Cards & Clubs Invitational to Debut Private Golf + Poker Hospitality Experience at PGA National Resort
January 11–13 Invitational will bring together senior executives, clients, partners and talent for championship golf, team poker, premium hospitality and competition for the Cards & Clubs Cup.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Cards & Clubs Invitational (CCI), a new private destination experience built around golf, poker, business and hospitality, will debut January 11–13, 2027 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, home of the PGA TOUR’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches.
The invitation-only event will bring together a curated group of senior executives, clients, strategic partners, entrepreneurs, golf talent, poker personalities, creators and other invited guests for two nights of competition and hospitality.
At the center of the Invitational are two distinctly different games with a similar competitive mindset.
Golf and poker both reward patience, strategy, risk management, discipline, decision-making and composure under pressure. Cards & Clubs brings those worlds together in one team competition, moving from the fairway to the final table and culminating in the awarding of the Cards & Clubs Cup.
TWO GAMES. ONE COMPETITION.
Golf will take place on The Champion at PGA National Resort, home course of the PGA TOUR’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and the famed Bear Trap.
Four-person teams will compete in an 18-hole scramble before the competition moves indoors later that evening for a private tag-team poker tournament designed to be competitive, engaging and accessible to players with varying levels of experience.
Results from golf and poker will combine to determine the overall Cards & Clubs team champion.
“Golf and poker both give people a reason to compete, but they also give people time together,” said Tom Wheaton, founder of Cards & Clubs Invitational. “You’re out on the golf course for hours, and later you’re sitting around a poker table talking, competing and having fun. That’s what Cards & Clubs is about — bringing the right people together and creating an experience where competition and relationships develop naturally.”
The Invitational schedule is intentionally structured around golf, meals, hospitality and poker, giving participants meaningful time together throughout the experience.
FOUNDING TEAMS
Cards & Clubs Invitational is being built around a limited group of Founding Teams, giving select companies the opportunity to host the people who matter most to their business inside the experience — from executives and clients to strategic partners, ambassadors and creators.
Each Founding Team receives four flexible participant positions that can be used for the guests most relevant to that organization.
For participating companies, the format creates an opportunity to combine executive engagement, client hospitality, relationship development and brand content within one shared competitive experience.
The experience includes two nights at PGA National Resort, golf and poker competition, official meals and beverages, premium hospitality, gifting, professional photography and video, and access to all official Cards & Clubs experiences.
Golf and poker personalities will also be integrated throughout the Invitational, creating opportunities for participants to compete and interact alongside them.
“Founding Teams aren’t there to watch the experience happen around them,” Wheaton said. “They’re in it. Their executives, clients, partners and talent are playing, competing and spending time together. That’s where much of the value comes from.”
Professional photo and video production will run throughout the Invitational, allowing participating organizations to capture authentic content around their own teams and guests.
The inaugural field is intentionally limited to preserve the personal, invitation-only nature of the experience.
THE INAUGURAL FIELD
The inaugural Cards & Clubs field is being assembled from Founding Teams, business leaders, clients, partners, golf and poker personalities, creators and other invited guests.
The mix is central to the Invitational, creating an environment where competition, hospitality and shared experience can lead naturally to meaningful conversations and relationships.
Founding Teams, participants and additional partners will be announced in the weeks and months ahead as the inaugural field takes shape.
SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THE AJGA
Cards & Clubs is also collaborating with the American Junior Golf Association and will support at least one ACE Grant (Liberty National Achieving Competitive Excellence) through the inaugural event.
The ACE Grant provides financial assistance to young men and women pursuing opportunities in competitive junior golf with the goal of earning college golf scholarships.
“Golf creates tremendous opportunities, but competing at a high level can require significant resources,” Wheaton said. “Supporting an ACE Grant gives us a meaningful way to help create opportunities for the next generation of golfers as we build Cards & Clubs.”
BUILDING A NEW INVITATIONAL TRADITION
Cards & Clubs is being developed as an annual Invitational property at the intersection of golf, poker, business, hospitality, sports and culture.
The inaugural event is designed to establish the foundation for a platform that can grow over time while maintaining the intimate, invitation-only character of the experience.
“Competition gives people something to care about together,” Wheaton said. “The ambition with Cards & Clubs is to build something people want to return to every year, where rivalries develop, relationships deepen and raising the Cup actually means something.”
The inaugural Cards & Clubs Invitational will take place January 11–13, 2027 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
For more information about Cards & Clubs Invitational, the inaugural field or Founding Team participation, visit cardsandclubs.com.
ABOUT CARDS & CLUBS INVITATIONAL
Cards & Clubs Invitational is a private, invitation-only destination experience bringing together golf, poker, business and hospitality through a combined team competition. Built around a limited field of Founding Teams and invited participants, CCI gives executives, clients, partners, talent and guests the opportunity to compete and connect from the fairway to the final table.
The inaugural Invitational will take place January 11–13, 2027 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Cards & Clubs Invitational is produced by Above the Felt Entertainment, the poker marketing, partnerships and talent agency founded by Tom Wheaton. Above the Felt works with brands, gaming companies and poker businesses across strategy, partnerships, content, experiences and talent.
