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Our History...

 


With the inception at the hands of golf course architect nonpareil Donald Ross himself...to the Home of the PGA of America in the 1940's, 50's and 60's...to today, Dunedin Golf Club has seen its share of golf history and hosted a veritable "Who's Who" of American golfers.

It's considered a badge of honor to Dunedin regulars that Ross designed their course.  In fact, it's that way at most of the more than 300 courses Ross laid out in the United States from the time he came here from Scotland in the late 1800's until his death in 1948.  Ross designed many courses in North Carolina but he found time to branch out.  A natural destination was Florida, where less than 20 of his designs are still in operation today.

There's been considerable speculation about the courses Ross designed, if he actually visited the sites.  Ross' original routing plans for Dunedin which showed the course was designed and built in 1926, were discovered in 1990.  Newspaper articles from the Dunedin Times in 1926 and 1927 chronicle show his visits to the Dunedin course.  More than 200 men were employed, and they needed the help of 68 horses and mules, 16 wagons and "other earth-moving equipment."  The course was variously referred to in the local press as 'Dunedin Isles Golf and Country Club' and 'Dunedin Isles golf course'.  The course opened for play on January 1, 1927.  Ross...was...here, and he still is!

Home of the PGA…
In 1945, Dunedin became the home of the PGA of America, which leased the club and established its headquarters in Dunedin.  We hosted 18 Senior Tour Champions from 1945 through 1962 and was home to the original PGA Merchandise Show which was held at Dunedin Golf Club and on Palm Boulevard.  A slew of big-name golfers visited and played here over the years.

A benefit match for PGA veterans of World War II was played here by Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Jug McSpaden in 1946.  Bobby Jones played the course in 1948. Gene Sarazen competed several times in the Senior PGA Championship here.  Women such as Babe Zaharias, Peggy Kirk and Louise Suggs also came to Dunedin.

The arrangement served both entities well.  But by the early 1960s, it was apparent the PGA of America was growing and Dunedin couldn't accommodate a second 18-hole course.  The PGA moved in 1962 to Palm Beach Gardens and is now located in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Celebration: The big Eight-Oh!
The club celebrated its 80-year history with an anniversary tournament and dinner in 2007.  The course, which is open to the public, continues to celebrate its association with Donald Ross and his hallmark small, elevated, well-bunkered greens.

He built playable golf courses that have kept their relevance over a long period of time. Even with the new equipment of today, the Ross courses seem to handle protecting par fairly well.  That's mostly because of his greens.  Where you have original Ross greens, he will give you a clear path to the hole and four or five other paths. But once you're on the green, the real work begins.

"By the 1920s, Florida was becoming a tourist destination.  If Dunedin wanted to cash in on this booming industry, it needed to give visitors something to do.  Developer Ephraim S. Frischkor, from Bloomfield, Michigan bought the land around Dunedin Country Club in 1926 and hired Ross to build a championship course.  Frischkor, was a member at the world renowned Oakland Hills Country Club, in Birmingham, Michigan where he met Donald Ross.

"Ross, whose most famous course is Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, finished in about a year with the help of more than 200 workers.  Dunedin Isles Country Club opened on Jan. 1, 1927.
"The course fell into disrepair shortly after its opening because of the bust in the Florida land boom and the stock market crash 1929.  A few locals did minimal mowing to keep the course playable; it would rebound a few years later.

"The course was deeded to the city for recreational purposes in 1930 by the Contract Investment Company.  A clause required the city to rehabilitate the layout within three years.

 "Dunedin Country Club retained its championship status, and in 1945 the city commission was able to lure the Professional Golfers Association to set up its headquarters there.  From 1945 through 1962, Dunedin CC was home of the PGA.  "But when the PGA members wanted to build a second 18-hole course and expand the clubhouse, Dunedin was unable to do so due to lack of land.  The PGA moved to Palm Beach Gardens."
- St. Pete Times, Sept. 2007

When you tee off, you follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest golfers of all times: Al Watrus, Babe Zaharais, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Horton Smith, Sam Snead, Walter Hagan and many other great tour players have all played here at Dunedin Golf Club!  We are located in one of the oldest towns on the west coast of Florida, only minutes from the #1 Beach in America, Caladesi Island.


For a golfing challenge you'll never forget, call (727) 733-7836 for a tee time up to 5 days in advance.