HOBE SOUND, Fla. – Situated on South Florida's Treasure Coast in the quaint town of Hobe Sound, you will find one of Florida’s premier golf clubs – Hobe Sound Golf Club. This month, 64 of the top amateurs in the state will make their way to Hobe Sound for the 30th Amateur Match Play Championship.
Nestled among preserved wetlands and massive oak trees, Hobe Sound Golf Club opened in 1988. Since it’s opening, Hobe Sound has prided itself on providing golf as it should be “through an impeccably manicured golf course nestled within a natural setting.”
The course, barely visible along a side road in the small community just north of the Palm Beach County border, was originally designed by golf course architect, Joe Lee.
Lee, who worked on more than 20 courses in the Palm Beach area, designed Hobe Sound to be challenging with visually appealing golf holes. The natural sand ridge at Hobe Sound stands out among the Treasure Coast’s usually flat terrain.
Thirty-one years after the club opened, Hobe Sound underwent a major course renovation in the summer of 2019 with Tom Fazio II at the helm.
"The natural characteristics of this property are what golf designers dream of,” Fazio said in 2019. “The sandy white soil, pines, oaks and scrub oak are the ideal site for golf.”
Fazio and his team worked to use the natural features to create a more sustainable and environment-friendly course. The renovation included wall-to-wall re-grassing, adjusting the teeing grounds to add length to the course and improving the bunkers.
“Hobe Sound is definitely in the right frame to move up and take it to the next level,” Colin Kilpatrick, acting Head Golf Professional, said. “After the renovation, I think we have been successful with that.”
After the completion of the renovation, Hobe Sound made another change. The club re-introduced its original logo, which embraces the area’s local heritage and history. In its early history, Hobe Sound was inhabited by various Native American Indian tribes, and the illustration in the logo is representative of that heritage.
Hobe Sound used its original club logo from the club’s inception in 1998 to 2003, before bringing it back in 2019.
“The original logo is very unique to our club,” Kilpatrick said. “It adds character to Hobe Sound Golf Club.”
Hobe Sound describes itself as one of the most welcoming private golf course in South Florida, having created a sense of comradery and family within the club.
Unfortunately, that family lost a dear member in March when Tom Yeager, the head professional at Hobe Sound for 19 years, passed away at the age of 54.
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Yeager became the PGA Head Professional at Hobe Sound Golf Club in 2003. He was an old-school pro, according to Kilpatrick and did everything in his power to make sure everyone felt at home at Hobe Sound, whether you were a member, guest or employee.
“Tom Yeager was Hobe Sound Golf Club,” Kilpatrick said.
Yeager was awarded the Bill Strausbaugh Award for the South Florida PGA Southeast Chapter twice in 2007 and 2008. The award is designed to recognize PGA Professionals who have distinguished themselves by mentoring fellow PGA Professionals.
“He ran the operation flawlessly, in my opinion,” Kilpatrick said.
He loved playing and teaching the game of golf to players of all ages. Under his leadership, Hobe Sound hosted prestigious events such as U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur qualifying, as well as FSGA and South Florida PGA tournaments.
“Myself and the rest of our team are just trying to do it the way he did,” Kilpatrick said. “We’re doing our best to put one put one foot in front of the other to keep the operation similar to how Tom taught us.”
