Nearly a century after Donald Ross first designed Dunedin Golf Club, the historic city-owned municipal course just north of Tampa in Dunedin, Fla. has reclaimed its place among the great American munis – following a $6 million restoration, guided by Ross specialist Kris Spence.
Ross said the course – which opened in 1927 as Dunedin Isles Golf Club – was one of his finest works, praising its “ideal combination of rolling hills, waterways, and natural hazards.” When the city approved a full restoration, the goal was clear — to return the course to its Golden Age roots. For Spence, that meant uncovering the past in a very literal sense.
Over the years, several renovations took the course further away from what Ross had created. This included the green complexes shrinking 35 to 50 percent, reducing the strategy Ross intended. Now, thanks to this latest and meticulous restoration of the green complexes, bunkers, fairways and tees, every golfer can experience the course as Ross intended – right down to the actual original greens.
“At Dunedin, the most pleasant surprise was that I could see the old greens extending out beneath those renovations,” Spence explained. “They had never been destroyed — just buried. We were able to excavate, expose and restore them exactly as Ross designed them.”
The discovery allowed Spence’s team to rebuild the original greens, bunkers, and fairway contours with remarkable accuracy. “It was almost an archaeological dig,” he added. “Once we peeled away the newer material, we found the original greens that had been buried for 75 years.”
The restoration brought back the bold contours, subtle movement, and strategic options that made Ross’s work legendary. Golfers now face complex green shapes, deep bunkering, and a return to shot values that reward creativity and precision.
“Players are going to experience the greens and bunkers as he envisioned them,” Spence said. “There are some difficulties and depth to it all, and the bunkers are very challenging. That’s what’s so unique about Ross — he brought the Scottish style of golf to America, with bump-and-runs and low approaches that you can now experience again at Dunedin.”
For Blair Kline, Dunedin’s General Manager of Golf Operations, the restoration balances historical accuracy with modern playability. “If Ross saw how far the ball goes today and how fast greens are, I don’t think he’d design exactly the same course,” Kline said. “Now we have the course that we believe he would design. The routing is original, but we adjusted a few bunkers for modern distances and recaptured all the original pin placements.”
Dunedin’s influence in American golf runs deep. In 1945, the PGA of America relocated its headquarters from Chicago to Dunedin, leasing the course and renaming it PGA National Golf Club. It went on to host 18 consecutive Senior PGA Championships and the inaugural PGA Merchandise Show in 1954. During those years, legends such as Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Louise Suggs, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and Byron Nelson all played its fairways.
The course became a hub of professional golf and a landmark for the community. When it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, that legacy was formally preserved — but the restoration gave it renewed purpose.
Today, Dunedin Golf Club is among Florida’s top munis, joining Winter Park Golf Course in Orlando and The Park in West Palm Beach. Eighteen-hole rates range from $85 to $140, with discounted green fees for local residents.
For Dunedin, the restoration was never just about aesthetics — it was about revitalizing a community asset that connects the city’s past with its future. The project’s success has generated new attention, tourism, and pride within the city limits.
“It’s been an overwhelming success, said Kline. “People are going out of their way to come here and play it. From that respect, it is helping to put Dunedin in front of some people who may not be aware of this community and how great it is. Our rates are very competitive compared to many of the top courses and destination golf resorts in the region, and some of them have already started sending us golfers.”
Nearly a century after Ross first walked these grounds, his “masterpiece” once again embodies the timeless beauty and strategic brilliance that defined his work. Thanks to the City of Dunedin’s commitment and vision, the course that once shaped golf history is now shaping it again.
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