Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club

In 1939, a young Billy Graham found his calling while meditating on the 18th green of the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. This historic course, nestled in Temple Terrace, Florida, just a short hop from Tampa, has witnessed more than just divine inspiration. The Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club opened in 1922, a brainchild of famed golf architect Tom Bendelow. Bendelow, also known for designing Medinah Country Club in Chicago and Palma Ceia, crafted a unique figure-eight layout, weaving through the planned community’s orange groves and nascent housing lots. Imagine, in the roaring twenties, no parallel fairways, but roads flanking most holes, allowing galleries to follow the action by automobile. The Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club wasn’t merely a sporting venue; it was a social hub. The original clubhouse, now a dormitory for Florida College, once hosted legendary entertainers like Al Jolson. A nearby casino, situated near the curve of the ninth hole, added to the area’s vibrant nightlife. The Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club even hosted the first Florida Open in 1925, attracting top golfers and boasting the largest purse in the state’s golfing history. Today, the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club continues to thrive. The 18-hole, par-72 course retains much of Bendelow’s original design, challenging golfers with its narrow fairways and compact greens. Even the yardages remain largely unchanged, offering a classic golfing experience. So, the next time you’re at the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club, remember, you’re walking on hallowed ground, where history, sport, and perhaps even divine inspiration, have intertwined for over a century.