New places for Jacksonville Fans and the Undergrowth cutting highlight the Jacksonville Area Golf Association and Première Côte golf calendar for 2025.
The 34th The Underwood Cup, which pits teams of Northern Chapter PGA professionals against the region’s top amateurs, will take place Feb. 3-4 at Deerwood Country Club. The Cup matches were played at Timuquana Country Club for the first 32 years, then at the San Jose Country Club.
Timuquana will always have a place on the regional calendar. For the first time in the tournament’s 64-year history, the historic Donald Ross Course, featuring winding fairways lined with 100-foot pine trees, will host the Jacksonville Amateur July 24-26.
The First Coast Golf Banquet Celebration will take place on February 20 at TPC Sawgrass, where the PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel and his wife Brittany will receive the Deane Beman Award for service to the region through golf.
The schedule begins Jan. 18-20 with the First Coast Amateur in Deerwood. There will be 11 tournaments for male, female and junior players, organized in Stroke Play, Match Play and Team formats.
Tournaments will be held in Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties
Also on the program:
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March 17: Jacksonville Area Golf Association Spring Four-Ball, The Palencia Club.
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April 6-8: 68th JAGA Senior Amateur Championship, Marsh Landing Country Club.
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July 15-16: North Florida Junior Foundation Greater Jacksonville Junior Championship, Eagle Harbor Golf Club.
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July 20-22: First Coast Women’s Amateur, Sawgrass Country Club.
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October 27: 27th JAGA Club Team Championship, World Golf Village King & Bear.
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November 3: JAGA Fall Four-Ball, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club Ocean Course.
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November 24: 22nd JAGA Scholarship Trust Classic, Deerwood Country Club.
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December 20: JAGA Family Championship, Jacksonville Beach Golf Club.
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Information on all tournaments is on jaxareagolf.org.
USGA reports increase in nine-hole rounds
The United States Golf Association released data last week that shows a national increase in nine-hole rounds posted handicapped and that the number of golfers maintaining a handicap index has increased.
According to the USGA’s 2024 Golf Scorecard, the organization’s first data report highlighting national participation in golf, nine-hole rounds posted for handicaps increased 8% from 2023 and nearly 40% from 2020 levels. The USGA said nearly 13.8 million nine-hole rounds have been recorded.
Additionally, par 3 rounds and other short courses have increased, with over 180,000 scores. The USGA this year began assigning a Course Rating and Slope Rating to these courses.
The First Coat has four existing par 3 courses, University of North Florida Golf Complex, Palm Valley, Blue Cypress in Arlington and The construction sites on Ponte Vedra Beach.
More than 94 percent of the rounds posted for the Handicap Index were recreational rounds and more than 75 percent of players who posted handicap rounds did not post tournament round scores.
Overall, the USGA reported that 3.35 million players have recorded more than 77 million scores in 2024. That number is up 6% year-to-date and nearly 30% since 2020.
Lance LaCombe wins State Mid-Am
Lance LaCombe of Jacksonville made the second playoff hole to beat Christophe Kupniewski of Sarasota at the Florida State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Hammock Dunes Creek Course in Palm Coast. Both players finished 54 holes at 2-over 218. Chad Ibbotson of Sanford scored 80 points to beat Brian King from Fernandina Beach by three in the FSGA Winter Series Stableford Senior Division at Slammer & Squire. Bob Hanneken of St. Johns finished third with 76 points and John Lobb of Jacksonville finished seventh with 70. Sutanit Tangyingyoung of Jacksonville tallied 74 points to finish third in the Mid-Amateur division, three points behind Ryan Mulhern from Tampa and two behind Thad Hudgens of Longwood. … Steve Pitt of Ponte Vedra Beach (73 points) won the second flight of the senior division.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: JAGA and First Coast golf calendar revealed with 11 events, multiple formats
