ST. AUGUSTINE (Florida) — The World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is set to remain open for another week in St. Augustine, after a quarter century that has included 16 inductions, 76 new memberships, and special exhibits honoring some of the greatest players in the sport, as well as entertainers and U.S. presidents.
The attendance dropped to 40,000 in the pandemic years of 2020, and 60,000 between 2021 and 22.
The USGA Golf House Pinehurst is set to open its doors in late spring 2024.
In the last days of the Hall of Fame, visitors have been swarming the exhibit rooms and halls with a mix of curiosity and sadness.
Melody Herbert of St. Augustine said, “It was a lot of fun coming here.” She came with her husband Hank, and their granddaughters Camille Audrey and Audrey to escape from the heat of an afternoon in late summer. “I loved it, but now that my grandchildren are old enough to play on the course, it is gone.” I thought improvements had been made after [the 2008 recession].
The Reyes brothers Benny and Janie (and their wives Elizabeth) were also in attendance. They are from Corpus Christi. Arnold Reyes and his son graduated from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Field Operations Academy at Brunswick. They decided to drive to St. Augustine after they learned about the closure of the facility.
Benny Reyes said, “It is a bucket-list item.” We’re lucky to have arrived before the museum closed. It’s really a shame. This is a great place for golf fans.”
David Feherty was the host of the 2022 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the PGA Tour Global home in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images).
You’re not the only one who feels this way.
“We’re sad… The vision 25 years ago, was incredible,” said Sarah S. Arnold. She is vice-chair of the St. Johns county commissioner and represents District 2, including the World Golf Village. “Unfortunately, times have changed.”
Henry Dean, the former District 5 Commissioner who represented the district in which the World Golf Village was located, said that the county should focus on the opportunities for the future rather than dwell on the reasons why the original concept failed.
He said, “I believe that many of us in the St. Johns county commissioner’s office and the citizens of the County are saddened by the Hall of Fame moving.” “It was a sort of fixture, but it wasn’t as successful as the World Golf Foundation or PGA Tour thought. We are turning the page. We’re starting over. We see this as a chance to bring positive things to the region.”
Last week of free admission
The facility has one week to go and is giving golfers on the First Coast an end-of-season gift.
The Hall of Fame and Museum as well as the IMAX Theater will be open to visitors for free from August 28 to September 1 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The IMAX Theater will be showing a number of documentaries. Movies and showtimes are available on the IMAX Website.
The Museum still has all the memorabilia and artifacts from the past, including the Hall of Fame Members Locker Room and the replica of Swilcan Bridge in St. Andrews. There are also bags, clubs, balls, clothing, trophies and trinkets that tell stories of golf’s greatest players and administrators.
At this time, the Hall of Fame and Museum and IMAX Theater will be leaving. The St. Johns County Convention Center will remain in place, as well as the Renaissance Hotel, resort condominiums, two Troon Golf golf courses (the King & Bear and Slammer & Squire) and Caddyshack restaurant.
The bronze plaques that honor the World Golf Hall of Fame will also remain. They will now be displayed in the Rotunda of Museum Building, second floor.
Arnold: “It is important for the golf community to have a sense of identity.”
