BallenIsles

BallenIsles is a residential community and equity club located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.http://www.palmbeachgolfhomes.com/information/cc_communities.htm] Its country club contains some of the most famous golf courses in Florida. [http://www.oneput.com/golf.html]

Geographical Area

The subdivision is bordered on the north by PGA Boulevard, on the east by Military Trail, the south by Northlake Boulevard, and the west by Florida's Ronald Reagan Turnpike.

Golf Courses

BallenIsles is home to three 18-hole golf courses. The courses were originally commissioned by Palm Beach Gardens patron John D. MacArthur as the home of the Professional Golfers Association. The courses have hosted the World Cup Championship, PGA Championship, PGA Senior's Championship, and have been qualifying grounds for many golf legends on the PGA tour. The North and East courses were designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee, and the South course, recently redesigned by Gene Bates Golf Design, are reserved strictly for members and their guests.

Notable residents

Adele Siegel, co-founder of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University [BallenIsles Resident Directory 2007-2008]
Serena Williams, professional tennis playerTime Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1622574,00.html "Slam, Glam, Serena"] ; Palm Beach Post 26 January 2008]

Venus Williams, professional tennis player

Entrances and main roads

The main road of BallenIsles is BallenIsles Drive. The road stretches between the north entrance on PGA Boulevard, and the south entrance on Northlake Boulevard. The east entrance on Military Trail connects to BallenIsles Drive via Holly Drive.

Neighborhoods and communities

The original development of BallenIsles contained only the neighborhoods of Coral Cay, Crystal Bay, St. George Estates, and St. James. The next round of development and expansion saw the neighborhoods of Windward Cove and Emerald Key. The subdivision is now fully developed.

BallenIsles Neighborhoods:Coral Cay,St. George Estates,Crystal Bay,St. James Estates,Windward Cove,Emerald Key,Grand Isle,Estates of St. Thomas,Cocquina Club,Cayman Isle,Vintage Isle,Sunset Bay,Sunset Cove,Coconut Key,San Marita,Bermuda Lakes,Sunesta Cove,Laguna,Palm Bay Club,Arbor Chase,Sabal Pointe,Island Cove,Victoria Bay,Banyan Isle,Windsor Pointe,Orchid Cay,The Palms,Estates of St. Edward,Grand Key Estates,Grand Pointe Estates,Grand Palm,San Marco, andThe Estates of St. Martin.

Country club and tennis center

The country club at BallenIsles is considered to be world class, [http://www.wfpccvideo.com/jl/ballenisles/ BallenIsles Homes ] ] . A $49 million sports center and clubhouse renovation program began in early 2008. [Palm Beach Post 26 January 2008]

The club spans 72,000 square feet in the Grand Clubhouse complex, including a bar and grill room, private dining room, men's and women's locker rooms, card rooms, golf pro shop, and meeting rooms. [http://www.golfcoursehome.net/doc/communities/Community-Ballenislesfl.htm BallenIsles Golf Community Palm Beach Gardens, Florida ] ]

The nearby Tennis and Fitness Center, separate from the clubhouse, has a 23-court tennis complex with viewing promenade, tennis pro shop, large swimming pool with sun/lounge deck, restaurant service, indoor fitness center with aerobics room, private massage rooms, saunas, and men's and women's locker rooms.

Both complexes are restricted to members and their guests, however both are commonly used by professional athletes in their fields for both practice and competition. The country club is ranked 5th out of over 6,000 clubs nationwide on the 2007 Platinum Club Top 100 list (up from 17th in 2006, and 67th in 2000). Resident golf professional Annette Thompson was inducted into the Ladies Professional Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

The tennis center was ranked the #1 in the world by the USPTA in 2004, and resident tennis pro Judi Stiff was voted Tennis Professional of the Year in 2006 by the USPTA.

Other recreation

The tennis center at BallenIsles features a full service gym, as well as spa and wellness facilities. The subdivision has several small playgrounds located in the southern half of development, as well as an outdoor exercise facility near the south gate with several circuit stretch stations and a running track. The tennis center has a swimming pool and hot tubs, while the clubhouse has a pool table in the men's locker room, and card room for women's bridge. Outside the development, the PGA park is near the south gate, and has soccer and track fields for public use. The Palm Beach Gardens Municipal Building park is located near the east gate and has baseball fields for public use as well as playground facilities, outdoor stretch stations, swimming pool, and a running track.

BallenIsles is located within walking distance of the PGA Commons shopping and dining area and within a five-minute drive from Downtown at the Gardens, the Gardens Mall shopping areas, and newly developed Legacy Place. To the north, the Abacoa shopping district is within a ten minute drive.

Average home prices

Home prices vary by neighborhood, but range from $300,000 to over $4 million at official sale. In resale, homes have sold for over $5 million.

Local schools

The subdivision is served by schools in the Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter area.

High schools

* Palm Beach Gardens High School
* Dwyer High School
* Suncoast High School
* Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts

Middle schools

* Duncan Middle School
* Howell Watkins Middle School
* Bak Middle School of the Arts

Elementary schools

* Timber Trace Elementary School

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ballenislescommunity.com/ BallenIsles official website.]