Timuquana Country Club – Played January 2024
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 4028 Timuquana Road, Jacksonville, Florida
- Year: 1923
- Original Architect: Donald Ross
- Additional Work By: Robert Trent Jones, George Cobb, Dave Gordon, Bobby Weed, & Bruce Hepner
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available
Score Card Information:
- Green: 7,025 yards, Par 72, 73.7 Rating/130 Slope
- Green/Blue: 6,730 yards, Par 72, 72.3 Rating/128 Slope
- Blue: 6,565 yards, Par 72, 71.7 Rating/126 Slope
- Blue/White: 6,260 yards, Par 72, 70.4 Rating/125 Slope
- White: 6,095 yards, Par 72, 69.5 Rating/123 Slope
- White/Gold: 5,830 yards, Par 72, 68.2 Rating/121 Slope
- Gold: 5,410 yards, Par 72, 66.1 Rating/115 Slope
- Gold/Red: 5,200 yards, Par 72, 65.2 Rating/112 Slope (Men’s), 69.9 Rating/121 Slope (Women’s)
- Red: 5,110 yards, Par 72, 69.5 Rating/119 Slope
The second trip on my short stint in Jacksonville was the Donald Ross-designed Timuquana Country Club. I phrased it like that because the course underwent plenty of surgery in the following years. Restoration work by Bobby Weed and Bruce Hepner has brought back some of the Ross touches that faded over the years. Additionally, a project that included drainage, irrigation, full greens replacement, and tee to green re-grassing was completed in 2022.
Recently, the club has hosted the 2002 US Senior Amateur, the 2019 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and a PGA Tour Champions event.
It is this modern iteration of the club that I got to see on a very chilly Janaury day. Thankfully Timuquana is a pleasant walk, which kept us above freezing. Let’s get into the tour!
Hole 1 – 365 yards – Par 4
Like many Ross courses, Timuquana starts out with a gentle handshake. A good drive on this straightaway hole should leave a short iron to attack the green. Be aware though, this is Donald Ross, so the green has runoffs.
Hole 2 – 370 yards – Par 4
Avoiding the bunkers is the primary objective on this slight dogleg right.
Hole 3 – 335 yards – Par 4
Another right bender here is more about finesse than strength. The green is slightly perched up with a sharp slope on the front right section.
Hole 4 – 505 yards – Par 5
With a good tee shot up the right side of this fairway, the green opens up for the second shot.
Layups should be played up the right to have the best angle to the green.
Hole 5 – 170 yards – Par 3
The bunkers are more in play here than the water. If you miss short of the green, the recovery shot is pretty straightforward.
Hole 6 – 485 yards – Par 5
While this hole is shorter than the previous par five, much more danger is present. For the tee shot, trees all up the left side are quite thick. For the approach, a small pond sits menacingly close to the green.
Hole 7 – 370 yards – Par 4
Whatever your preferred shot shape is, keep it on the fairway of this slight dogleg left. If you don’t, the hole becomes much more complicated.
Hole 8 – 145 yards – Par 3
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the short yardage on the scorecard. This green runs off in all directions so shot placement is key.
Hole 9 – 390 yards – Par 4
Bunkers dot the surrounds of this hole and come into play on the tee shot. If you find the short grass, the green is a pretty large target.
Hole 10 – 385 yards – Par 4
The shape if this hole call for a fade off the tee. You’ll want to favor the left side of the fairway to get the best angle to the slightly (this is Florida) elevated green.
Hole 11 – 325 yards – Par 4
Again, the left side is preferable here, but bunkers are strategically placed there. With a slope in front of this green, you must control your spin on the approach shot.
Hole 12 – 495 yards – Par 5
Challenging the bunkers on the lefthand side will result in the best angle to this green. If it’s not frigid temperatures, more than a few people can get home in two here.
The green opening in the front is receptive to run up shots. That’s always a plus.
Hole 13 – 185 yards – Par 3
There’s not much to explain with this hole. The backside of the green runs away, so distance control is imperative.
Hole 14 – 325 yards – Par 4
I’m sure longer players give this one a go. The green is devilishly sloped as it’s the main defense of the hole.
Hole 15 – 480 yards – Par 5
This is a slight dogleg right. If you get too aggressive, the trees on the right side can swallow up your tee shot.
Anything bouncing up the right side should chase onto the green.
Hole 16 – 155 yards – Par 3
Similar to our last par three, green runoffs are the story here. In addition, there is a front bunker to add to the difficulty.
Hole 17 – 385 yards – Par 4
Keep your tee shot out of the fairway bunkers and you stand a better chance of walking to the next tee with a good score.
Make sure you don’t go over this green.
Hole 18 – 390 yards – Par 4
We caught the finishing hole into a stiff breeze. Coupled with the cold temperatures, the hole played like a bear. Having a mid-iron into this green sounds a lot better to me!
As you can tell from the photos, Timuquana Country Club is not going to wow you visually. But don’t let that sour you. I found the greens to be quite interesting, especially since they were playing very firm and fast. The short grass surrounds provided plenty of chipping options and made you think throughout the round. Good golf courses aren’t always about the visuals and Timuquana is a great example of that.