DeFuniak Springs Country Club Featured as Florida Historic Golf Trail Course of the Month

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that DeFuniak Springs Country Club has been chosen as the featured course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail for the month of August. The DeFuniak Springs Country Club is located in the City of DeFuniak Springs in Walton County.

“We are pleased to feature the historic DeFuniak Springs Country Club as a partner on the Florida Historic Golf Trail,” said Secretary Detzner. “For over 90 years, this course has been a fixture for golfers and visitors to this historic community in Northwest Florida.”

Located between Pensacola and Tallahassee, the City of DeFuniak Springs contains a collection of Victorian homes that encircle the nearly symmetrical spring-fed Lake DeFuniak. In the early 1920s, a group of progressive businessmen recognized that golf links would draw winter tourists to their community, and sought to organize a Golf and Country Club for the benefit of tourists as well as locals. By 1924, a 9-hole golf course was under construction and opened with sand greens.  The golf course remained a 9-hole layout until the late 1960s when land was cleared for an additional 9 holes.  The 18-hole course was completed in the 1970s.

Today, the DeFuniak Springs Country Club includes an 18-hole, par-72 golf course featuring five sets of tees playing from 4,100 to 6,600 yards. Carved from gently rolling hills and pine forests, the course includes five spring-fed lakes, 23 sand-traps and natural hazards, including towering trees, sandy scrub brush, hardpan and a variety of flowering shrubs. Tree lined, tight fairways lead to small Bermuda grass greens that are not only elevated, but pitched and undulating enough to make the very best of putters a bit nervous. DeFuniak Springs Country Club, located in a turn-of-the-century, picture-postcard town, is an affordable, hidden gem of a course with beautiful views from every vantage point.

“It's a tremendous honor to be chosen as The Florida Historic Golf Trail featured course for the month of August,” said Calvin Mooney, General Manager at DeFuniak Springs Country Club. “We would like to invite everyone to come experience the oldest golf course in Walton County.”

Image Courtesy of Defuniak Springs Country Club

For more information about the DeFuniak Springs Country Club or the Florida Historic Golf Trail program visit DeFuniak Springs Country Club, Florida Historic Golf Trail or Facebook.com/FloridaHistoricGolfTrail.

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About The Florida Historic Golf Trail Florida's golf history, recognized as one of the oldest in the nation, dates back to the 1890s when a number of early courses were created along with the development of railroads and hotels in the state. The Florida Historic Golf Trail is a collection of more than 50 historic, publicly accessible golf courses throughout the state that can still be played on today. Through the Florida Historic Golf Trail, golfers can play on courses designed by world-class architects and played by famous golfers such as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.  Information about the history and current day contact information for each partner course can be found at FloridaHistoricGolfTrail.com.  Find the historic course near you and Come Play on History!

About The Division of Historical Resources The Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources (DHR) is responsible for preserving and promoting Florida’s historical, archaeological, and folk culture resources. The Division Director’s office oversees a grants-in-aid program to help preserve and maintain Florida’s historic buildings and archaeological sites; coordinates outreach programs such as the State Historic Markers program and the Florida Folklife program which identifies and promotes the state's traditional culture. DHR directs historic preservation efforts throughout the state in cooperation with state and federal agencies, local governments, private organizations, and individuals. The Division director serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer, acting as the liaison with the national historic preservation program conducted by the National Park Service. The Division is comprised of two Bureaus, archaeological research and historic preservation. For more information visit flheritage.com.