Lake Wales Country Club

Overview: Lake Wales Country Club is a private 18-hole Donald Ross course in central Florida. The current club page lists par 72 and approximately 7,072 yards from the back tees, with multiple tee options and a classic parkland character. Its design relies on angles, placement and thoughtful approaches, while the Lake Wales setting gives the old course a distinctly Florida landscape.

History: The club was founded in the early 1920s as a City-owned facility, and course records date the opening to 1923. Donald Ross is credited with the design. A new clubhouse was built with federal Works Progress Administration support in 1939, the facility was sold to stockholding members during World War II, and the property became privately owned again after later ownership changes.

Did You Know? The 1939 clubhouse was approved for construction through the Works Progress Administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with the city contributing to the project. It was completed on July 12, 1939, and remains a marker of the club's pre-war civic history.