Golf History

golf history Dunedin Golf Club Eyes Restoration as 100th Anniversary Approaches

Source: Dunedin Golf Club archives. Aerial photo of 10th & 14th holes at Dunedin Isles on September 14, 1926.

The Dunedin golf course has a rich and

storied history. In 1925, the Michigan firm of Frischkorn-Florida, headed by Ephraim S. Frischkorn, purchased 1,500 acres to develop the Dunedin Isles Subdivision. In February of 1926, Frischkorn-Florida announced it would construct an 18-hole golf course designed by the legendary golf course architect Donald Ross. Work on the course started in 1926. It was completed in time for a grand opening on January 1st, 1927.The golf course exemplifies Ross’s design philosophy: “Golf should be a pleasure, not a penance.” Greatness Since the Beginning

When the Dunedin Isles Golf Course opened for play on January 1st, 1927, Tommy Armour, the game’s finest player at the time, remarked, “It is one of the finest courses I’ve ever played. The layout is the thing. It’s the best in Florida and perhaps the country.” Dunedin Isles Golf Club was also in the Guinness Book of World Records. In April of 1928, two Dunedin assistant golf pros set the record for most holes played in one day by playing 263 holes! How did they do it? They used two motorcycles to transport them quickly between shots. Home of the PGA of America

The Dunedin golf course became the home of the Professional Golfers Association of America in 1945. It was renamed the PGA National Club. The PGA Senior Championship was founded and played here from 1945 to 1962. Many of golf’s greatest players graced Dunedin’s fairways including Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, and Louise Suggs. The first PGA Merchandise show was held in the Club’s parking lot in 1954. It has since become one of the largest trade shows in the world. In 1962, the PGA ultimately outgrew the course and moved to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Source: Chicago Tribune, April 22nd, 1928

The Future

Earlier this year, Club members organized to restore this golfing masterpiece. As a first step, the Club applied for and received a $15,000 grant from the Donald Ross Society to commission a master restoration plan to restore. In February 2021, the Club hired Kris Spence, a noted golf course architect specializing in restoring Donald Ross designed courses. After evaluating the course, Kris Spence commented,” Dunedin Golf Club exemplifies some of Mr. Ross’s strongest and most strategic work. It should be restored and preserved for generations to come. We will be able to authentically restore what I believe to be one of the most historically significant Ross designs in Florida, if not the entire country.” Kris completed the Master Plan in May of 2021 which provides for the following improvements:

1. Addressing drainage issues and installation of a new, state of the art irrigation system

2. Restoration & regrassing of green complexes and greenside bunker complexes

3. Removal of trees and re-establishing original holes and sightlines

4. Re-grassing fairways and restoration of fairway bunkers and teeing grounds.

The restored golf course will be just over 7,000 yards from the championship tees, with 84 bunkers and greens that range from 5,000 – 6,000 square feet. The greens will be lowered 18 – 24 inches, allowing for more runup shots to greens as Ross intended. The total cost for this restoration project is $3.8 million, taking an estimated eight months to complete. In recent years, numerous other municipalities have completed golf course restorations, with dramatic

increases in golf revenue. In 2016, Kris Spence completed the restoration of Mooresville Golf Club in Mooresville, NC, a 1948 Donald Ross golf course. Since reopening, Mooresville annual golf revenue has increased from $800,000 to over $1,800,000 in 2020, a $1.0 million dollar revenue increase. Based on preliminary projections, it is estimated that a restored Dunedin golf course would generate additional net golf revenue of over $800,000 annually, paying back the $3.8 million dollar investment in less than five years. This restoration project would undoubtedly garner national media attention and attract thousands of avid golfers from around the country. The restored golf course should generate millions of dollars in additional revenue for the local economy. After almost 100 years, this tired golf masterpiece is in desperate need of some TLC. Hopefully, the City of Dunedin will realize that restoring Dunedin Golf Club is a sound investment in preserving an illustrious part of its history.