Back
Osprey/Heron at Okeeheelee Golf Course
Rating Snapshot
About
With a name meaning 'quiet waters' in the Seminole language, Okeeheelee Golf Course is situated amidst lush, rolling hills that overlook the sparkling waters of Clear Lake. There are 27 championship holes that are divided into three nines and can be played in three different 18-hole combinations. The Osprey, Heron, and Eagle nines are named after the various wildlife that can be seen throughout. Each golf course offers a different set of challenges and scenery. Okeeheelee's Osprey/Heron Course features a variety of elevation changes. There are scenic views from the elevated greens but don't become too distracted since there are many elements to contend with including towering trees, strategically placed bunkers, and deep rough lining the fairways. There are also plenty of water hazards coming into play.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 6811 yards | 73.8 | 138 |
| Gold (W) | 72 | 6320 yards | 77.3 | 140 |
| Gold | 72 | 6320 yards | 71.6 | 132 |
| Blue (W) | 72 | 5827 yards | 74.5 | 135 |
| Blue | 72 | 5827 yards | 69.1 | 123 |
| White | 72 | 5376 yards | 67.1 | 118 |
| White (W) | 72 | 5376 yards | 72.0 | 130 |
| Green | 72 | 4724 yards | 64.4 | 113 |
| Green (W) | 72 | 4724 yards | 68.6 | 119 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 73.8/140 W: 73.8/140 | 518 | 166 | 359 | 406 | 527 | 207 | 397 | 182 | 539 | 3301 | 525 | 212 | 419 | 445 | 407 | 549 | 395 | 355 | 203 | 3510 | 6811 |
| Gold M: 72.2/138 W: 77.4/143 | 486 | 140 | 316 | 359 | 479 | 190 | 385 | 153 | 492 | 3000 | 504 | 155 | 400 | 418 | 392 | 532 | 386 | 345 | 188 | 3320 | 6320 |
| Blue M: 70.3/129 W: 74.6/135 | 476 | 135 | 275 | 311 | 471 | 177 | 302 | 143 | 482 | 2772 | 491 | 149 | 391 | 398 | 315 | 484 | 374 | 299 | 154 | 3055 | 5827 |
| White M: 67.8/126 W: 71.6/131 | 433 | 113 | 266 | 299 | 462 | 157 | 292 | 133 | 447 | 2602 | 448 | 134 | 327 | 368 | 295 | 430 | 351 | 275 | 146 | 2774 | 5376 |
| Red M: 65.1/118 W: 67.9/119 | 352 | 95 | 245 | 269 | 402 | 105 | 275 | 100 | 401 | 2244 | 413 | 96 | 295 | 311 | 265 | 391 | 331 | 250 | 128 | 2480 | 4724 |
| Handicap | 5 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 16 | |||
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 5 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 16 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Food & BeverageAvailable Sports
TennisAccolades
-
Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2021 #21)
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by montanamicki on 03/24/2022
-
Photo submitted by MaryDale on 01/20/2022
-
Photo submitted by MaryDale on 01/20/2022
-
Photo submitted by tjw1029 on 01/27/2016
-
Photo submitted by u000007445948 on 12/07/2014
-
Photo submitted by u000005698119 on 04/10/2014
-
Photo submitted by u000005698119 on 04/10/2014
-
Photo submitted by Jerry3829035 on 11/14/2013
Worth The Trip
Course is almost an hour from my house in south Broward but worth the trip. Love courses like this and Osprey Point where there aren't beat up condos surrounding it. Can't rate the greens since they had been aerated not long ago so they were a little bumpy with some rough patches, especially hole #2 on Eagle, short par 3. Overall layout is fantastic. Some short easy par 4's mixed in with some tough ones. Bev cart girl was very friendly. Great value for the money. Will go back when greens have come back in totally.
love the course
The course is in decent shape but the greens were punched somewhat recently and they were a little bumpy.
Aerification is a necessary evil this time of year in South Florida. We hope you have the chance to return once they've healed so you can get the full Okeeheelee experience.
Great course except for the greens
Booked this course through Golf Now. Very nice course that we enjoyed playing. When we arrived at the course we were informed the greens were aerated but still in good shape. The trip to the course was 35-40 minutes and we didn't want to look for another course so we decided to play. Well the greens were in terrible shape. Most of them looked like sand greens I used to play as a kid. Normally Golf Now informs me if green aeration is underway. Either the course management or Golf Now dropped the ball in this case. This course is comprised of 3 nine hole layouts. Why not rotate aeration and leave one nine hole layout open for players?
Hello and thank you for the review. We at the golf course always notify GolfNow when we are doing any maintenance at all and very much apologize that you were blind sided by punched greens. Please send us an email at Golf@pbcgov.org so we can learn a little bit more about your experience in hopes of avoiding this issue in the future. Again, we do our best to notify every single golfer when we have aerated the greens. We hope you will return in a week or two so you can get the fully Okeeheelee experience.
