If country club life is the reason you are moving to South Florida, you will end up choosing between Boca Raton and Delray Beach, two cities about five miles apart on I-95 that do club life very differently. This guide puts every club in both cities on one page, with 2026 costs, two years of closed sales and, unlike the brochures, a straight opinion on which clubs are best at what, from a broker who has lived here more than 30 years and works every one of them.
Ricky's verdicts
Best-kept golf course: Addison Reserve, together with Broken Sound's Old Course.
Best tennis and pickleball facilities: Boca West, the nicest courts and the biggest program.
Best for families with children: Woodfield.
Best food: St Andrews, Addison Reserve, Woodfield and Boca West; Delaire is good too.
Most expensive homes: Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, by a wide margin.
Golf and the beach, membership optional: Seagate Country Club in Delray (Ricky is a member).
Club without a golf community: The Boca Raton, an individual membership of about $200,000 with no home required; its course is being rebuilt.
Tennis without a club fee: The Oaks, a good tennis program paid through the HOA.
Every Boca Raton club, side by side
| Club | Membership | To join (2026, full) | Yearly club cost | Median sale, $1M+ | Sales, 24 mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Palm Yacht & Country ClubEast Boca · on the Intracoastal | Optional, by nomination | Golf about $125,000–$210,000 | About $18,000–$30,000 | $9.00M | 85 |
| St Andrews Country ClubWest Boca | Mandatory | $500,000 + $50,000 POA | About $50,566 | $3.50M | 75 |
| The Oaks at Boca RatonWest Boca | None (club in HOA) | $0 | HOA about $1,119/mo | $2.50M | 75 |
| Woodfield Country ClubWest Boca | Mandatory | $225,000 ($300,000 from Nov. 2, 2026) | About $36,825 | $2.20M | 102 |
| Boca Grove Golf & Tennis ClubWest-central Boca | Mandatory (golf only) | $250,000 (since Apr. 15, 2026) | About $48,288 incl. community assessment | $2.09M | 26 |
| Bocaire Country ClubNorth Boca | Mandatory | $200,000 | About $49,234 | $2.05M | 37 |
| The Polo Club of Boca RatonBoca–Delray line | Mandatory | $250,000 | $27,708–$42,804 | $1.86M | 112 |
| Broken Sound ClubCentral Boca | Mandatory | $130,000–$225,000 | $24,887–$32,237 | $1.53M | 81 |
| Boca West Country ClubCentral Boca | Mandatory | $215,000 | About $30,843 with golf | $1.53M | 83 |
| Boca Woods Country ClubWest Boca | Mandatory | $119,000 | About $25,543 | $1.24M | 20 |
| Stonebridge Country ClubWest Boca | Mandatory | About $151,000 | About $36,400 with assessments | $1.23M | 26 |
Every Delray Beach club, side by side
| Club | Membership | To join (2026, full) | Yearly club cost | Median sale, $1M+ | Sales, 24 mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaire Country ClubWest Delray | Mandatory | $300,000 | About $45,081 | $2.30M | 33 |
| Addison Reserve Country ClubWest Delray | Mandatory | $400,000 full golf | About $49,195 | $1.97M | 62 |
| Seagate Country Club (The Hamlet)Two miles from Atlantic Ave | Optional | About $225,000 resort (incl. beach club) | About $26,500 | $1.67M | 31 |
| Mizner Country ClubWest Delray | Mandatory | $275,000 | $41,417–$46,838 | $1.50M | 36 |
| Gleneagles Country ClubWest Delray | Mandatory | $150,000 | About $28,264 | $0.90M* | 11* |
Sales: BeachesMLS closed sales of $1,000,000 and up, October 17, 2024 to October 17, 2026, compiled by Ricky Estera. *Gleneagles had no MLS sale at $1 million or more; its figures are county-recorded single-family sales at all prices. Fees are the clubs' 2025–26 and 2026 schedules as published or reported; they change often, so confirm with each club before an offer. Every fee, assessment and closing contribution is broken out in the 17-club membership fee comparison, with a calculator.
How club life differs between the two cities
Boca Raton is club-centered. Most of the clubs are west of I-95, large and self-contained: your golf, tennis, dining and social calendar all happen inside the gates, and many members rarely need to leave. The range is what sets Boca apart: you can buy into club life for about $1.2 million at Boca Woods or Stonebridge, or spend $9 million or more on the water at Royal Palm. It also has the most liquid club markets, The Polo Club alone sold 112 homes of $1 million-plus in two years.
Delray Beach is club plus town. Its clubs are fewer: Addison Reserve, Delaire, Mizner and Gleneagles are mandatory, and Seagate is optional. What Delray adds is a real downtown: Atlantic Avenue runs from I-95 to the ocean with restaurants, galleries and life after dark. Members use the club in the morning and the Avenue at night. Seagate, two miles from Atlantic Avenue with its own beach club, is the bridge between the two styles.
Costs: what you pay to belong
At a mandatory club you pay a one-time membership contribution at closing, $119,000 to $550,000 in 2026, then yearly dues of roughly $25,000 to $50,000, plus subdivision HOA, property tax of about 1.8 percent of the price, and often a food minimum and cart fees. Delray's mandatory clubs cost more to join on average (Addison Reserve $400,000, Delaire $300,000, Mizner $275,000) than Boca's middle tier (Boca West $215,000, Woodfield $225,000 until November 2, The Polo Club and Boca Grove $250,000), while St Andrews tops both cities. Fees rise roughly every year and a half, so the number in a 2025 listing is rarely the number you will pay.
Who chooses which
Choose a Delray Beach club if you want a single-family club like Addison Reserve, or golf near the beach at Seagate, and a walkable downtown for evenings.
Not sure? Ricky will tour both cities' clubs with you in a day.
Explore each club
Addison Reserve
Delray's top club: 27 holes rebuilt by Rees Jones, all single-family.
Homes & guides →St Andrews
Boca's top golf club: 36 holes, estate homes.
Homes & guides →Royal Palm Yacht & CC
Deep-water estates on the Intracoastal.
Guide →Woodfield
The number one club for families.
Homes & guides →Boca West
Four courses, the best racquet facilities in Boca.
Homes & guides →The Polo Club
The busiest club market in either city.
Homes & guides →Boca Grove
A boutique club with no tee times.
Homes & guides →Seagate
Golf and the beach club, membership optional.
Homes & guides →Gleneagles
Two courses at Delray's lowest entry cost.
Homes →Moving from out of state? Start with the relocation guides. Ready to talk? Contact Ricky or call 561-212-0111.
Opinions are Ricky Estera's own. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any club named.
