BRADENTON, Fla. ― The workers on Jackson Edwards’ Bradenton Country Club golf course maintenance crew have watched television this week with amazed eyes.
After 100 years, the old gal they so carefully maintain has finally gotten her close-up.
“The guys are watching it on TV,” said Edwards, the BCC’s golf course superintendent, “and they can’t believe it.”
Not only have some of the world’s best female golfers been on display, competing in the LPGA Drive On Championship, but so, too, has the venue, Manatee County’s oldest golf course. A course so elderly, its original name, the Palma Sola Country Club, was changed after the city was renamed Bradenton from Bradentown.
That happened in 1924, after golf architect Donald Ross, saying the land was ideal for golf, was hired to be the course designer. But 20 years later, with many of the BCC’s members fighting in WWII, the city of Bradenton saved the club from possible extinction by agreeing to maintain the course during the war years “for the benefit of tourists and resident golfers.” A total of $35,000 had been raised by local citizens to buy the course and recondition the clubhouse.
LPGA Drive On: Photos
“A club that’s lasted 100 years,” said Edwards, hired as superintendent in February 2022, “has gone through at least two or three recessions in golf. The membership really appreciates this property. They take care of it, they’re passionate about it. The membership here is what pretty much drives this club. They do what it takes to protect it.”
Donald Ross may have seen the property as a future golf course, but Jackson Edwards didn’t see his future on a golf course. Born in Canton, Ohio, the 37-year-old enrolled at Kent State University for architecture, mechanical drawing, and design. Over his sophomore summer break, Edwards got a job at a golf course under construction. His architectural dreams began to fade away.
“At the end of the summer,” he said, “I was talking to my boss, the superintendent, and I said, ‘How do I get your job? I would rather do this.’ And I never looked back.”
The superintendent had attended Ohio State University, so Edwards transferred from Kent State, earning a degree at OSU in turf grass management and agronomy. He worked at a couple of courses, the last as assistant superintendent at the Floridian Golf Club in St. Lucie County, before taking the top position at the Bradenton Country Club.
Edwards arrived four years after the club was restored to its original Ross design, which was shepherded by member and World Golf Hall of Fame enshrinee Tony Jacklin who made it his “mission” Edwards said. Redone were the greens, fairways, roughs, sand traps, tee boxes, and driving range. Cart paths were returned to their original crushed limestone design, and as part of the redesign, non-native trees were replaced by palms, which increased air movement on an already breezy course.
In describing a typical Donald Ross course, Edwards said he liked ball movement.
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“Rolling slopes and rolling greens,” he said. “He wanted the ball to roll around, and he also wanted to challenge the golfer with strategy. The way our course is set up, it’s all about your second shot and management of the greens and placement on the greens with your second shot, and being able to make putts.
“When you get out here on the property, it feels like it’s been here a long time,” Edwards added. “You can stand on our 11th green and see the entire property. It’s wide open and easy to walk. The tees are basically right off of the greens. It has character to it in its shape. And it seems like a simple, short, little golf course. But when you get out there and start playing, it becomes more challenging, and a lot of that has to do with the greens.”
Having never hosted a PGA or LPGA event, the BCC wanted the chance with the Drive On Championship. What it had going for it was a general manager, Dave Taylor, with connections in the golf industry, and Jacklin.
“We just got wind that the LPGA Tour wanted to host an event in this area,” Edwards said, “we threw our hat into the ring, and we won it.”
When the announcement was made, Edwards’ crew of 20 had 160 days to prepare the course.
“It’s more you just ramp up,” he said. “You just start preparing for this event, for this week. You’re preparing every surface, every day. Mowing fairways, greens, tees, and approaches every single day. It’s all about the playability of the golf course.”
And getting the golf course to LPGA specifications. For the BCC, that meant addressing its lightning-fast greens. Once the venue had secured the tournament, the LPGA dispatched an agronomist to make sure conditions were suitable. A device called a stimpmeter is used to measure the speed of greens. A golf ball is released from it on a flat surface. According to the LPGA, it must roll between 11.5 and 12 feet before stopping. Balls on the BCC greens stopped after traveling 13.5 feet.
“We actually had to slow them down for the LPGA,” said Edwards, who accomplished that by letting the grass grow. “We’ve been dumbing them down for a month.
“From what I’ve heard,” Edwards said, “they’ve all been saying the (players) really enjoy the course. They think the greens are challenging and pretty fast. They seem to be having a good time out there.”
The LPGA said through a spokesperson that they are enjoying its week. “The LPGA Tour could not be more grateful for the hospitality and reception our players have received from Bradenton Country Club, its members, and the surrounding community. Being a classic Donald Ross course, the course is challenging, yet scorable and is an incredible test of golf for our players. We are thankful for Bradenton Country Club and are excited to help celebrate their centennial.”
It’ll be up to BCC members whether the good times will continue. At their annual meeting on Feb. 9, they will decide if they want the Drive On Championship back. A big factor in the LPGA returning to Bradenton could be the tournament securing a title sponsor. This year, the LPGA sponsored it.
“The LPGA set this up because they want another Florida stop in January to kick off their season,” Edwards said. “And they typically want it for three years. Their intention is they want to do a three-year contract. If they do, and they get a title sponsor, it could be something that sticks around.”
Just like the centennial Bradenton Country Club.
