From Flat Lands To High Sand Ridge

The game of golf came early to Vero Beach. In 1919, the same year the first bridge was built connecting the mainland to the barrier island, Riomar Country Club welcomed players to its new nine-hole, palm-tree-lined, oceanfront course. At that time, Riomar was the only golf course between Daytona and Palm Beach. Just five years later, Vero Beach Country Club opened its initial nine-hole facility and cemented the city’s reputation as a golf-centric, resort community.

The design of both of these early courses typified what has come to be known as the “Old Florida” style of golf architecture – generally flat terrain covered in Bermuda grass, punctuated by tropical flora, water hazards and plenty of sand.

Read the entire article in the July 2014 issue