Partly cloudy. Low 77F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..
Partly cloudy. Low 77F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
Crane Watch Club at Evergreen
Crane Watch Club at Evergreen
When a golf course sits dormant for any length of time, Mother Nature will start to reclaim it as her own. The grass on the fairways, greens will grow long. Weeds and the beginnings of small trees will sprout. Birds, ants and other animals and insects will claim the course as their home or hunting grounds. Before long, you will be hard-pressed to see how it may have once been a proud golf course.
Nearly three years ago, Crane Watch Club at Evergreen, formerly Evergreen Club, began its reclamation. Things at the Palm City course looked very dire. The course had been neglected for about a year or longer and had been closed for many months. The conditions rivaled that of a forgotten neighborhood playground.
In December of 2019, Anne and Colin Dunwoody from Vero Beach came to the rescue. The couple owns a pair of courses in western Pennsylvania and closed on the property on December 7th and began the club's resurrection.
“We loved the proximity to our home,” said Anne. “We'd been looking for a couple of years. We saw the potential in this course,” added Colin. “This one just made
The top item on their “to-do list” was to close the course, and start the process of making it a golf course again. Work was done to bring the greens back to life, along with the tees and making the bunkers look like bunkers again.
“We updated the irrigation, over-seeded the tees and greens, brought in new sand for the bunkers, and started a fertilization program,” said Colin.
Anne's attention has turned to the kitchen and clubhouse, and the work she has done there shows. Her goal was to make this a favorite place in Palm City to enjoy dinner and an evening out.
The members of the club and home owners in the community are pleased that their beloved course is continues to improve. The course is a huge amenity for the development and knowing the course will continue to be a course and only get better has led to higher home values and a general feeling of hope for the future.
Ultimately, what sells memberships at the semi-private club is the course. The Dunwoodys brought in golf course architect, James N. Cervone, Jr. to oversee improvements and renovations.
A long-range improvement plan was implemented, and continues today. With so much to do, it is not an overnight process, but one that will take years. The patience of the members and staff is now being rewarded.
I played the course a little over two years ago, just before they reopened the fairways to everyone and then again just recently. Given time and seeing much-needed attention has helped the course come along nicely. The pandemic didn’t help as many golfers stayed home and revenues were everywhere were down, but the club has been stead-fast in keeping to the plan.
One feature at Crane Watch is a great variety of holes, which can be set up to play quite differently from one day to the next. The course can play as long as 6,910 yards or as short as 4,802 with another five choices in between.
You start you out with a simple par-5. From there the gloves come off. The second hole is the longest par-4 on the course. The third hole is a true risk-reward par-5. At only 493 yards from the tips, this hole may be reached in two by most. The more daring you are at cutting the corner over the trees on this dog-leg right the shorter your second shot will be.
The back nine is slightly shorter than the front, but features more challenges off the tee.
Twelve is my favorite hole on the property and features a creek crossing the narrow fairway. The smart play calls for a fairway wood from the tee and a little more club into the green.
Fourteen plays only 339 yards from the back tees, and requires smarts and guts to make birdie. Water guards the end of the fairway and the entire left side of the approach. You must choose to play your tee shot short or thread it through a narrow slice of fairway to the right. The more daring you are at finding that slice, the more the green opens up.
The closing holes are a lot of fun. Sixteen is a short par-3 that requires accuracy from a short iron or wedge. Seventeen is a par-5 with a well-guarded green fronted by water. With its long, deep green, the par-4 18th can play as much as 30 yards longer from one day to the next.
To see the resurrection of this course for yourself, call (772) 288-2920 or visit www.cranewatchclub.com.
Crane Watch Club at Evergreen
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