Donald Ross' Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Florida
Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Florida has a lot of that which causes Donald Ross' legions of devotees to revisit his golf courses again and again: the elevated, crowned greens; the artfully and strategically placed bunkers; the focus on strategy over brute strength. Located in an old, shaded neighborhood on the west side of town, Hyde Park has been a Jacksonville golf landmark since 1925, winding through Southern pines and Spanish oaks that provide merciful shade on the brutal summer days.
A former PGA Tour stop that's been played by the likes of Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan, Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg (many of their photos still grace the walls of the tasteful clubhouse), Hyde Park was purchased in 1971 by former touring pros Billy Maxwell and Chris Blocker, who've done an admirable job maintaining both the course conditions and the community feeling. The course itself is straight out of a museum, measuring 6,468 yards from the back tees with a 124 slope rating. It's a course that appreciates the subtler aspects of the game - namely, trying to get the crowned greens to hold your approaches.