The are several invitations on the golf calendar that you should not turn down. An invitation from Related Ross and Point 72 to play in the very first Palm Beach Pro Am at Apogee Club is one of those invitations. With the PGA Tour in town, the Southern Florida golf scene was densely packed and the friendly confines of Apogee Golf Club were the perfect escape from the grind of jam packed tee sheets.
My partner in crime for the event was renowned world traveler Mr Lee Abbamonte and we both decided to pay a visit to our friends at Johnnie-O’s new store in downtown West Palm Beach. Florida’s finest salesperson, Rebekah, set us up with some serious fashions to ensure that we looked sharp during our time in Florida. Afterwards, we toured CityPlace West Palm Beach and went for steaks at Harrys Restaurant & Bar.
Before the event officially kicked off, we had the chance to attend a warm up session for the Pro Am at the SoFi Center. Home to the TGL indoor golf league, the arena is far more impressive than it looks like on television. The simulator screen is absolutely massive at 64 feet wide by 53 feet tall, it is the next best thing to actually playing golf outside. The rotating putting green is also very impressive. Lee and I chipped and putted in an attempt to warm up for the closest to the pin competition.
Laces out with Marino at SoFi Center. pic.twitter.com/A5fVkM6ulT
— Patrick Koenig (@patrickjkoenig) February 27, 2026
Sadly, my wedge game wasn’t ready to handle the immense pressure of the SoFi center and I failed to hit the green from 120 yards.
In the post event press conference, I would blame the equipment for my shortcoming, but deep down, I knew it was the immense pressure of having Dan Marino watching that caused me to pull my wedge dead freaking left.
Either way, I left the SoFi with something to prove. I was properly motivated to play like a champion in the Palm Beach Pro-Am
Apogee Golf Club decided to show off the morning of the Pro Am with a glorious little misty morning. At first, we could not see beyond 50 yards, but slowly Apogee began to reveal her undulating fairways and splendid white sand bunkers. The results were spectacular.
There are 3 full courses and a short course at Apogee. All are designed by today’s most prolific architects and each one of them has a distinct style that offers a unique playing experience. This is truly one of America’s greatest private golf properties. Apogee has spared no expense and every guest feels fortunate to be on the property. We were scheduled to play the original West Course for the inaugural Palm Beach Pro Am.
West Course - Gil Hanse
North Course - Kyle Phillips
South Course - Tom Fazio II & Mike Davis
Wee Course - Tom Fazio II & Mike Davis
“The West course is thought provoking, natural in scale and rythym, intentionally understated to provide a walking-friendly routing through the trees.”
In a glorious stroke of good fortune, Lee and I drew Ken Duke as our professional. After a bit of research, I learned something spectacular about the long time tour warrior. Ken Duke was diagnosed with scoliosis as a middle schooler. If there is one thing that a golfer needs in order to win on the PGA Tour it is a healthy back. Which make’s Ken’s story even more impressive. To round out our group Lee and I were also joined by Ken Himmel and Katie Block of Related Ross.
Ken Duke was diagnosed with scoliosis in 7th grade and won a high school tournament wearing a freaking back brace. He is also the only human being to win a PGA Tour event with a 19 inch metal rod attached to his spine. We had the chance to play with him at Apogee and it was a ton… pic.twitter.com/NzvxItXHyq
— Patrick Koenig (@patrickjkoenig) March 3, 2026
Our team got off to a hot start when Mr Duke fired up our engines with a 30 foot eagle putt on the first hole. Birdies flowed freely on the next several holes and like most scramble teams in a charity pro am, we were certain that we were going to win by a dozen shots. We couldn’t miss with Ken Duke as our anchor.
In the end, our crew would be robbed by several mystery putts that somehow managed to levitate above the hole and refused to yield the necessary birdies in order to compete in the cutthroat world of charity scrambles. We would finish several strokes off of the podium. However, our crew did not mind one bit. Apogee has a funny way of delivering glorious memories regardless of the score.
Most importantly, the significant proceeds from the Pro-Am golf tournament will directly benefit children at local area schools (Pleasant City Elementary, U.B. Kinsey/Palmview Elementary, and Roosevelt Elementary) by providing 10-week summer camp opportunities for more than 650 students living below the poverty line. During summer months, many at risk youths simply don’t have the support and nourishment that they need. This 10 week summer camp can bridge a critical gap to keep our children on a healthy life path. These are the type of programs that can really make a difference in someone’s life.
As a parting gift, Lee and I were treated to a victory lap around the Wee course. This 7 hole playground features short holes with classic template greens. Holes like Lion’s Mouth and Biarritz were a spectacular way to wind down from an intense day of scrambling.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Apogee Golf Club, you will want to jump at the opportunity.