You’ve probably seen the gate. If you’ve ever driven up US-1 toward Jonathan Dickinson State Park, you’ve passed that unassuming, slightly-hidden entrance on the west side of the road. No flashy neon. No massive gold-plated signage. Just a sense that something serious is happening behind the scrub pines. That’s Jupiter Hills. For golfers who actually care about the game—and I mean the kind of people who would rather play 36 holes in a humid gale than sit through a gala—Jupiter Hills Club membership is basically the holy grail of South Florida golf.
It's different here.
Most Florida courses are as flat as a pancake. You get a few ponds, some palm trees, and maybe a slight mound if the developer was feeling spicy. Jupiter Hills laughs at that. Built on a massive sand ridge known as the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, the elevation changes here are jarring. Honestly, if you closed your eyes and woke up on the 11th tee of the Hills Course, you’d swear you were in the rolling sandhills of North Carolina or even a rugged stretch of the Northeast. It shouldn't exist in Tequesta, but it does. George Fazio and William Ford (yes, that Ford family) saw the potential in this scrubland back in the late 60s, and they created something that has remained stubbornly elite ever since.
What You’re Actually Buying Into
When people ask about Jupiter Hills Club membership, they usually start with the wrong questions. They ask about the pool or the tennis courts.
Wrong club.
Jupiter Hills is a "pure" golf club. That’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, but here it’s the literal truth. There aren't any tennis courts. There isn't a fitness center where people go to be seen in expensive athleisure. You come here to hit a ball into a hole. Period. The membership is notoriously private, and while the club doesn't blast its roster on the internet, the vibe is decidedly "old money meets serious sticks." You'll find PGA Tour pros practicing on the range next to CEOs who haven't checked their email in three days. It’s a refuge.
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The club features two 18-hole courses: The Hills and The Village. The Hills is the alpha. It’s the one that consistently ranks in the Top 100 in the United States. It’s a beast. It’s long, it’s windy, and the greens are often described as "defensive." If your short game is shaky, the Hills Course will expose you in front of your peers without a hint of remorse. The Village Course is shorter and some say "easier," but that’s a relative term. It’s still tighter than a drum and requires more precision than brute force.
The Cost of Entry (And We Aren't Just Talking Money)
Let's talk numbers, though keep in mind these things shift like the Florida dunes. Membership is by invitation only. You can't just walk in with a checkbook and demand a locker. You need sponsors. Real ones. People who will vouch for your character and, more importantly, your pace of play.
Historically, the initiation fee for a Jupiter Hills Club membership has hovered in the six-figure range. Reports from recent years suggest it has climbed significantly, often cited between $150,000 and $250,000, depending on the current capital needs of the club and the prevailing market. On top of that, you’re looking at five-figure annual dues.
But here’s the thing: the money is often the easiest part. The club looks for a specific "fit." They want golfers. If you're looking for a social club to host your daughter's 200-person wedding, you’re looking in the wrong place. This is a place where the locker room is the heartbeat of the social scene, smelling of cedar, expensive scotch, and a little bit of sweat.
The Fazio Legacy and the 2020 Restoration
You can't talk about the membership without talking about the dirt. George Fazio, who was a runner-up to Ben Hogan in the 1950 U.S. Open, put his heart into this place. It was his masterpiece. His nephew, Tom Fazio, has also left his mark here, ensuring the family legacy remains intact.
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In 2020, the club underwent a massive restoration of the Hills Course. This wasn't just a "mow the grass and paint the fences" kind of job. They went deep. They restored the original Fazio vision, cleared out invasive vegetation that had choked the vistas, and redid the bunkers to make them look more natural, more rugged.
- The Greens: Converted to TifEagle Bermuda, making them lightning fast.
- The Vistas: Opened up so you can actually see the dramatic 60-foot drops in elevation.
- The Bunker Style: Moved away from the manicured "pro-tour" look to a more weathered, "sand-barren" aesthetic.
If you’re a member, you’re playing on a course that looks better now than it did thirty years ago. Most clubs age like milk; Jupiter Hills is aging like a fine Bordeaux.
Why People Choose Jupiter Hills Over Seminole or The Bear's Club
It sounds crazy to compare these titans, but at this level of wealth, people have choices. Seminole is the ultra-exclusive, historic bastion of the elite. The Bear’s Club is Jack Nicklaus’s personal playground. So why choose a Jupiter Hills Club membership?
It’s the elevation.
Seriously. Every other course in the area feels like you’re playing on a map. Jupiter Hills feels like you’re playing in a landscape. The 9th hole on the Hills Course finishes at the highest point on the property, looking down toward a clubhouse that feels more like a mountain lodge than a Florida bungalow. There’s a ruggedness here that appeals to a certain type of person. It’s less about the "status" of being seen and more about the "status" of being a golfer who can handle a difficult walk.
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Also, the proximity to the Loxahatchee River and the Atlantic means you get these weird micro-climates. The wind swirls in the "valleys" of the course, making club selection a nightmare. For a certain kind of masochist—the kind who loves the game’s inherent difficulty—that’s the whole point.
The Realities of the Waitlist
Don't expect to get in tomorrow. Even with the "invitation only" tag, there’s a line. The club maintains a relatively small membership count to ensure that tee times aren't a battle. You want to be able to show up and play. That’s the luxury you’re paying for. Most members will tell you that the wait is part of the filtering process. It ensures that those who join are actually committed to the long-term health of the club.
Misconceptions About the "Vibe"
Is it stuffy? Sorta. It’s a private club in Tequesta; it’s not exactly a public park. But there’s a difference between "stuffy" and "focused."
People think everyone at Jupiter Hills is a scratch golfer. Not true. You’ll see plenty of 15-handicaps hacking it around the Village Course. The difference is that they know the etiquette. They fix their divots. They don't spend five minutes looking for a lost ball when they’re holding up the group behind them. The "vibe" is one of mutual respect for the game's traditions. If you’re a loud-mouth who wants to play music out of a Bluetooth speaker while wearing a hoodie, you will likely find the membership process... difficult.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Member
If you’re serious about pursuing a Jupiter Hills Club membership, you need a strategy that goes beyond having a high net worth. This isn't a transactional environment; it's a relational one.
- Get a Game: You need to play the course as a guest multiple times. If you don't know a member, start looking through your professional network. It is almost impossible to get noticed by the membership committee if you haven't been seen on the property.
- Audit Your Golf Resume: Are you a member elsewhere? Do you have a verifiable handicap? Are you known for playing fast? These things matter more than your job title.
- Visit the Surrounding Area: Tequesta and Jupiter are different from Palm Beach. Spend time at places like the Square Grouper or local spots in Tequesta. The Jupiter Hills crowd isn't the "Worth Avenue" crowd. They are more likely to be found on a center-console fishing boat than a mega-yacht.
- Understand the Commitment: Membership isn't just about the initiation. There are often capital assessments for course improvements. Ensure your finances are prepared for the "unexpected" costs of maintaining a Top-100 facility.
- Be Patient: If a spot opens up, the process still takes months of vetting. Rushing the process is a quick way to get blackballed.
The reality is that Jupiter Hills remains one of the few places where the golf is the only thing that matters. In a world of "lifestyle" communities with pickleball courts and lazy rivers, that’s a rare and beautiful thing. If you want the best elevation changes in Florida and a locker room that feels like home, start making phone calls. Just make sure your bunker play is up to snuff before you tee it up on the Hills. You're going to need it.