Hello to all of the forgettable golfers out there! So glad you're here and thanks for reading.
Quick change starting this month: I'm featuring destinations three months ahead, so you've actually got time to rally the group, lock in dates, and book tee times before the good ones disappear. So October's issue is all about your January golf trip!
When you're not planning your next trip or daydreaming about a new destination, here's what you can expect each month:
- Featured Destinations: deeper dives into a golf destination, trip recaps from Past the Pin users, and specific tips worth knowing before you go.
- What's New on the Site: new destinations, new features, and updates as the site keeps growing.
- Golf Trip Planning Tips: the little things that can make or break a golf trip.
- General Golf Yapping: because sometimes it's necessary.
Featured Destination: Palm Beach, Florida
Why Palm Beach in January?
Palm Beach is winter golf done right. If you're Canadian or from anywhere in the northern US, December through March is when your clubs are collecting dust in the garage, and in Palm Beach the weather is the whole point. Shorts, sunscreen, and 18 holes in the middle of January.
I've done this trip, and I can't recommend the Palm Beach Par 3 enough. If you're like me, you'll initially feel it's silly to "waste" a golf-trip round on a par-3 course. Don't. It's right on the Atlantic, with ocean views both ways, and it was so unique and in amazing condition. It's the perfect way to ease into the trip.
Then there's The Park. A Gil Hanse design built on a reclaimed landfill, walking only in the morning, and one of the most talked-about new public courses in America. And even if you don't play it, you absolutely must go to The Park at night. They've got a lit-up short course for some nighttime pitch and putt, cold drinks, and a great vibe. Rory McIlroy has even said how much he loves the place.
Our group also really enjoyed playing 36 holes at Osprey Point down in Boca, a very fun county-run course at a reasonable price (replay the Hawk nine if you can). Abacoa up in Jupiter is a solid public option for an afternoon round. And North Palm Beach, a Jack Nicklaus redesign, was a bit overpriced in my opinion but still a fun play.
The best part: you can build this trip around mostly budget and mid-range rounds with one splurge, and still spend your evenings somewhere warm with a drink in your hand. Not a bad way to spend January.
Who It's For / Who It's Not
Perfect For:
- Winter golf trips (October–April, with December–March the sweet spot)
- Any size group, from a pair to a big crew
- Budget to mid-range trips, with a splurge round or two if you want it
- Groups who want golf and a beach, good dinners, and a night out
Consider an Alternative if:
- You want everything in one spot. The courses are spread from Jupiter down to Boca, so you'll want a rental car.
- You're after rugged, bucket-list links golf. This is fun, sunny Florida golf, not Cabot.
- You're going in the summer. It's brutally hot and humid from June to September.
- You've got your heart set on PGA National's Champion Course. You have to stay at the resort to book a tee time there.
Cost Ballpark ($ in USD, assuming peak season rates)
4 nights (fly in the night before), 5 rounds plus night golf at The Park, dinners, drinks, and a rental car. Flights not included.
- ~$1,300 per person: Split an Airbnb or hotel rooms, lean on the value plays (the Par 3, Osprey Point, Abacoa), make The Park your one splurge and keep dinners reasonable.
- ~$2,500+ per person: Stay somewhere nicer on the water, play premium tee times, add a PGA National resort stay, and don't look at the dinner bill.
Must Play Courses
- Palm Beach Par 3: 18 holes on the Atlantic, and one of the most photographed short courses in the country
- The Park: a Gil Hanse design in the top 100 public golf courses in America, plus night golf on the short course
- Osprey Point: 27 holes across three nines (Raven, Hawk, and Falcon) through wetlands and lakes, and one of the best value plays in the area
- Abacoa: a well-kept public course in Jupiter that's popular with locals
- North Palm Beach Country Club: a Jack Nicklaus redesign and one of South Florida's best munis
Off the Course Gems
- Night golf at The Park. Yes, it's golf, but it's also the best hang of the trip. Pitch and putt under the lights with drinks in hand.
