TEQUESTA — Jupiter Hills Club is one of only four golf clubs in Florida to host two USGA championships.
Not good enough. So the elite private club — founded by Bob Hope, William Ford and architect George Fazio in 1968 — has doubled down on its hosting duties.
The USGA recently announced Jupiter Hills Club will host the 2027 US Mid-Amateur and the 2032 US Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. It hosted the 1987 US Amateur (won by Billy Mayfair) and the 2018 Amateur Four-Ball Championship (won by Stuart’s Garrett Barber and Cole Hammer).
“This is great news for the club,” said Jupiter Hills Club member and Hall of Fame architect Tom Fazio. “It was the dream of my uncle and Bob Hope and William Ford for this to be a golf club that hosted great events with great players. They may have passed, but the dream lives on.”
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Fazio, 76, knows just about every blade of grass on the Hills course that was recently ranked No. 6 among Florida’s “Best Private Courses” by Golfweek. Tom helped his uncle design the original course and along with his son, Logan, did a major renovation in 2020.
What makes the Hills course at Jupiter Hills so attractive is that it was built on a natural 60-foot sand ridge that runs from Juno Beach (think Seminole Golf Club) to Vero Beach. The ridge provides elevation changes throughout Jupiter Hills.
“The USGA is pleased to return to Jupiter Hills Club and continue a partnership that enthusiastically supports amateur competition on many levels,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director, championships. “We know that the club’s courses will challenge the best male and female mid-amateurs from around the world and that South Florida will embrace these two championships.”
The Hills course will be used for both stroke-play qualifying and the match-play portion of the 2027 US Mid-Amateur and the entire 2032 US Women’s Mid-Amateur. The club’s sister course, the Village, will be used for stroke-play qualifying for the ’27 US Mid-Amateur.
Competitors in the Mid-Amateur must be at least 25, giving the tournament more of an amateur feel without college players. The winner generally receives — but is not guaranteed — a spot in the next year’s Masters. Both the Mid-Am and Women’s Mid-Am winners receive exemptions into the following year’s US Open and US Women’s Open, respectively.
“Jupiter Hills is proud and honored to continue our long-standing relationship with the USGA and host this impressive series of amateur championships,” said Michael Ruane, club president. “We have an allegiance to honor the amateur game. Jupiter Hills anticipates that these elite fields of players will be fully challenged at the US Mid-Amateur in 2027 and the US Women’s Mid-Amateur in 2032.”
Tom Fazio remembers how much thought was given to naming the club more than half a century ago. He knew the terrain had to be mentioned.
“When we were naming the club, the word ‘Hills’ was an important part of the wording,” Fazio said. “Not many people in the US had heard of Jupiter in 1968. We were concerned if people would recognize Jupiter. Now everybody in golf knows where Jupiter, Florida is” because so many of the game’s stars live in the city or surrounding area.”
Florida summer heat, rain no concern
The USGA has generally shied away from staging championships in Florida during the summer because of the heat and threat of rain (it has held 26 USGA championships at 22 sites in Florida). Jupiter Hills earned praise during the 2018 US Mid-Amateur when, despite more than 15 inches of rain falling on the club that week, the championship ended on schedule.
Fazio, who has two other Florida designs that have hosted USGA championships (John’s Island West and Lake Nona), said the history of the ’18 event no doubt played a role in the USGA’s decision to return to Jupiter Hills.
“We’re blessed to have a sand-based, hilly site, which doesn’t exist in Florida,” Fazio said. “We’ve proven we can host these USGA championships even when we get a lot of rain.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 2027 US Mid-Amateur, 2032 US Women’s Mid-Amateur coming to Jupiter Hills