Colleen Perlmutter and her husband were visiting friends when they first came to The Preserve at Ironhorse. That visit turned into a house, which then turned into full-time residency.
"It's amazing how many people have that same story," she says. "We had another set of friends who came to visit us. Next thing, they bought a house. Now they're here full-time."
The Perlmutters made the transition in stages, spending winters in West Palm Beach first before committing fully.
What kept drawing them back, and what ultimately made the move permanent, was the course.
"This course stacks up against any of them," she says. "Every day we play it, it feels like a different course every time."
There’s no debate on heat and humidity in South Florida. But Colleen has a system for working around them.
"You usually have a breeze in the morning," she explains. "In Florida, we have a lot of afternoon thunderstorms, which keeps everything nice and green and beautiful. But you have to play early so you aren't impacted by the weather in the afternoon."
And staying hydrated, she's found, matters as much as the swing.
"You're sweating so much you don't even realize it," she says. "We have water stations throughout the golf course. I try to make sure I'm having at least two to three really big cups of water each nine."
The pace of play is quicker during summer. With fewer members on the course, rounds move faster, often finishing closer to three hours and twenty minutes.
The practice facilities are another benefit of the season. "The practice facilities are not as busy in the summer," Colleen notes. "So you really can work on your game, which is really nice."
Roughly half the membership at The Preserve heads north in late spring. What's left is a group of people who play together regularly and know each other well.
"The people that are here become a close-knit group," Colleen says. Thursday ladies' days continue through summer with a dedicated set of regulars. Card games happen poolside. Members share recipes, hydration tips, and the occasional Amazon find just as if they share tee sheets.
There's more flexibility with guests. Open availability through the summer means members can bring friends without the friction of peak season.
"I play in a lot of summer leagues," she says. "I have a lot of girlfriends that I like to bring to Iron Horse in the summer months. You can do that because there are fewer people here, and so you can have more fun and bring more people."
After the round, the bar and grill overlooking the 18th hole is the gathering place — the same bet-settling, recap-having dynamic that defines any good day at The Preserve.
For Colleen, the thing that has stayed with her most is everything surrounding the course.
The Preserve borders the Grassy Waters Preserve, a 20,000-acre natural wetland. Colleen keeps photographs of blue herons taken from the course. Alligators move between ponds. The wildlife, she says, can break through the routine of a round.
"Sometimes in the rush of everything during the course of a day, you don't get a chance to step back and realize it," she reflects. "But when you see some of these birds, when you're that close to it, it's pretty cool."
For anyone on the fence about a summer membership, or about making the move to Florida at all, Colleen says to try it on your own terms.
"Rent a house for a couple of months. Play golf early in the morning. Stay hydrated," she says. "You won't believe how beautiful the course is. It's just really a fun time to play, and you can work on your game and really enjoy golf — probably more than you can even in season."