It was the night of the Palm Valley Boat Parade, Dec. 8, at the Wyeth residence on Roscoe Boulevard. Meaning it was time for the Wyeths to host their annual holiday party for family and friends.
Children played hide-and-seek, prancing like reindeer, in and out of the home, while guests mingled, watching college football indoors or socializing outside by the pool or by the bonfire near the dock.
“We have this every year,” party host Clare Dibley-Wyeth said warmly, offering food and drinks to guests and grabbing a glass, herself, to celebrate. “This also marks our 10-year anniversary coming to the States,” she added, watching her son, Max, play in the game room located in the patio. The floor had green carpet and a small hole in the center of the room for indoor golf practice.
“He taught himself,” Clare Dibley-Wyeth said. “He’s basically has since he was little.”
Clare’s husband, Martin Wyeth, is CFO of the United Kingdom’s s automated ball teeing system, Power Tee. Invented by Martin Wyeth, Power Tee expanded to the U.S. when the couple moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 2009. Little did they know, they moved during the recession when about 3,000 golf courses closed in the U.S. The Wyeths pushed through and in 2015 champion golfer Jim Furyk agreed to endorse Power Tee, which is now available in more than 20 locations around the country. After a decade of hard work and patience, the evening of the Palm Valley Boat parade meant celebration.
“We didn’t know each other until we got here,” said party guest Karen Alderson, fellow Brit and friend of the Wyeths, who is a first-hand witness to how small the world can be. “We’re both from the same place in Britain,” she said. “I found out they lived right around the corner from me.”
Alderson socialized with another guest as others moved to the dock to watch the coming festivities.
A honk in the distance and cheers from the glowing dock next door gave it away. The Palm Valley Boat Parade had finally arrived, fashionably late, to the Power Tee power couple’s soiree, with elaborate displays, holiday music and a nautical seasons’ greetings to all.
