Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club Featured as Florida Historic Golf Trail Course of the Month

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club has been chosen as the featured course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail for the month of February. The Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club is located in the City of Temple Terrace in Hillsborough County.

“We are pleased to feature the historic Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club as a partner on the Florida Historic Golf Trail,” said Secretary Detzner. “An integral part of the original plat for development of Temple Terrace,the golf course has been physically and culturally interwoven with the City’s history since the early 1920s.”

To create the town’s golf course, Temple Terrace developers hired Scottish born Tom Bendelow, one of the world’s most prolific early golf course designers. Bendelow was a pioneer in the establishment and growth of the game in America. In 1921, Bendelow arrived from Chicago to look over the Temple Terrace property and was impressed with the beautiful, natural location for a golf course along the Hillsborough River. Work began on the course later that year, and the first nine holes were open for play in 1922. The following year, the 18-hole golf course was completed and officially opened. At over 6,600 yards it was one of the longest golf courses in Florida at that time.

The course is laid out in a “returning nines” design. The idea of returning nines – where a course has two loops of nine holes, each beginning and ending at the clubhouse – dates to the early nineteenth century, and has become a standard approach for golf course design.

Today, the 18-hole, par-72 golf course features four sets of tees playing from 5,400 to 6,400 yards, winding through the historic Temple Terrace Estates community. In 2012, the Temple Terrace golf course became the second Florida golf course listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

"Temple Terrace Golf & Country is honored to be featured this month on the Florida Historic Golf Trail," said Paul Richardson, President of Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. "Our heritage goes back to 1922 with our Tom Bendelow designed course. We host the U.S. Professional Hickory Tournament annually, and this year it is scheduled from February 20 to 22, 2016."

Images Courtesy of Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club and the Hickory Golf Hub

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

# # #

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. DHR directs historic preservation efforts throughout the state in cooperation with state and federal agencies, local governments, private organizations, and individuals. The director of DHR 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 or major program areas: archaeological research and historic preservation. For more information, visit flheritage.com.