- Swifty's at The Colony: poolside dining at the iconic pink Colony Hotel, with classic American comfort food and live music. The old-school Palm Beach night out.
- Pink Steak: a flamingo-filled, tropical-glam steakhouse in West Palm with a high-energy weekend scene, plus a discotheque brunch if the group wants a Sunday send-off.
- Treehouse: a rooftop lounge in downtown West Palm with sweeping views of the skyline and the water. The sunset drink after the round.
- Worth Avenue and the beach. For the afternoon off, or for whoever in the group "needs a break from golf."
Golfers keep adding more. Browse the full Off the Course list on the Palm Beach page, and add your own favorites while you're there.
Insider Tip(s)
- Fly into Palm Beach International (PBI) the night before. It's a short drive to everything, so no need to fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale and fight the traffic, and you start day one on the first tee.
- Play the Par 3 on the morning of day one. It doesn't take a full four-hour round (about three hours max), so you can still fit in another round that afternoon easily. Perfect warm-up round and a chance to dial in the irons for the coming rounds!
- The Park is walking only in the morning, so embrace it. It's built for it, and it's a better round on foot. A must-play for any group of golfers coming to Palm Beach. You can take a cart in the afternoon but we couldn't recommend a walk more!
- Build in an afternoon off. You came for the sunshine, so enjoy the beach or the pool for at least one afternoon. Ideally after your morning round at The Park!
Want the day-by-day? Our 4 Days in Palm Beach itinerary maps out the whole trip, and you can load it straight into the planner. Or read the full Palm Beach destination guide.
What's New on the Site — October 2026
- New destination: Ocean City, Maryland. 14 public courses near one beach town, with designs from Jack Nicklaus, Pete & P.B. Dye, Arthur Hills, and Robert Trent Jones, at every price point. It's an easy drive for most of the East Coast and a great shoulder-season trip.
- Group Polls got an upgrade. You can now put up to 10 destinations on the ballot, anyone with the link can add one the group missed, and there's a new Trip Vibe poll. Vote on the kind of trip first (links, mountains, desert, beach…), then narrow it down to destinations that match. Start a poll and drop it in the group chat.
- Two new itineraries. A 6-day Banff & Canadian Rockies trip from Jasper down to Kananaskis, and a reworked 3-day Sand Valley trip, shared by Past the Pin user and golf travel creator @fairwaysandflights. Thanks for sharing!
- Extend Your Trip. Most destination pages now show nearby destinations you can combine into one bigger trip, and you can borrow a course from a neighboring destination right in the trip planner.
- Dynamic pricing flags. Our price tiers show peak green fees, and courses with dynamic pricing are now marked, so you know when booking ahead or playing off-peak will save you money. Which brings me to this month's tip…
Golf Trip Planning Tip #4: Be Wary of Dynamic Pricing
More and more courses use dynamic pricing. Like airline tickets, the green fee moves with demand. Book a prime weekend tee time a few days out and you'll pay top dollar. Book well ahead, or go for a weekday afternoon or the shoulder season, and the exact same round can cost half as much.
This isn't a small difference. For some courses we have seen, a shoulder-season weekday can run around $100, while a last-minute peak-season weekend tee time can top $250. Same course, same 18 holes.
So once your group locks in dates, book your marquee rounds first and book them early. Then fill in the rest of the trip around them. Your wallet (and whoever's collecting everyone's Venmo) will thank you.
How You Can Help — Past the Pin Is a Community Site!
- Review courses & destinations. Share your honest thoughts on the courses and destinations you've played to help other golfers plan better trips with real feedback.
- Add off-the-course gems. Golf trips aren't just about the rounds. If you've been to one of the listed destinations, share your favorite bars, restaurants, live-music spots, or local hidden gems for others to check out.
- Submit a destination. Know a golf destination I missed? Send it over — just give me the destination and maybe a course or two, and I'll handle the rest.
Thanks for reading, and see you on the next tee.
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