Perchance a Dream?

[Kyle Harris]

This golf course struggled for decades and finally closed a few years ago. The land is laying fallow and for sale. The site features elevation changes of 80-100' and only has one dominante water feature in play on an early hole in the routing.

If you know, please don't share the name of the course, location, or architect to see if we can generate some actual discussion.

My opinion is that this would be a golf course ranked highly within the state and Top 5 in it's county within that state.

Do you think this course is worth rebuilding and restoring based solely on these opening day photographs?

[Ronald Montesano]

I agree. It's not much to start the discussion, but there's a lot that's good to great about those photos. I love the diversity of the challenges...the width to the narrow, the left to the right for bends. I look forward to what others have to write.

[Kyle Harris]

I agree. It's not much to start the discussion, but there's a lot that's good to great about those photos. I love the diversity of the challenges...the width to the narrow, the left to the right for bends. I look forward to what others have to write.

I should add that one of the greens had the name "Elephant Ears" per the archive.

[Kyle Harris]

The first photo is at the end of a 250 yard hole that played downhill. The tee view is shown on the 4th and 5th from last photos.

I've seen this type of hole/feature (the two large mounds at the back corners of the green) on two other courses by these architects.

[Kyle Harris]

The economy shown in this routing is wonderful. The collection point of the routing is not of any significant prominence but serves as a launching off point to the more extreme terrain. 3 greens in the center of the property on an otherwise indistinguishable area. However, the need for tees to attack/traverse the more interesting parts of the ground farther away make this an obvious place. The greens, being fully contrived anyway, show a good amount of contouring.

The following photos show how this collection point in the routing interacts from play. The red and blue arrows point to the same respective features:

6th hole, tee sharing a high point with the 12th green:


7th green, shortest Par 3 on the course



2 views of the 11th with "Elephant Ears" at the green

[Andrew Harvie]

Whoever designed it and wherever it is, I'm BLOWN away by these photos. Great GCA'ing!


My initial thoughts are the green complexes show someone put a lot of thought into them - some rolls, rollicks, and ridges, but there seems to be some unique pockets/tongues/pads that I think are under-utilized IMO. Awesome stuff. Will eagerly await where this is!

[Kyle Harris]

Whoever designed it and wherever it is, I'm BLOWN away by these photos. Great GCA'ing!


My initial thoughts are the green complexes show someone put a lot of thought into them - some rolls, rollicks, and ridges, but there seems to be some unique pockets/tongues/pads that I think are under-utilized IMO. Awesome stuff. Will eagerly await where this is!

There are pictures of every green available I think. I need to dig further.


I’m struck, too, by the top lines and shapes of the bunkers. While the architects here are well regarded I’d imagine this represents some of their more sophisticated work in this category.


These architects were probably the most victimized by the Great Depression in this region, with this golf course the only one of six by them surviving beyond the 1950s.

[MCirba]

S & V?

[Thomas Dai]

Appears decidedly appealing.
Thanks for posting.
Atb

[Kyle Harris]

Flattened by the photo this is the 8th hole.

The tee shot is set at an angle to fairway and look at how the green is extended and perched into the man-made green/bunker complex.

One element of the routing is how it took advantage of the dominant hill on the north side of the site. The 5th hole played along the base of the hill before turning nearly 90 degrees and climbing to the top (the 6th hole is shown in the photos). The 7th and 8th played along the base of the hill again, then the 9th (also photoed) steadily climbed 80' back to the top. The 10th (back corner mounded green) descened while the 11th (Elephant Ears) played along the base in the opposite direction of the 8th.

The 12th then took the parallel route of the approach of the 5th to the top off the hill off the tee before making a left turn to the greensite.

[Marty Bonnar]

S & V?

My first thought too…

[Kyle Harris]

S & V?

My first thought too…

Well, you can stop thinking! 

[Bret Lawrence]

Great pictures Kyle, thanks for sharing!


Why did this well designed course on great land struggle for so many years?  It’s clear from your description that development didn’t take it over, if it lies fallow today. If the local geographic area couldn’t support the golf course, then how does it become successful if it were ever restored? Was it mismanaged, mis-marketed or was there something else about this location that kept people away? 




Bret

[Kyle Harris]

Great pictures Kyle, thanks for sharing!


Why did this well designed course on great land struggle for so many years?  It’s clear from your description that development didn’t take it over, if it lies fallow today. If the local geographic area couldn’t support the golf course, then how does it become successful if it were ever restored? Was it mismanaged, mis-marketed or was there something else about this location that kept people away? 




Bret

The same thing that happened to a bunch of places that were built in the mid 1920s - The Great Depression! The area never fully recovered and golf needs were served by a much bigger player in the area that had a bit more of a head start.

Not for nothing, these architects had SIX courses within 100 miles of this one and only one other is still extant. Two are in the Dan Wexler books.

[Rees Milikin]

Love this Kyle and assuming you've been poking your head around that area lately. The courses that S&VK and others had in that area were something special, but only few remain where any restoration can take place.


I have the club history book from this place, but will have to see if there are any pictures that are different from what you posted here.

[Brett Wiesley]

If it's the course I'm thinking, there is some home development around and near.  The course, if this is it, would also be close to the new Gil Hanse/Wagner High Grove.  Not sure it would stir more interest as a result.


Here's a link to Florida Historical Golf Trail listing of the course from 2018:
Highland Florida Golf Club Featured as Florida Historic Golf Trail Course of the Month - Florida Department of State

[Kyle Harris]

Streamsong is significantly closer.



This was Highland Park (later called Lekarica, and then rather briefly Highland Florida) designed by Stiles and Van Kleek in Lake Wales, FL.

In the 1920s, Polk County was an epicenter of golf with two Seth Raynor courses (Mountain Lake, Lake Wales CC), a Donald Ross (Lake Pierce Estates), William Flynn (Cleveland Heights) and this place. Stiles and Van Kleek also had Holly Hill and Kenilworth Lodge in nearby Sebring.

The land bust, which predecessed the Great Depression by a few years, hindered the natural progress of many of these places. 

1941


By the 1960s, the middle stretch from 9-14 were abandoned and turned to Orange Groves. If you ever played it in it's latest iterations there were slight changes to the 9th and 10th.

[Tags:]

Tags: