Come for the Links, Stay for the Luxury: The Hottest New Golf Communities Are Now Full-Service Resorts

Robb Report, June 3, 2024

Though he is an agent to a number of professional golfers, golf wasn’t the only thing Dominik Senn was interested in when he founded Panther National, a private residential community just outside Palm Beach. “I believe in offering more than just a place to call home,” he tells Robb Report. “I’m committed to providing an experience that encompasses fitness, wellness, and social connection.” So, while golf is at the heart of the development, it’s just one piece of a more elaborate puzzle Senn wanted to create.

Panther National is unlike many existing clubs in the area, which is exactly what Senn wanted: “When my wife and I settled here, we found the combination of stiff regulations, uniform golf courses, and dimly lit clubhouses left much to be desired.” Many of his own clients felt the same, he says, thus prompting a golf community blending European-style links and massive dunes on the golf course, “complemented by Michelin-inspired dining in facilities reimagined as inviting lounges rather than traditional restaurants.”

Those kinds of high-end luxury amenities have become more common, but Senn took it a step farther by breaking away from traditional Florida architecture, offering new homeowners the chance to buy estate homes designed by Max Strang, featuring Tesla roof shingles, as a way to attract the type of discerning clientele that is typical of the area. The club offers different levels of membership, and prospective members are required to buy a social or golf membership with the purchase of a property. Golf Digest reported that initiation fees start at $500,000.