History

The Clewiston Golf Course was established in 1929 by nationally known planner John Nolen, who was commissioned to create the master plan for the City of Clewiston. Nolen’s plan dedicated a section of the city for an 18-hole golf course. A few years later, the City built an aviation field on a portion of the land originally designated for the course.

By the late 1920s, a small five-hole course was laid out in downtown Clewiston at Civic Center Park. This short course allowed golfers to practice their short irons and putting skills. In 1928, the City of Clewiston commissioned the golf course architectural firm Stiles & Van Kleek (Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek) to design a regulation 18-hole course. Construction continued throughout the following year, including the planting of several hundred trees around the course.

Prominent resident and local engineer Captain F. Deane Duff oversaw construction of the golf course. A World War I veteran, Duff worked for the Sugarland and Clewiston Drainage Districts and served as General Manager of the Clewiston Development Company, which later became the United States Sugar Corporation.

The nine-hole golf course officially opened for play on Sunday, February 23, 1930. Built on previously flat land, the original design featured water hazards, rolling greens, and one tee box rising more than 20 feet high. The course measured 3,270 yards with a par of 37. The shortest hole was the third at 135 yards, and the longest was the fourth at 530 yards. Daily green fees were 50 cents, or $2 per month for the entire family.

With the opening of the regulation nine-hole course, the Civic Center Park course continued to be maintained for children under the age of 14. The Clewiston Golf Course remained a nine-hole facility until the late 1960s, when the City added an additional nine holes.

The original 1929 Stiles & Van Kleek nine-hole layout is still in use today and consists of holes found on both the current front and back nines. To play the historic routing (holes 1–9) in order, golfers would start on today’s 10th hole, followed by the 11th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 2nd, 8th, 1st, and finish on the 18th. Below, historic and current photos of the course are shown for comparison.