A good walk ... not wasted
Discover the greats who graced the greens at the World Golf Hall of Fame
For any golfer it’s a thrill to see your favourite player in person or have a chance to walk the storied fairways of courses in places such as Augusta or Pebble Beach.
But true lovers of the game may want to also go to the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla.
Here visitors will learn about the sport’s history, the greats who graced the greens and perhaps even improve their putting.
One of the most recognizable features of the hall of fame is its Trophy Tower, which sits nearly 60 metres above the building and houses some of golf ’s most prestigious trophies. A 360-degree view from the top allows people to survey much of the nearly 2,500-hectare property.
Inside the hall, walk through the Wall of Fame, where the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino are honoured on bronze plaques. Or dig into the history of the game — from the early players and course designers to the evolution of the clubs and balls.
Visitors can use old wooden putters from the past before trying a high-tech golf simulator to test drives and receive immediate feedback on swings.
There are also displays on the most prestigious championships and authentic replicas of the most cherished trophies in the game, including a locker room with memorabilia.
The hall of fame originally opened in 1974 in Pinehurst, N.C., but ran into hard times and closed in the mid-1980s. But Deane Beman, the commissioner of the PGA Tour at the time, felt strongly that it should continue and moved it to Florida in 1998.
Jack Peter, senior vice-president of the hall of fame, said Beman looked at a lot of locations including California, but felt St. Augustine, with its easy access to Interstate 95, was best.
“We get a huge number of Canadian visitors through St. Augustine each year, particularly the snowbirds driving down to get out of the winter,” he said.
Tony Foubert and his wife Beverley from Barrie, Ont., were doing just that when they visited the hall in early March.
“I’d like to come back and spend another day,” Foubert said after taking the tour. “I read a lot of things I didn’t know.”
There is also an Imax theatre, golf lessons available, two championship courses and a 300room hotel on site.
Danny Felde of Long Island in New York was making his first visit to the hall and said he’d encourage any fan of golf to do the same.
“If you enjoy golf, you can spend a few hours in there reminiscing,” he said.
The price of admission gets you a three-part ticket which includes a tour of the hall, a round on an 18-hole, natural grass putting course, and a chance to take one shot on the championship hole — a recreation of the island green on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.
“I put a couple in the water, but everybody should try it,” said Steve Quigley of West Chester, Penn.
Peter said the hall sees more than 200,000 visitors a year with the majority coming from Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Canada.