"The last five holes are really really special and they're really hard." Head golf professional Allan Bowman said that to WPTV this spring, standing beside the stretch of the North Palm Beach Country Club now called the Bear's Lair. It covers holes 14 through 18 on the course Jack Nicklaus redesigned in 2006. His next line was an invitation: "We are open to the public."
Anyone can play the Village's course. What sets a North Palm Beach resident apart is a small card with a schedule printed on the back. The 2026–27 NPBCC Resident Card has no single discount. The percentage changes with the season and with the time of your tee time. Its value climbs right through the months the Village calls Peak Season, and it is largest for golfers who tee off before 2 p.m.
A card priced to the calendar
The Village's 2026–2027 Resident Card application splits the year into five seasons. Each season has two discount bands, one from opening until 2 p.m. and one from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
| Season | Dates | Open to 2 p.m. | 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Oct. 1 to Nov. 19, 2026 | 25% | 15% |
| Holiday | Nov. 20 to Dec. 25, 2026 | 35% | 20% |
| Peak | Dec. 26, 2026 to April 25, 2027 | 40% | 20% |
| Spring | After Peak | 30% | 20% |
| Summer | Summer months | 25% | 20% |
Look down the right-hand column first. The afternoon discount hardly moves. It starts at 15% in fall and holds at 20% for the rest of the year. The morning column is the one that changes, going from 25% to 35% to 40%. In fall, morning and afternoon are 10 points apart. In Peak Season the gap is 20 points.
So the card is really two discounts. One is a late-afternoon discount that settles at 20% once fall ends. The other grows through the winter and tops out for the entire stretch from the day after Christmas to late April. If you play mornings in January and February, the card is working its hardest for you.
Why November is a natural moment to pick one up
The card starts on the day you buy it, "no matter what the date of purchase is," and ends on September 30, 2027. The price stays the same whenever you buy: $175 plus 6.5% tax, or $186.38.
The schedule turns that into a timing question. Fall pricing runs through November 19, a week from this post's publication. The Holiday window opens November 20 and takes the morning discount to 35%. Peak starts December 26. A card bought this month covers every Holiday and Peak tee time ahead. A card bought next spring costs the same and covers far fewer of the highest-discount weeks.
One card, one golfer, and the paperwork behind it
The fine print matters most for households. The application says the Resident Card "is an individual card, not a family card." It also says a legal spouse "would be required to purchase their own individual Resident Card" to get cardholder discounts. If two of you play, budget for two cards.
The card reaches beyond the first tee. It covers discounts in the golf shop. At the club's tennis and pool facilities, cardholders pay resident rates for a daily entry fee. A household with one golfer and one swimmer or tennis player may find the card earns its keep in more than one place.
Only North Palm Beach residents whose property taxes go into the Village tax base can buy one. The application asks for three forms of identification, chosen from this list:
- Driver license
- Power bill
- Telephone bill
- A copy of a county tax report
- A two-party owner and renter rental agreement showing your address, name and telephone numbers
Recent buyers get their own route. If your home sale is new and not yet registered with the Property Appraiser, the application accepts a warranty deed or a copy of the closing statement. A credit card is required.
The application calls itself "both legal and binding." Use of the card is subject to Village ordinances and NPBCC rules as they may be amended. If a force majeure event such as a hurricane closes the club, card fees will not be refunded. This summary is general information, not legal or financial advice, so read the full application and check any questions about your own eligibility with the club before you sign.
The Bear's Lair is where the discount gets tested
Where you use the discount matters too. The Bear's Lair was unveiled alongside the club's centennial, a four-day celebration from April 30 to May 3, 2026, marking 100 years since 1926. The schedule opened with that unveiling and a five-hole charity skins game. That weekend's North Palm Beach Open also brought back 1926 green fees of $2.50.
When WPTV aired the segment, one anchor pointed out that PGA National has the Bear Trap and now North Palm Beach has the Bear's Lair. The comparison is fair. A famous closing stretch is a reason to play a course often, and a resident with a morning Peak Season tee time gets those five holes at the deepest discount the card offers.
The Council's list for the club's next chapter
At its July 23, 2026 meeting, the Village Council discussed Country Club fee changes for residents and non-residents. Vice Mayor Orlando Puyol raised the idea of resident memberships at the club. Village staff said that plan would come with the upcoming Master Plan.
The same meeting covered more driving-range capacity. Staff and Golf Manager Allan Bowman said new infrastructure would need to be in place first. The Vice Mayor also suggested pickleball memberships at the Community Center. Staff explained that certain fee increases connected to capital projects would take effect in FY 2028.
The budget shows how central golf is to the club. The Village's FY 2027 budget summary lists $5,881,948 in Country Club expenditures for golf, $1,019,159 for tennis, $623,569 for the pool and $25,000 for food and beverage. Golf accounts for close to four of every five dollars across those four lines. That makes the course the main reason the Village runs a country club, and the resident card is the clearest benefit residents get from that spending.
December 5, from the club grounds
The Holiday window also covers the night the club becomes a viewing spot. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County lists the 32nd Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade for Saturday, December 5, 2026, starting at 6 p.m. The route runs up the Intracoastal from North Palm Beach to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, and North Palm Beach Country Club is named as a public viewing site. North Palm Beach is the first stretch of the route, so the club sees the boats near the start of the parade. Get a morning round in at the 35% Holiday rate, then stay for the boats that evening.
If you're weighing how a golf community or a club like this fits the way you want to spend your winters, The Kelly Team knows North Palm Beach and the courses across northern Palm Beach County, and we're glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
