January 22, 1926 Club officially opens
as Whitfield Estates CC, with an exhibition match between Bobby
Jones & Tommy Armour versus Long Jim Barnes & Johnny Farrell.
January 23, 1926 Jones & Armour played
a match against Archie Compston, British PGA Champion and Arnaud
Massey, French Open Champion.
February 13, 1926 Jones & Armour
challenged Gene Sarazen & Leo Diegel.
 February
28, 1926 The legendary “Battle of the Century”
was a 72-hole match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, with
the first 36 holes played at Whitfield Estates CC, n/k/a Sara
Bay CC. Hagen defeated Jones 11 & 10.
March 14, 1926 Jones & Armour defeated
Hagen & Gil Nichols.
February 2, 1936 An exhibition round
by Babe Ruth, Mickey Cochrane, Grantland Rice and Dizzy Dean.
1940 - Club is renamed North Shore
Country Club, and is host to the 3rd PGA Seniors’ Championship,
which was won by Otto Hackbarth.
1941 - Club changes name to Sarasota
Bay Country Club, and was selected again as the site of the
4th PGA Seniors’ Championship, won by Jackie Burke, Sr.
Note: The first and second PGA Seniors’ Championships
were played at Augusta National Golf Club.
1952 to 1956 Sarasota Bay CC is the host
site for the LPGA Women’s Open Invitational. Participants
included Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, Louise Suggs, Betsy Rawls,
and Marlene & Alice Bauer, who lived along the club’s
18th hole.
March 11, 1957 Jimmy Demaret, Cary Middlecoff,
Jack Burke, Jr. and Bob Hope, played in a charity golf tournament
benefiting the American Red Cross of Sarasota and Manatee counties.
1964 - Club adopts its’ current
name of Sara Bay Country Club
1979 - Ken Venturi
plays an exhibition round
Championships
1957Florida State Amateur Medal Play Championship
1994 Florida Junior College Golf Championship
1995 Florida State Amateur Medal Play Championship
1999 Florida State Senior Medal Play Championship
2007 Florida State Senior Match Play Championship
Noteworthy
- Since 1991 host club to the Joe Turnesa Memorial Scholarship
Tournament, for the benefit of the Greater Sarasota
Junior Golf Association. Over 30 partial college scholarships
have been awarded.
- Since 1992 host club to the Donald Ross High School
Invitational, which is the premier event for golfers
from a three county area.
- 2006-Member Ashley Hoagland qualifies for
full exempt status on the LPGA Tour.
- 2006-Member Jonathan Moore is the NCAA Division
1 Champion
- 2006-Members Trent & Tyler Leon are NCAA
1st Team from champion Oklahoma State.
- 2006-Member Taylor Leon plays on the USA
Curtis Cup Team. Also named to the 1st Team All-American from
University of Georgia.
Quotes
- Bobby Jones-1925 newspaper article. Upon
seeing the course for the first time, he remarked: “It
will be a wonderful course…one of the best in America…and
an invitation to championship play.”
- Tommy Armour-1960 Golf Magazine interview.
Reflecting back on his time as the Clubs’ first head professional,
he said: “It was glorious, for I played golf everyday
for five months with Bobby Jones…we picked up pointers
from one another…it helped both our games.”
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