Timuquana Country Club
Encyclopedia
Timuquana Country Club is a private golf
and country club
in Jacksonville
, Florida
. Located in Jacksonville's Ortega
neighborhood, it was founded in 1923. Its golf course was originally designed by legend Donald Ross, and members have included PGA Tour
professionals Steve Melnyk
and David Duval
. It has hosted various golf tournaments since its opening, including the 2002 United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship
.
facility. They adopted the name "Timuquana," a variation of the name of the Timucua
, a Native American people who once lived along the St. Johns River
. Their charter was approved on February 12, 1923 and within three months, membership had grown to 185. Timuquana Country Club's first president was John L. Roe. Donald Ross, the most noted golf course architect in the United States, was engaged to design and build the course in 1923. After playing the new course, two club members suggested that additional sand traps on the fairways would enliven play, and donated them. Vic Foreman was the club's golf pro for 43 years, from 1925-1968.
Several professional tournaments were played at Timuquana soon after the course was built, attracting the best golfers of the era, and exhibition matches featured Johnny Farrell
, Walter Hagen
, Gene Sarazen
and Horton Smith
. The course hosted the Southern Amateur
championship several times, and the 1928 Florida State Amateur Tournament was won by club president Al Ulmer at Timuquana.
The years during the Great Depression in the United States
were difficult for the club. Membership fell to 51, and the club could not afford a manager. The club reorganized their financial affairs in 1936, cutting costs to a bare minimum, and survived. Bobby Jones
was stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville
during World War II
and often played golf at neighboring Timuquana. Robert Trent Jones
, another well-known golf course designer, worked with club members in 1948 to develop a ten-year blueprint for improving the course. Many of the suggestions were implemented during the 1950s, including adding a lake on the 5th, which the tee shot must traverse. This became the course's signature hole.
Sectional qualifying rounds were held at Timuquana for several USGA Senior Amateur Championships, and the US Amateur Championships in 1955, 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1976. George Cobb
tweaked the course design in 1957 and 1963, as did David W. Gordon in 1968, who added a lake to the 6th hole. In the seventy years since Donald Ross built the course, the changes introduced by other architects to "freshen" the course had erased the characteristics that made the original design playable and enjoyable. Bobby Weed
was tasked in 1995 with restoring the Ross design, but there was no blueprints or design notes. His only reference was a 1943 aerial photograph from the nearby Navy base. On three holes, Workers found groups of bushes planted as 150-yard markers in 1923 that were now 20 yards in the rough. Between April and October 1996, Weed cleared brush and cut down 800 trees that had encroached on the fairways, restoring the angles that Ross intended.
At the end of the 1990s, new federal rules required more efficient use of water for irrigating non-agricultural land. The southern property line of Timuquana Country Club abuts the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and they partnered with the Navy to use the base's treated wastewater effluent for golf course irrigation, which began in the fall of 1997.
from the novel and film Gone with the Wind
. The clubhouse includes a fine dining facility (the Skyline Room), meeting and banquet rooms and casual eating options. Social events, traditions and activities are scheduled year-round. A new men's lounge, known as the "19th Hole" and maintenance/storage buildings were constructed in 1963. The club's 75th anniversary was observed in 1998.
In March 2000 members approved an 21000 square feet (1,951 m²) expansion to the club house, costing $2.4 million. KBJ Architects
designed and managed the projects, which included:
Construction began during the summer of 2000, and a grand opening was held July 7, 2001.
In September 2002, Timuquana hosted the United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship
.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Located in Jacksonville's Ortega
Ortega, Jacksonville, Florida
Ortega is a neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. It is located south of downtown Jacksonville on a peninsula off the western bank of the St. Johns River. It is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Jacksonville and is among the wealthiest in the United States, and is the location of many...
neighborhood, it was founded in 1923. Its golf course was originally designed by legend Donald Ross, and members have included PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
professionals Steve Melnyk
Steve Melnyk (golfer)
Steven N. Melnyk is a former American professional golfer and golf sportscaster best known for his success as an amateur golfer. Melnyk won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur.- Early years :...
and David Duval
David Duval
David Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.-Early years:...
. It has hosted various golf tournaments since its opening, including the 2002 United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship
United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship
The United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association ....
.
Beginnings
On May 25, 1921, a group of 50 prominent gentlemen met at the Seminole Social Club in downtown Jacksonville to consider the organization of a new club to provide a superior golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
facility. They adopted the name "Timuquana," a variation of the name of the Timucua
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
, a Native American people who once lived along the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
. Their charter was approved on February 12, 1923 and within three months, membership had grown to 185. Timuquana Country Club's first president was John L. Roe. Donald Ross, the most noted golf course architect in the United States, was engaged to design and build the course in 1923. After playing the new course, two club members suggested that additional sand traps on the fairways would enliven play, and donated them. Vic Foreman was the club's golf pro for 43 years, from 1925-1968.
Several professional tournaments were played at Timuquana soon after the course was built, attracting the best golfers of the era, and exhibition matches featured Johnny Farrell
Johnny Farrell
John Joseph Farrell was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1928 U.S. Open.Farrell was born in White Plains, New York. He turned professional in 1922.In 1928, Farrell won the U.S. Open...
, Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen
Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on...
, Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
and Horton Smith
Horton Smith
Horton Smith was an American professional golfer, who is best known as the first man to win the Masters Tournament.- Tournament career :...
. The course hosted the Southern Amateur
Southern Amateur
The Southern Amateur is an amateur golf tournament. It has been played since 1902 and is organized by the Southern Golf Association. From1902 to 1963, it was played at match play...
championship several times, and the 1928 Florida State Amateur Tournament was won by club president Al Ulmer at Timuquana.
The years during the Great Depression in the United States
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
were difficult for the club. Membership fell to 51, and the club could not afford a manager. The club reorganized their financial affairs in 1936, cutting costs to a bare minimum, and survived. Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
was stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville or NAS Jacksonville is a military airport located four miles south of the central business district of Jacksonville...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and often played golf at neighboring Timuquana. Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was a golf course architect who designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 US states and 35 other countries all around the world...
, another well-known golf course designer, worked with club members in 1948 to develop a ten-year blueprint for improving the course. Many of the suggestions were implemented during the 1950s, including adding a lake on the 5th, which the tee shot must traverse. This became the course's signature hole.
Sectional qualifying rounds were held at Timuquana for several USGA Senior Amateur Championships, and the US Amateur Championships in 1955, 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1976. George Cobb
George Cobb (golf)
George W. Cobb, ASGCA is a notable and prolific golf course designer who created the Par-3 Course at Augusta National Golf Club among more than one hundred courses and renovated many, including his own early work...
tweaked the course design in 1957 and 1963, as did David W. Gordon in 1968, who added a lake to the 6th hole. In the seventy years since Donald Ross built the course, the changes introduced by other architects to "freshen" the course had erased the characteristics that made the original design playable and enjoyable. Bobby Weed
Bobby Weed
Robert C. Weed, Jr., ASGCA is a golf course designer, builder, and protégé of Pete Dye. Weed's work includes Tournament Players Club courses, the Slammer and Squire at World Golf Village, and the redesign of the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida...
was tasked in 1995 with restoring the Ross design, but there was no blueprints or design notes. His only reference was a 1943 aerial photograph from the nearby Navy base. On three holes, Workers found groups of bushes planted as 150-yard markers in 1923 that were now 20 yards in the rough. Between April and October 1996, Weed cleared brush and cut down 800 trees that had encroached on the fairways, restoring the angles that Ross intended.
At the end of the 1990s, new federal rules required more efficient use of water for irrigating non-agricultural land. The southern property line of Timuquana Country Club abuts the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and they partnered with the Navy to use the base's treated wastewater effluent for golf course irrigation, which began in the fall of 1997.
Tennis
Two clay tennis courts were created in 1933 but were little used and eventually removed. In 1963, the club built four tennis courts and later added four clay courts. A large number of members participate in the club's tennis league, which is active year-round.Swimming pool
Although a swimming pool had been proposed from the earliest days of the Club, it was not until after World War II that one was built for and enjoyment of the members and their families. In 1963, the Club added a new swimming pool with family and lap areas. In 2000, the poolside grille was given a facelift and new restroom facilities were added.Boating
Many members enjoy boating on the St. Johns River, although the club does not provide marina services. Alfred I. duPont provided the club's first dock as a gift in 1929. That structure was replaced in 1949, and in early 2002, a new floating dock system was installed for transient docking.Fitness center
Plans for a 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) Fitness Center were approved in March 2000, with construction beginning during the summer of 2000 and a grand opening was held July 7, 2001.Clubhouse
A clubhouse was built in 1923, but by the 1950s, it became apparent that the Club had outgrown the structure. The issue was studied by nearly every club board and committee, and the Permanent Improvement Committee created a plan that involved rebuilding some sections, remodeling others and constructing new additions. It was approved by the membership and construction began in June, 1958. The resulting southern-style clubhouse, which opened December 16, 1958, was designed to resemble the Tara PlantationTara Plantation
Tara, the fictional plantation found in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind, was located near Jonesborough , Georgia...
from the novel and film Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
. The clubhouse includes a fine dining facility (the Skyline Room), meeting and banquet rooms and casual eating options. Social events, traditions and activities are scheduled year-round. A new men's lounge, known as the "19th Hole" and maintenance/storage buildings were constructed in 1963. The club's 75th anniversary was observed in 1998.
In March 2000 members approved an 21000 square feet (1,951 m²) expansion to the club house, costing $2.4 million. KBJ Architects
KBJ Architects
KBJ Architects, Inc. is an American architectural firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm designed 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings and "created Jacksonville's modern skyline", according to The Florida Times-Union newspaper. The firm designed the first high-rise in downtown...
designed and managed the projects, which included:
- the men's grille and cocktail lounge was renovated
- expanded "Pow Wow Room" for casual dining
- a new elevator and handicapped accessible toilet facilities were added to improve facilities for the disabled
- a Heritage Gallery was created to showcase trophies and the club's history
Construction began during the summer of 2000, and a grand opening was held July 7, 2001.
In September 2002, Timuquana hosted the United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship
United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship
The United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association ....
.