The historic Ponte Vedra Inn and Club Ocean Course will close in August to begin an $8 million renovation project, its first since 1998.
Architect Bobby Weed, who has overseen two previous renovations at the resort, will once again lead the project.
Herbert Hill Peyton, chairman of the Gate Petroleum Company that owns the club, said in a statement that the renovation “will restore the Ocean Course to its past glory.”
The Ocean Course was built in 1928 and designed by Herb Strong, who also was the architect for courses such as Saucon Valley, Linwood and Canterbury.
The Ocean Course included one of the first examples of an Island Green, the par-3 ninth, 54 years before Pete Dye designed the 17th hole at The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, and was scheduled to host the 1939 Ryder Cup before the outbreak of World War II in Europe forced the cancellation of the matches.
The project will fully restore the tees, fairways, greens, bunkers, irrigation, drainage, bridges, bulkheads and landscaping and will include “significant improvements” to the practice facilities.
Weed handled the renovation of the Ocean Course 21 years ago, and also the adjacent Lagoon Course in 2007. The Lagoon Course will remain open during the Ocean renovation.
It was announced last week that Weed would design the area’s newest course, an as-yet unnamed facility in northern St. Johns County. Weed was the architect for courses such as Dye’s Valley at TPC Sawgrass, TPC River Highlands and the World Golf Hall of Fame Slammer & Squire.
The club has not yet made a decision on whether the Gate Invitational, scheduled for Aug. 4-6, will be played in its entirety at the Lagoon, or moved to another course. The Gate has been the top invitational event on the First Coast since 1985, with a mix of the area’s top club professionals from the Northern Chapter PGA and amateurs.
Also to be re-scheduled or moved would be the Gate Senior Invitational in December.
The Ocean renovation will be part of nearly $40 million that Gate has committed for upgrades on the resort to coincide with its 100th anniversary in 2028.
