Jupiter in Florida has long been considered the American oasis for PGA Tour professional golfers. It all started with one man: Jack Nicklaus.
The 18-time Major champion moved to Jupiter in 1966 with his wife Barbara, looking for sunshine and privacy as the serial winner’s profile grew.
Decades later, the ‘Golden Bear’ made his stamp on the region by founding The Bear’s Club in 1999 with its hard launch at the turn of the millennium.
But Nicklaus wanted more than just a golf course.
He envisioned a golfing sanctuary that would further cement his legacy as a leading pioneer of the game.
Nicklaus forged the golfing mecca that Jupiter has become today and built the hub where the world’s best could train in the utmost exclusivity.
The Course: A Jack Nicklaus masterpiece
The Bear’s Club features an 18-hole championship course where Nicklaus transformed the environment in a feat of signature design.
It winds through pine ridges, wetlands and cypress trees, utilising the natural beauty to create a test of golfing strategy.
354 bunkers have been aesthetically and strategically placed along the golf course, inspired by Nicklaus’s trip to the Royal Melbourne Golf Club during his 1998 Presidents Cup captaincy in Australia.
Every hole on the course was created to feel organic, as if carved into the native landscape. Members don’t just play a golf course – they enter a golf track that balances beauty with bite.
One of the world’s most exclusive golf clubs
Exclusivity is what defines The Bear’s Club.
Membership is capped at around 100 members, with annual fees starting at $25,000 and joining fees that climb well into six figures.
The high price tag means membership is only really affordable and justifiable to the best golfers, of which the region is home to.
Members include Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay and even celebrity Jupiter locals such as former NBA legend Michael Jordan.
The Jupiter effect: Where the stars live and play
Jupiter in Florida has become golf’s ultimate address, with Nicklaus’ early move to the area fuelling its reputation for being a safe, luxurious haven for the world’s best golf stars.
Perfect weather, elite practice facilities, privacy and high-profile neighbours make it irresistible to the world’s top players.
And the area’s average house price of $23.5million means it’s unlikely any golf fans will move next door.
The list of residents and their stunning net worth is staggering: Tiger Woods ($1.3 billion), Rory McIlroy ($260 million), Dustin Johnson ($100 million), Brooks Koepka ($70 million), Justin Thomas ($50 million), Rickie Fowler ($40 million), to name a few.
Nicklaus has said his door is always open for advice. For today’s stars, The Bear’s Club offers not just world-class facilities but also the wisdom of the ‘Golden Bear’ himself.
Luxury beyond the fairways
The Bear’s Club is more than golf. The private, gated community includes luxury estates set among pristine landscapes, wetlands, and lakes.
At its centre is a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse, designed in traditional Floridian style. It’s where members dine, relax, and connect in total privacy.
For PGA champions and industry titans alike, The Bear’s Club is one of the few places where they can escape the spotlight.
The Bear’s Club: A true golf sanctuary
What makes The Bear’s Club so exclusive isn’t just its course, its members, or its luxury homes. It’s the combination of all three.
Privacy. Prestige. Perfection.
Together, they create a golf sanctuary unlike anywhere else in the world. For Jack Nicklaus, The Bear’s Club is a legacy.
For its members, it’s something even rarer – a private playground where legends and future champions share the same fairways in total exclusivity.
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