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By Dave Daubert

The First Coast of Florida just got a new addition to its superb golf offerings with versatile golf course architect Erik Larsen’s and St. Johns County’s new public project at the St. Johns Golf Club.

The grand opening was scheduled for Nov. 29, extending a period ofrenovation work that has been a strong trend.

Larsen, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident, and former executive vice president of Arnold Palmer Golf Design Company, has been working on the St. Johns Golf Club project for seven years – from feasibility study to planning and finalization.

Larsen worked in concert with longtime Director of Golf/General Manager and PGA Professional Wes Tucker and his staff, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, and Wadsworth Golf Construction Company.

The St. Johns Golf Club redesign follows Larsen’s successful 2015 reinvention of the Atlantic Beach Country Club course and its infrastructure east of Jacksonville, the site of the 2016-18 Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Larsen has over 40 years of experience in golf course design, having personally worked on approximately 100 courses reaching 23 states and 24 countries.

“The St. Johns Golf Club is a terrific example of publicly owned, accessible golf and interesting architectural work coming together to make the players’ experience much more enjoyable,” Larsen said.

“Job one was to fix the golf course, which suffered from poor drainage, broken irrigation, outdated features and contaminated grass. This led to making St. Johns a properly functioning course,” Larsenm said. “Then we brought the starting and finishing holes, the practice facility, and an additional ‘wee-links’ concept nearer to the clubhouse to allow people to interact more. We layered on a ‘throwback’ design style unlike anything in North Florida, all of which will create more fun and social interaction for all no matter their ability.”

The course is in Elkton, Florida, set in the 550-home Cypress Lakes subdivision two miles west of Interstate 95 at State Road 207 and about 10 miles west of historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida. More