exacting shots with no leeway for error. It’s a terrific way to end any round or tourney.)

Abacoa has water on 14 holes and golfers will find themselves often times trying to figure out how aggressive they want to be. There’s several risk/reward holes, and the player striking the ball well and feeling confident in his game has the opportunity to post a good round. 

(The 423/397/373 yard par four seventh is a classic C-shaped hole where the player must decide how much he’s willing to risk off the tee.) 

 

(The gorgeous clubhouse at Abacoa is a sight to behold. It sets the mood the moment one steps onto the property, and is the perfect place to relax after the round.) 

Several times Joe Lee asks the player to hit his approach over the corner of the water. The ability to strike the ball off a tight lie and judge the wind with the appropriate trajectory is vital. Sometimes it’s prudent to take an extra club or play to side. 

(The 404/367/347 yard fourteenth is a short par four with a shallow valley fronting.)

The greens at Abacoa are beautiful. They roll fast and true. The slopes in the greens usually go towards the water, and the shoulders off the bunkers make specific pinning locations for tournament play. 

(The thirteenth is an absolute beast of a par three, especially from the two back tees! Playing 235/184/138 yards, it’s all carry over water to a heavily back to front sloped green. Time and again, players who came up short were able to up n down for par while those who were above the hole three putted for bogey.) 

My only complaint was the attitude that permeated the staff. There’s plenty of trouble here to find oneself taking too much time to finish a hole. While I’m all for maintaining a good pace, to have the monitor give five warnings on one hole is unnecessary and redundant. For the record, we finished in 4:10.

(The 546/517/489 yard par five seventeenth is a beautiful hole that plays alongside the water. It’s reachable in two with the right conditions, but water does jut out a little bit in front of the green. Together with the eighteenth, these two finishing holes create a lot of drama.)

Abacoa was the highlight of the 2019 Ryder Cup event that I play in. While it possesses the standard water and sand design challenges that are found throughout Florida, the conditioning bumps it up a notch in my eyes. Its definitely worth seeking out if you’re in the Jupiter area. I give Abacoa a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours).