Thank goodness for that or Quail Valley would be victim of being just another flat Florida course.
Creatively, a series of lakes were dug out and all that dirt from the lakes was used to create the elevation change on the course. Of note is that the property sits on an old citrus grove for which Price and Fazio II were working with a totally flat piece of land. Nick Price and Tommy Fazio surely succeeded in their goal as the course has a great balance between challenge and playability. Quail Valley was designed to be first and foremost a members course for their enjoyment. When you walk around the clubhouse you can see that you are on the highest point of the property, a very clever way of building the clubhouse so you can maximize all the views that await you on the golf course. There is a long entry way that meanders around the two sided practice facility and short par-3 course.
Immediately upon arriving at Quail Valley you have a very grand feeling. I find it helpful to shape expectations by explaining the goal of an architect so one can question why the finished product is what it is as opposed to a course that is specifically designed to host the PGA Tour or a major championship. With all that said, by no stretch does this philosophy ensure anything with regards to where a course ranks or falls in comparison to all others within the state or nationally for that matter. Bottom line, with Nick Price designed golf courses, of which there are currently 12, you don’t just get a famous golfer putting their name on a golf course, you get one of the most caring gentleman in all of golf putting his heart and soul into each course he takes on. With that approach, unless you have a complete lack of talent for designing courses, there is little doubt that the finished product will be one the membership(s) or community will be proud of. Most importantly, Nick never takes on more than one to two projects a year to be sure he can personally “dedicate the necessary time to design and build each one of his courses”. The reason I knew this is that Nick Price has a very hands on approach with his design work and he has made it clear that he is not out to “build a golf course design empire” but instead Nick focuses on ensuring his clients “have fun with the development of their course.” Besides being one of the nicest guys in golf, Nick takes pride in “handcrafting a golf course” and “personally guiding and shaping the outcome of every aspect of his courses”. Even before stepping foot on property, I had confidence the finished product would make the Quail Valley membership happy day-in and day-out. Prior to visiting, I did a bit of research and found out Quail Valley was a Nick Price and Tommy Fazio II design. It was pure luck that I became aware of Quail Valley as I was playing another course with an acquaintance who told me he had recently played an event there and I should really put it on my list to check it out. I feel lucky to have had the privilege to play a round there and want to give specials thanks to Director of Golf Don Meadows for his hospitality and insight, he is a class act and true professional.
The club is quite happy to keep a low profile as it is specifically designed and operated for the benefit of its members and Quail Valley is a great example of a club that is not overly concerned with their ranking or notoriety. Having played 91 of the top 100 ranked courses in Florida, I had never even heard of it until recently. Quail Valley is a the true definition of a hidden gem. Quail Valley has hosted USGA qualifiers, Florida State Golf Association events, and the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational (hosted by McNeese State University). The course (as well as a six-hole par three layout) surround a clubhouse perched centrally on the property’s highest point. The pair dug a series of irrigation ponds and used the leftover soil to create a hilly route on what would have been typically-flat Florida land.
Steve and 30 founding members may not have had a professional sports organization to bring to the area, but they did manage to bring Nick Price and Tommy Fazio (nephew of Tom) to design this layout on a former citrus grove in 2001. Quail Valley now has three properties in the Vero Beach area for membership use, however the coastal boat slips and private restaurants came after the core element of the club’s culture: An 18-hole, 7,460-yard golf course.įounder Steve Mulvey’s family has a long history in Vero Beach when his father owned the then-Brooklyn Dodgers, the family organized for the team to conduct its spring training in the area.