Augusta-like in West Palm Beach, Florida: The new Emerald Dunes Club golf course

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Following a $15 million renovation, the Emerald Dunes Club reopened in the fall of 2012 as one of the finest and most well conditioned golf courses in Florida -- and certainly one of its most exclusive.

The club, which originally opened in 1990 as an upscale daily fee, has fewer than 100 members. Emerald Dunes brought back original architect Tom Fazio to renovate the course. Among the improvements are new tees, redesigned fairways, a few new greens, bunkers and two holes that were reconfigured. The course now plays to a par 71, 7,102 yards with six sets of tees.

Also included is one of the best practice facilities in the world. The eight-acre, 310-yard, double-sided driving range includes more than 28,000 square feet of tee surface. A large game improvement area also provides five target greens, each framed with shallow sand bunkers, four mini chipping target greens and a USGA regulation putting green. There's also a separate Tom Fazio Short Game Area, which includes a 19th-hole par 3 that plays from 85 to 135 yards.

Extensive landscaping was also added, including 2,000 mature palms and trees around the course's perimeter to screen any visible outside architecture and to serve as privacy buffers. The clubhouse also received an extensive renovation, featuring imported stone, wood and fixtures from Europe and other parts of the world.

In short, Emerald Dunes is one of the most exclusive and detailed oriented clubs in the country, befitting of its surroundings in Palm Beach County.

Emerald Dunes Club - hole 17

Beautifully sculpted, the Emerald Dunes Club reopened in the fall of 2012 after an extensive renovation by original architect Tom Fazio.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes

Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 3

The third hole at the Emerald Dunes Club is a 404-yard par 4.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes

Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 4

The par-3 fourth, with a waterfall in the background, is one of the Emerald Dunes Club's signature holes.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes

Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 5

The par-5 fifth at the Emerald Dunes Club plays around a lake.

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Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 6

At 442 yards, the par-4 sixth is the No. 5 handicap hole at the Emerald Dunes Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 8

If you like sand, you'll love the 212-yard par-3 eighth at the Emerald Dunes Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes

Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 9

The tee shot on the 464-yard par-4 ninth at the Emerald Dunes Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 10

The 10th at the Emerald Dunes Club plays up to a green that sits right below the highest point on the golf course.

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Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 11

The shortest par 5 at the Emerald Dunes Club also plays from the highest tee on the course, making the 11th hole a good birdie opportunity.

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Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 14

Plenty of water makes the 211-yard par-3 14th at the Emerald Dunes Club a formidable hole.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes

Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 16

The 16th is the shortest par 3 at the Emerald Dunes Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 17

The par-5 17th at the Emerald Dunes Club plays 574 yards from the tips.

Mike Bailey/TravelGolf

Emerald Dunes Club golf course - hole 18

The finale at the Emerald Dunes Club is a 442-yard par 4 that plays from an elevated tee with a lake on the right.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes

Emerald Dunes Club - practice facilities

The practice facilities at the Emerald Dunes Club are unsurpassed.

Mike Bailey/TravelGolf

Emerald Dunes Club - clubhouse

The clubhouse at the Emerald Dunes Club was also renovated.

Courtesy of Emerald Dunes