In 1923 the City of Delray Beach purchased 150 acres specifically to create a municipal golf course. Two years later the city engaged Donald Ross to produce an 18-hole plan; only nine holes were initially built, with the formal opening on January 1, 1926 and the first tournament a month later. The remaining Ross-planned holes were not constructed. The course closed during World War II, then reopened in 1945. Seeking full 18-hole capacity, the city voted to add a second nine; the commission went to R. S. “Dick” Wilson, who had previously worked at Delray as course manager. Local builder Mike Blank supervised construction, and the 6,587-yard 18 reopened in February 1950, celebrated by an exhibition featuring Tommy Armour, Bobby Cruikshank, Toney Penna, and Eddie Burke.
Ownership changes in the next decades shaped the property further. In 1958 the city sold the course (retaining a 20-year buy-back option), and the new owners rebranded as Delray Beach Golf & Country Club. They added a third nine, opened February 10, 1962, routed by Robert “Red” Lawrence, bringing the facility to 27 holes. The 1966 Louise Suggs Delray Beach Invitational (LPGA) came during this era, and Marilyn Smith won the event. Eventually the Lawrence nine was closed; the city repurchased the 18-hole course in 1978, returning it to municipal status.
The city is now preparing a renovation program led by Sanford Ferris Golf Design with engineering support from Kimley-Horn. The stated intent is to honor the split authorship—Ross and Wilson—while modernizing infrastructure (irrigation, drainage, cart paths, maintenance compound) and re-expressing architectural character on both sides. The project team records that the routing of the Ross/Wilson 18 largely persists, but that many greens, bunkers, and stylistic details were altered over time; consultant Michael Fay of the Donald Ross Society advised that little of Ross’s original detail survives, and he encouraged restoring the complementary Wilson character on the other nine. Construction is presently targeted to begin in 2026.
Unique Design Characteristics
Delray’s back nine preserves the core of Ross’s work: seven holes from the 1926 nine remain in play and now frame the inward half. The “Today” description from the state’s Historic Golf Trail captures the present idiom—open corridors, well-placed bunkers, and elevated greens—and it is on this side where those elevated targets exert the most persistent influence on scoring. The scorecard clarifies the rhythm: the back begins with 10–11, consecutive medium-length par fours, then rises to the par-5 13th and a long par-3 14th (225 yards from the Gold tees), before closing through 16–18 with two stout two-shotters bracketing a mid-length par-3. This cadence—alternating long approaches with shorter, exacting one-shotters—tracks with the Ross side’s role in the current routing even if individual features were modified in later decades.
Because the Wilson nine opened in 1950, the course offers an unusual, side-by-side comparison of design eras. Wilson’s additions carried a subtly different scale and aerial emphasis, and subsequent decades (notably under later ownership) imposed further changes—shrunken greens, ovalized bunkers, and some rerouting—so that authentic Ross and Wilson detailing is muted even where corridors stayed put. The upshot for players today is strategic continuity rather than pure restoration: Ross’s side still leans on elevation at the green pads and angle-dependent approaches; Wilson’s nine reads as the complementary front, with longer carries and broader bunkering. The pending city project aims to re-establish those two voices, within the existing routing, through green enlargement to period footprints, re-shaped bunkers, and closely mown surrounds.
