---
title: Playing Golf Alongside Grassy Waters Preserve
description: Play a West Palm Beach private course along the 20,000-acre Grassy Waters Preserve.
image: https://preserveatironhorse.com/hubfs/images/blog/Playing%20Golf%20Alongside%20PIH.webp
---

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[The Preserve at Ironhorse](https://preserveatironhorse.com/blog/author/the-preserve-at-ironhorse)  November 10, 2026

# Playing Golf Alongside Grassy Waters Preserve

![](https://preserveatironhorse.com/hubfs/images/blog/Playing%20Golf%20Alongside%20PIH.webp)

## Key Takeaways

- The Preserve at Ironhorse in West Palm Beach borders the 20,000-acre Grassy Waters Preserve. Once you finish the third hole, you leave the surrounding homes behind and play the rest of your round in a quiet, natural setting.
- You'll play nearly half the course along the preserve's edge, where wading birds and the occasional alligator are part of a normal day on the course.

On a given morning here at The Preserve at Ironhorse, you might line up your approach while a heron lifts off the bank a few yards away, with marsh and open water stretching out behind the green.

Nearly half the holes [border the 20,000-acre Grassy Waters Preserve](https://preserveatironhorse.com/golf), and the course gets noticeably quieter once you leave the first few holes behind.

Here's a look at what a round alongside the preserve is like, from your opening tee shot to the walk up eighteen.

## Where the Homes Fall Away

You'll start your round close to the Ironhorse community, with homes along the first couple of holes while you settle into your swing. You'll also get your first look at the preserve on those same opening holes.

From the fourth hole on, you'll find the homes set well back across the lakes and mostly out of view, and you'll spend the rest of your round looking out over open water and native landscaping.

Along the way, you'll reach one of the course's most talked-about stretches: the[back-to-back par 5s at holes five and six](https://preserveatironhorse.com/blog/two-par-fives-and-zero-tee-times-tim-turpen-on-course-strategy-at-the-preserve). Members tend to approach those two holes very differently, and you can give each one your full attention.

## Playing Along Grassy Waters

You'll play eight holes along the edge of Grassy Waters Preserve: the first five holes on the front nine and holes 10 through 12 to open the back nine. The City of West Palm Beach protects the preserve as a wetland and draws its drinking water from it, so no one will ever build along those fairways.

You'll notice the quiet first. Without traffic or neighborhood noise close by, you'll mostly hear birds between shots. From many of the tees on these holes, you'll look out over sawgrass marsh and open water with nothing built on the far side.

Wading birds show up in nearly every round out here. Great egrets and herons often feed in the shallow water along the edges, and most of them stay put as you play through. Every so often, you'll spot an alligator resting in the sun on a bank.

## A Layout Built for Everyday Golf

When Rees Jones redesigned the course, he kept it playable for golfers who want to tee it up several times a week. He limited forced water carries to three holes and left the fronts of the greens open, so you can attack a pin or run the ball up depending on how you're playing.

With[six sets of tees](https://preserveatironhorse.com/blog/how-the-preserve-plays-for-every-golfer) to choose from, you can play the same eighteen holes all season and still find a new test.

## Why the Setting Matters When You're Choosing a Club

You'll notice something on the course that you won't find on a spec sheet. During your round, you'll feel removed from the busy roads of[West Palm Beach](https://preserveatironhorse.com/west-palm-beach), even though you're minutes from Palm Beach Gardens and about 15 minutes from Palm Beach International Airport.

You'll also find the course uncrowded, and you'll usually finish in[about three and a half hours](https://preserveatironhorse.com/blog/pace-play-at-the-preserve).

When you finish on eighteen, you'll head up to the Bar & Grill overlooking the final hole and settle the day's bets with your group.

Every golfer has a picture of the round they’d play every week if they could. If any of this sounds close to yours, you’ll want to know more about the rest of the course.

[![Get to Know the Course.](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5412261/interactive-215196908615.png)](https://preserveatironhorse.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLL2Au%2BoLCHei7ivSEmL0mJCJ4momIo9hpc4qG0AOnVKTbrPZa6G1E02VSHqj24AEcMrSR5vHbMNAhEABA9c2DQ7DTgV1eZT1dq0mhge3AhmqwJ0syXmW5QCv3lYR2PDJZhTSg0wR0yvniwLGCLS26h9sXDuDhfA7xOE%2Frv0oappdV95OtuamRlLEiz3ZYRya%2B0zmFfyZmcs2WwyblbJ%2Ffw%3D&webInteractiveContentId=215196908615&portalId=5412261)

 …

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The Preserve at Ironhorse  
8055 Ironhorse Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33412  
Phone: 561-624-5550

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