Ernie Els and his wife Liezl have been big proponents of autism research for several years. Since their son Ben was diagnosed with autism in 2008, Els has been doing all he can for autism research with his Els for Autism foundation.

030113_spt_honda_065_982_982The Jupiter resident got a major boost on Thursday, the same day he teed it up at the BMW PGA Championship in England. Palm Beach County commissioners unanimously approved plans for the Els Center for Excellence to be built on 25 acres of land in the Limestone Creek area in Jupiter.

The Els Center for Excellence will cater to about 300 students and is expected to become the "epicenter" for autism research. The $30 million charter school will include four buildings, a swimming pool, a small golfing area, and a running…

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Ibis Golf and Country Club will be expanding its clubhouse and adding a new "sports village". The current clubhouse, located in West Palm Beach is 50,000 square feet.

The project will add 23,000 square feet to the Ibis clubhouse. The new amenities that will be offered will include a sports bar with a capacity of 243 people, a new kitchen, a library, a card room, and an expanded ballroom and locker rooms.

ibis_2136In addition to those additions and renovations, the new clubhouse will also feature a "sports village" that will include a two-story fitness complex, spa, and wellness and aquatic center.

Ibis also offers its members some of the best golf in South Florida. In addition to the three Nicklaus designed courses, Ibis features one of the premier practice…

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Photo courtesy of the FSGA

The State Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in the country. So it is only fitting that it will be held at one of the most prestigious and well-renowned clubs in the country.

The Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta is one of the top 100 clubs in the country and has been chosen for the second time in its storied history to host the premier amateur tournament in the state. The top 168 amateurs in the state of Florida will descend on the Hills and Village courses at Jupiter Hills June 20-23 for the 72-hole event. Just like in PGA Tour events there will be a cut down to top 70 players and ties after the second round.

The winner of the State Amateur Championship moves on to…

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images

The TPC Four Seasons was set up for golfers to go low on Thursday morning. Over an inch of rain fell in the Dallas area Wednesday night, leaving the greens soft and giving the players the green light to go for the pins. That, coupled with no win and preferred lies in affect, left the course ripe for the taking in the opening round of the HP Byron Nelson Classic.

That’s exactly what Keegan Bradley did. Going out early in the morning, the Tequesta resident took advantage of the favorable conditions by shooting a course record 60. With a round of 10-under, Bradley tied the tournament record, joining Arron Oberholser and Sam Snead as the only players to ever shoot a 60 at the Byron Nelson Classic. The previous course record at…

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Spring Training is just one of the many things that make South Florida a great place to be. Roger Dean Stadium is located in Abacoa and is the spring training home of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. In addition to the spring training games, the facility also houses the Marlins and Cardinals Single A minor league affiliates. Between the four teams, Roger Dean Stadium offers baseball on almost a nightly basis for seven months out of the year.

roger_dean_stadium1_3872Not only is it a great form of entertainment for local Palm Beach County residents, it is also a great source of tourism, especially during the months of February and March. With the affordable prices and access to players that most fans can’t get during the regular season, families and fans from all over the…

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The Historical Society of Palm Beach County will welcome the troops to the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum in West Palm Beach for Armed Forces Day on May 18.

The free event will entertain and inform all ages and will honor local U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and the nation’s military history. Visitors will learn about the county’s role in past wars and its local battle sites.

To help guests interpret Armed Forces Day at the museum, docents will lead them through an authentic front-line camp, to interact with characters from the Seminole War to the Vietnam War, and to inspect Army vehicles. Cards also can be decorated to be mailed to soldiers overseas.

Twin food trucks will be onsite for lunch, and guests can picnic on the…

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images

 

As we get closer to the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, more and more golfers have set out with the goal of qualifying for our national championship of golf.
 
Qualifying got under way on May 3rd at Admirals Cove in Jupiter. Since then, there have been 110 more local qualifiers at different locations throughout the country. While the qualifier at Admirals Cove sent five golfers to the next round of qualifying, many other local golfers have found success at qualifiers in different parts of the country.

Port St. Lucie resident Colin Amaral shot a 69 in a qualifier at the Rhode Island Country Club to advance to one of 13 sectional qualifying events. Dan Konieczny of Jupiter advanced out of the Export, Pennsylvania at…

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Trader Joe's, a privately held California based specialty chain of grocery stores, will open its first Palm Beach County store in the PGA Plaza and Prosperity Farms Road in Palm Beach Gardens sometime in 2014.  Trader Joe’s will be located in the southwest corner of the plaza, just west of the Marshall’s department store. The structure will be demolished and rebuilt to accommodate the 12,500 square foot market.        

 

People unfamiliar with Trader Joe’s will enjoy the laid-back vibe, cedar planked walls and Hawaiian shirts worn by employees.  The name “trader” reflects the company’s search for quirky and unique items that are good values.  They understand the importance of covering a range of options for the consumer when it comes to grocery…

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Photo Courtesty of Juno Town Council

The Juno Beach Town Council are in the initial planning stages to erect a 9/11 memorial.  An estimated $50,000 will be required to accomplish the task.  Well-known West Palm Beach sculpture/artist Mark Fuller has been selected by the Juno Beach Town Council to create the memorial sculpture.
 
Fuller is an industrial designer and has many pieces of his art on display.    The “Butterfly”, at PGA Commons on PGA Boulevard, is a very prominent and beautiful piece.   He has created 16 pieces of art for the city of Palm Beach Gardens through an ordinance passed in 1989 that requires developers of non-residential projects with construction costs of at least $1million to contribute 1 percent of the project cost to install city…

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Photo courtesy of Palm Beach Post.

Good news for Jupiter area residents and visitors of the "golf capital of the world", a beautiful Courtyard Marriot hotel is now under construction in the Abacoa community!  Construction for the 128-room hotel began on April 24.  It is scheduled to open in February, 2014 and slated to include 2,500 square feet of event space, a bistro style restaurant, a Starbucks coffee shop, full service-bar, state of the art fitness center, outdoor swimming pool, business center, and guest laundry. There will be street level commercial space for lease and parking will be handled by an existing parking garage adjacent to the hotel.

The hotel will be located at Main Street and University, across from Roger Dean Stadium for an…

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