The Country Club of Orlando

Detailed description of The Country Club of Orlando

The Country Club of Orlando, is a Private, 18 hole golf course located in Orlando, Florida.

The Country Club of Orlando was chartered in November 1911. At this time, the City of Orlando was eager to attract northern tourists, and the Club - which had already opened a nine-hole golf course, was seen as a tremendous asset to the city in this regard. The first clubhouse, a typical "Old Florida" building with wide verandahs, was opened in May of 1912. Expansion of the golf course to eighteen holes came a few years later.

In 1926, just at the end of the Florida Land Boom, a new Mediterranean-style clubhouse was opened. Costing $65,000, the new facility was, indicated the Orlando Morning Sentinel, "one of the finest in the country." By this time, the golf course was considered one of the best in the state; and in 1933, a stable was constructed where members could keep their horses.

In January 1956, a new, contemporary-style facility, costing some $400,000 was opened. The Orlando Sentinel termed the building "a dream come true for club members." During the following decades, as Central Florida prospered on many fronts – most notably that of tourism as Walt Disney World opened in 1971, and many other entertainment areas followed – various remodeling and refurbishing projects took place at The Country Club of Orlando. Major golf course renovations took place in 1960, 1976 and 1990, the last of which was planned to preserve and enhance the features of the original Donald Ross design.

The new clubhouse - a Mediterranean design reminiscent of Addison Mizner-s Palm Beach-style architecture - debuted in May of 2000 with a Gala Opening Ball.