Ponte Vedra Inn and Club
Encyclopedia
The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, located at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
, is a AAA Five Diamond Award resort and the first country club
at Ponte Vedra. The 9th hole on the Ocean course has the distinction of having the first island green ever built.
and ilmenite
used in the production of titanium
and zirconium
, built a 9-hole golf course and 12-room clubhouse constructed of logs for the use of their employees in the early 1920s. After World War I
ended, demand for the minerals decreased, and the company decided to transform the beachfront property into a resort community. At the time, the mining operation was called Mineral City, which was unacceptable for marketing. The name was changed to Ponte Vedra in 1928, and the Inn & Club was founded.
Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co.
was a developer of Ponte Vedra Beach in the early 1930s and owned the Ponte Vedra Club. The resort became a favorite of the wealthy and social elite. Guests returned year after year, as did subsequent generations. The 1937 clubhouse stands behind the lobby building and is still in use.
. There are 250 rooms and suites; over 90% of them have ocean views. There are four restaurants and three lounges along with 10 boutiques and shops. A new 28000 sq ft (2,601.3 m²) full-service day spa
facility opened in November, 2006. Recreation activities include 3 heated beachside pools, bicycling, boating, fishing, horseback riding and structured activities for children. The resort has a premier tennis center which offers professional instruction on their 15 Har-Tru courts. An elaborate fitness center includes a six-lane Olympic pool. A conference center can accommodate up to 450 people. However, most guests come for the golf.
in 1928, redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Sr.
in 1947, then again by Bobby Weed
in 1998. The island green on the 9th hole is always a challenge. Most of the time there is a stiff wind off the ocean. The Ryder Cup
was scheduled to be held there in 1939, but was canceled when World War II
began.
The front nine holes of the Lagoon Course were a Robert Trent Jones Sr.
design and opened in 1961. It was sixteen years before the back nine was built, laid out by Joe Lee
. In 1997, Bobby Weed
redesigned the entire course. The Lagoon is considered easier to play, but there are water hazzards on thirteen holes.
The latest clubhouse renovation occurred in 2001, and the course is limited to members and their guests or guests of the resort.
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach is an unincorporated seaside community in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located eighteen miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jacksonville Beaches area. It is an upmarket tourist resort area best known for its...
, is a AAA Five Diamond Award resort and the first country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
at Ponte Vedra. The 9th hole on the Ocean course has the distinction of having the first island green ever built.
History
The National Lead Company, which mined rutileRutile
Rutile is a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide, TiO2.Rutile is the most common natural form of TiO2. Two rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known:...
and ilmenite
Ilmenite
Ilmenite is a weakly magnetic titanium-iron oxide mineral which is iron-black or steel-gray. It is a crystalline iron titanium oxide . It crystallizes in the trigonal system, and it has the same crystal structure as corundum and hematite....
used in the production of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
and zirconium
Zirconium
Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name of zirconium is taken from the mineral zircon. Its atomic mass is 91.224. It is a lustrous, grey-white, strong transition metal that resembles titanium...
, built a 9-hole golf course and 12-room clubhouse constructed of logs for the use of their employees in the early 1920s. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended, demand for the minerals decreased, and the company decided to transform the beachfront property into a resort community. At the time, the mining operation was called Mineral City, which was unacceptable for marketing. The name was changed to Ponte Vedra in 1928, and the Inn & Club was founded.
Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co.
Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co.
Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co. was one of the largest mortgage banking, real estate and insurance firms in the Southeast. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, they were founded as Stockton, Whatley in the late 19th century...
was a developer of Ponte Vedra Beach in the early 1930s and owned the Ponte Vedra Club. The resort became a favorite of the wealthy and social elite. Guests returned year after year, as did subsequent generations. The 1937 clubhouse stands behind the lobby building and is still in use.
Resort
The family-oriented resort contains 300 acres (121.4 ha) with ½ mile of beach on the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. There are 250 rooms and suites; over 90% of them have ocean views. There are four restaurants and three lounges along with 10 boutiques and shops. A new 28000 sq ft (2,601.3 m²) full-service day spa
Day spa
A day spa is a business establishment which people visit for professionally administered personal care treatments such as massages and facials. It is similar to a beauty salon in that it is only visited for the duration of the treatment. Day spas sited in airport terminals are often called airport...
facility opened in November, 2006. Recreation activities include 3 heated beachside pools, bicycling, boating, fishing, horseback riding and structured activities for children. The resort has a premier tennis center which offers professional instruction on their 15 Har-Tru courts. An elaborate fitness center includes a six-lane Olympic pool. A conference center can accommodate up to 450 people. However, most guests come for the golf.
Golf courses
The golf facilities at the resort have a total of 36 holes on two courses. The Ocean Course was designed by Herbert StrongHerbert Strong
Herbert Augustus Strong was an Australian scholar, professor of comparative philology and logic at the University of Melbourne.-Early life:Strong was born at Clyst St Mary near Exeter, England the thirdson of Rev...
in 1928, redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was a golf course architect who designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 US states and 35 other countries all around the world...
in 1947, then again by Bobby Weed
Bobby Weed
Robert C. Weed, Jr., ASGCA is a golf course designer, builder, and protégé of Pete Dye. Weed's work includes Tournament Players Club courses, the Slammer and Squire at World Golf Village, and the redesign of the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida...
in 1998. The island green on the 9th hole is always a challenge. Most of the time there is a stiff wind off the ocean. The Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
was scheduled to be held there in 1939, but was canceled when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began.
The front nine holes of the Lagoon Course were a Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was a golf course architect who designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 US states and 35 other countries all around the world...
design and opened in 1961. It was sixteen years before the back nine was built, laid out by Joe Lee
Joe Lee
John Joseph Lee is an Irish historian and former senator. He is currently Professor of History and Glucksman Professor for Irish Studies and Director of Glucksman Ireland House, at New York University....
. In 1997, Bobby Weed
Bobby Weed
Robert C. Weed, Jr., ASGCA is a golf course designer, builder, and protégé of Pete Dye. Weed's work includes Tournament Players Club courses, the Slammer and Squire at World Golf Village, and the redesign of the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida...
redesigned the entire course. The Lagoon is considered easier to play, but there are water hazzards on thirteen holes.
The latest clubhouse renovation occurred in 2001, and the course is limited to members and their guests or guests of the resort.