Best surviving examples. The Historic Golf Trail’s assessment—seven of the original Ross holes remain—is the most concrete public statement on survival, and it aligns with the club’s back-nine identity on the card. Identifying exactly which seven holes retain Ross green pads or bunker sites requires primary documentation (archival plans or early aerials). Secondary project research credits later owner-architect Robert Bruce Harris with rerouting several Ross and Wilson holes in the 1960s, which complicates hole-by-hole attribution without those sources.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Florida municipal work, Delray stands out in two ways. First, it is a documented case where Ross planned 18 but only built nine, leaving a half-finished Golden Age plan to be completed post-war by Dick Wilson, then Palm Beach County’s leading practitioner. The pairing of Ross and Wilson—each associated with one nine of a single municipal course—is rare and gives Delray interpretive value beyond its local role. Second, the course served as a recognized local hub in mid-century South Florida golf culture: the 1950 reopening drew a star-studded exhibition, and the 1966 LPGA Louise Suggs event brought national women’s professional golf to the property. The state’s Historic Golf Trail has documented and publicized this layered history, and the city’s current renovation initiative explicitly cites the dual authorship as the project’s guiding idea, positioning the course within the broader story of American municipal golf.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing. The macro-routing of the Ross/Wilson 18 remains largely intact; the back nine includes seven surviving Ross holes, while the front nine traces Wilson’s 1950 additions. Later interventions—particularly those attributed to Robert Bruce Harris during the period when the club operated as a private 27-hole facility—altered specific corridors and hole numbers (Harris reportedly rerouted Ross #2–4 and Wilson #2 & #4). As a result, the present routing cannot be equated automatically with Ross’s 1925 plan sheets without further evidence.
Greens and bunkers. Public documentation from the renovation team states that little of Ross’s distinctive green contouring or bunker character survives, citing shrunken green perimeters and overscaled, oval bunkers inconsistent with his 1920s work. On the ground today, the elevated targets that the state describes are still a defining play characteristic, suggesting the pad locations often persisted even where shapes changed. The coming renovation proposes period-appropriate reshaping on both nines (Ross and Wilson) to recapture stylistic intent while addressing modern agronomic needs.
Facilities and presentation. The course operates as a public daily-fee venue with an active practice range and community programming. The official scorecard confirms par 72 and the 6,907-yard back-tee yardage, with five tee sets that broaden accessibility—figures that also align with the Florida Historic Golf Trail’s “Today” summary.
Citations and Uncertainty
Two items merit particular caution. Opening chronology: the state program records Jan. 1, 1926 as the formal opening with nine holes; a city-commissioned historical/design brief recounts the same period and reproduces “1925 Donald Ross Plans.” The difference between 1925 (plan date/late construction) and 1926 (formal opening) explains most apparent conflicts in casual listings. Attribution by hole: the Historic Golf Trail states seven Ross holes remain on the back nine, but Harris-era alterations are documented; without access to the original Ross drawings and 1930s–1960s aerials, assigning precise hole numbers and green complexes to Ross versus later work remains provisional. The city’s renovation website also notes Donald Ross Society feedback that little of Ross’s detailed work remains, reinforcing the need for plan-based restoration rather than assumption.
Sources & Notes
Florida Historic Golf Trail – “Delray Beach Golf Club.” State-compiled history and “Today” description. Documents 1923 land purchase; Ross’s 18-hole plan; Jan. 1, 1926 opening with nine holes; WWII closure; 1945 reopening; 1950 Wilson second nine (6,587 yards) with Mike Blank as builder; 1958 sale; 1962 third nine by Robert “Red” Lawrence; 1966 LPGA event (winner Marilyn Smith); later closure of the Lawrence nine; 1978 city repurchase. States that seven holes from the 1926 Ross nine remain and comprise the back nine; characterizes today’s course as open, well-bunkered, with elevated greens.
Delray Beach Golf Club – Official website (Course History, Home, Practice Area). Confirms public access; reiterates 1923 purchase and 1926 opening of a Ross nine; notes WWII closure and post-war addition of second nine (1950). Provides current practice-range details and operating information.
Delray Beach Golf Club Renovation website – Home & Design Documentation (Sanford Ferris Golf Design / Kimley-Horn). States project goals to restore period character for both Ross and Wilson nines; records that routing largely remains but little of Ross/Wilson detail survives in present greens and bunkers due to later changes; quotes Donald Ross Society consultant Michael Fay on the limited survival of Ross features; references 1953/1968 aerials and Harris-era alterations (including rerouting Ross #2–4 and Wilson #2 & #4). Notes construction targeted for 2026.