Wellington National Golf Club Showcases A Fresh Start

By Lenore Brown

Most Wellington residents are aware that a golf course, once rated among the best in the nation, is located on Binks Forest Drive. Though the facility had fallen into disarray over the past few years, the course was recently purchased and is now home to the new Wellington National Golf Club.

Since its acquisition, extensive renovations have been done to make the club once again one of the best golf and event facilities in the western communities.

In recent years, the Binks Forest golf course left much to be desired. The 18-hole course, which historically hosted championships, fell into disrepair and neglect. That changed earlier this year when businessmen and golf enthusiasts Doug Marty, Chip Smith and Andy Apple purchased the property.

Reborn under the name Wellington National Golf Club, the new owners initiated work on a massive project that, when completed, will include a refurbished 18-hole championship-caliber golf course, beautiful ballrooms, a piazza, a sparkling swimming pool, an international wine bar and a top-notch bistro. The club also offers amenities such as yoga and massage to complete the country club experience.

The partnership that has rejuvenated Wellington National is a unique mixture of some of the most successful and innovative minds in the golf world today. Each partner came to the project with a professional set of skills and a keen eye on how to make a golf course more than just a place where you play a round on the weekend.

With track records that include founding successful marketing firms and building world-renowned golf resorts, the partners knew that they could achieve great results in Wellington because of its considerable sports background and widespread outdoor lifestyle.

Marty and Smith met on the golf course years ago at the Tournament Players Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“Doug called to tell me that he was interested in purchasing a golf course and asked me to fly down to Wellington and share my professional assessment of the club’s potential,” Smith recalled. “Once I saw the course, I knew immediately, under the right leadership, it would turn out to be something very special.”

The most challenging aspect of preparing the Wellington National course for its members was led by one of the partners — an agronomist named Andy Apple.

Apple, who has 34 years’ experience in the golf industry with an exceptional background in golf course projects, programs and operations management, honed in on the course’s problematic areas.

“I knew it was not going to be easy,” Apple said. “I didn’t know the extent of it, and it turned out to be tougher than I first envisioned. Initially, I was focused on weed eradication to reclaim the fairways. It is an ongoing process; however, we’re in a great place as the course is now in excellent condition.”

After much effort was put into restoring the course to top condition, golf pro Brett Carman was hired to be the director of golf at the facility.

“When I was offered the position, I was excited about the opportunity, because I believe the course at Wellington National is one of the best layouts in Palm Beach County,” Carman said.

After Marty, Smith and Apple had put their plan into action, transforming the 250 acres into the gorgeous, award-winning course, they directed their collective efforts to the clubhouse facilities to bring the dining facilities to their current condition. Now, Wellington National offers an upscale and unique dining experience, in addition to luxury event catering opportunities.

Executive Chef Troy Sheller, who specializes in the popular American Gastro style, has brought his passion for avant-garde cooking and restaurant operations to the recently reopened country club. Wellington National Golf Club members can look forward to specially prepared dishes that incorporate local ingredients from Swank Farms and Seminole Pride. The chef also plans to continuously modify the menu based on the season.

Sheller oversees onsite restaurants that are available to members — the Champion’s Bistro, which features stunning views of the 18th hole as well as an open chef’s kitchen, and the Wine Bar, which is decorated with one-of-a-kind handcrafted tables of reclaimed wood and brass.

The Wine Bar, which serves a tapas and cartouche menu, offers the unique opportunity to sip rare wines from an enigmatic wine machine or store members’ own wines in beautiful custom wine lockers.

The Wellington National Golf Club also aspires to open its doors to non-members and be the premier location for equestrian-related social events, fundraisers, weddings and other lifecycle happenings in Palm Beach County.

Wellington Hospitality Group, formerly Aaron’s Catering, headed by renowned event planners Aaron Menitoff and Julie Larson, have led the charge in helping the club be prepared to host a variety of spectacular events.

Aided by years of experience catering some of the area’s most prestigious events, including the famous Sunday brunch at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Masters and everything in between, Wellington Hospitality Group was the perfect company to help Wellington National design spaces that would be both beautiful and functional.

“We were fortunate that people saw the value in the space and wanted to start doing events right away,” Menitoff said. “It has been a fun challenge to manage the club’s renovations with our events, but the product has been fantastic, and we cannot wait to do more.”

One of the most significant upgrades to the facility is the expansion of the banquet hall. Wellington National can now comfortably seat up to 500 guests with a dance floor, making it the largest banquet facility in Wellington. With the addition of sliding glass doors that open to a travertine marble piazza, events that expect more than 500 attendees will have plenty of room for a fantastic party.

“Whether you’re coming in for golf or you’re coming in for a yoga class, lunch or a family dinner, wherever you go and whatever you do, the philosophy here will be that everyone is treated graciously so you feel this is your home away from home,” Membership Director Julie Pickens explained. “We have a fabulous team of professionals that have been in this industry for a long time, which maximizes each member’s experience at Wellington National. Our goal is to exceed members’ expectations by creating a warm and friendly atmosphere coupled with an unsurpassed membership service.”

Excited Wellington residents looking for an upscale, family-friendly country club have given positive initial reviews of the facility and the golf course. The club has already exceeded membership goals for the 2016-17 season and has sold out at the Founders Membership Level.

The owners welcome everyone in the Wellington area to stop by and see the renovations, meet the team and explore membership options that work for their family.

The Wellington National Golf Club is located at 400 Binks Forest Drive in Wellington. To learn more, call (561) 333-5731 or visit www.wellingtonnationalgolfclub.com.