Palm Beach Par 3 blue light special
PALM BEACH – I was waiting in line at the Palm Beach Par 3 golf course, looking forward to scheduling a tee time. I come here sometimes in the off-season, when the rates drop.
If you've never been, the course is a place of beauty – as you might expect for an island of billionaires. The cart path tracks the seawall along the Intracoastal Waterway on the west side of the barrier island, then crosses AIA and climbs to the edge of the sand dunes on the Atlantic side. Between the deep greens of the manicured fairways and the aquamarine shadings of the ocean, the vistas are so spectacular they almost make you forget the three balls you shagged into the cattails.
In the pro shop, a tall, slender gent ahead of me with a hint of a European accent was asking the woman behind the counter about the summer rates. They were lower than usual, it turned out, because the greens were bumpy from a recent aeration. He seemed pleased. As he withdrew his billfold from his pocket, she asked if he was a resident of the town. Bingo! – Another $9 off.
Not being eligible, I couldn't let that go. “So, you just have to buy a $20 million house to qualify for the $9 discount?” I asked. Twenty million would barely get you a starter home, she said. (Actually, the median price for a home in the town these days is an eminently reasonable $12 million.)
After paying full freight for my round, I walked out, past a Ferrari, a Bentley and a Maserati in the valet section of the parking lot, to grab my clubs. I'm not much for math but the walk to my Mini Cooper in the back gave me a little time.
Check me on this, if you like: Thanks to the $9 discount, a $20 million house pays for itself – if you play 39.6 million holes of golf, give or take. So, if you've ever wondered how those people can afford to live in Palm Beach, there's your answer. You just have to know where the deals are.
Tony Doris is The Palm Beach Post editorial page editor.