Far better then expected
Played the Eagle and Osprey. Nice staff, nice course, very good conditions and fun. This course was far better then expected.
We love it when we exceed expectations! Thanks for taking the trip up from Ft. Lauderdale.
Course nice....staff rude
I have played the course 5 times within the last year. Course is always in good condition. Staff is always rude.
Hello, we are a bit troubled by your comments about our staff and would like to learn more about your experience at Okeeheelee Golf Course. If you would be so kind, please send us an email at Golf@pbcgov.org with the days and times that you played as well as any issues you may have had with staff. We can't thank you enough for the continued support and for still giving us a four-star review. But we also want the chance to turn that into a five-star review.
Okeeheelee Golf
My wife and I really like Okeeheelee, since it offers a variety of wildlife and is manicured fairly well for a publicly-owned course. The three nines offer a variety of types of holes with varying degrees of difficulty. A variety of tee locations allows for all levels of golfer to have a fun or a challenging experience. We play here often. On this occasion we used a GolfNow Hot Deal, which seemed very reasonable in price. Unfortunately, after six holes we were called off the course for lightning. When I asked for a rain check in the pro shop I was told that since I paid GolfNow I needed to contact them. I've tried calling the 800-594-9280 number, but the recorded message plays and the number hangs up. We seem to have no recourse and feel that we received shabby treatment in this situation.
Just to follow up with you, we reached out to GolfNow and we understand they were able to get in touch with you and provide you with a partial return as well as a dozen TaylorMade golf balls. We're thrilled to hear they were able to resolve this and we thank you once again for coming to play.
We're sorry to hear about your inconvenience and for any confusion. The pro shop was correct in telling you that you would have to contact GolfNow directly to get a refund in this scenario as GolfNow is a third party partner of ours and the "Hot Deals" are sold directly by GolfNow. We have reached out to our GolfNow rep. and they will be reaching out to get this resolved for you. Thanks for your continued support and for the four star review.
Good course WITH issues starting!
I have played this course many times in past years. Really like the lay out and the greens used to be outstanding. Not so much this year! Greens were spotty and holes had not been changed causing ragged edges. Tee boxes were very worn. This is not what has made Palm Beach County golf courses popular! I hope it is a temporary condition!!
Thank you so much for the review. We strive to deliver the best conditions possible and have some major projects in the works this summer focusing on our green complexes. Stay tuned!
Nice track
A lot of interesting holes, very scenic and tricky greens when you are not familiar with the course. Staff was friendly. The start always seems like a bit of a cluster as you don’t know in advance which 9’s you are playing. I will definitely go back again.
We can't tell you how much we appreciate you coming down from Jupiter to play at Okeeheelee. For the most part, when you check in you should be told which 9 you are starting on, but with 27 holes, our starter may make a few changes on the fly in hopes of improving everyone's overall experience. We look forward to your next round with us.
Good course for the price
Have played this course several times in the past two months. Normally the pace of play is slow, but because the weather called for thundershowers, the course was not full. This greatly improved the pace of play. They normally pack the course and it can take more than 4 1/2 hours to play. This time we were done in less than four hours. Some greens are not in the greatest shape, but overall, it's a good course for the price.
We're so glad the weather man didn't scare you away! Thank you for sharing your experience and for giving us four stars. We hope you'll return for another round so we can earn that fifth star.
Average Course
None of the municipal courses are even close to being in good shape but this one is better than other municipal courses of similar cost.
Hi there. We appreciate the review. Okeeheelee is owned and operated by the Palm Beach County Parks & Rec Department and we strive to deliver the best golf experience possible. If you were a fan of Okeeheelee, we would suggest also playing Osprey Point, Park Ridge and Southwinds as all offer great playing conditions at a value price. Happy golfing!
Tricky but fair
Solid experience and recommend you play with somebody that knows the course. You can get into a lot of trouble if you don't know the hole layout.
We do indeed have water on just about every one of our 27 holes, but as you said, if you know where to hit it, this won't be an issue for you. We offer yardage books that help tremendously for first-time players. Now that you know your way around, you'll have to come back!
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package
Trump National Doral Miami Stay & Play Package
Miami Lakes Hotel Stay & Play Package
Reunion Resort Stay & Play Package
It's time for your next round, the greens are back! Thanks for taking the trip up from Broward. Since you mentioned that you also play Osprey Point (another member of the Palm Beach County Golf group) we'd suggest you look into our Frequent Player Card program. The FPC card will save you some money, which hopefully makes the drive a little easier to swallow. We look forward to seeing you again soon.