Subdivision origins and 1926 opening.
The Pine Crest Lakes development on Lake Lotela was laid out by planner A. D. Taylor; within it, Bert Way (Cleveland) was contracted to design an 18-hole course, with nine holes ready by late 1926. The course held an opening tournament on December 16, 1926 under professional Joseph J. Sturm. Contemporary state-compiled history places these facts on firm footing and associates the early years with orange-grove edges and a stream crossing the property.
1935 expansion to 18.
After a change of ownership in 1935, Pinecrest was expanded from nine to 18 holes, and was described in the period as one of the “sportiest” courses in Florida—language that fits the then-modest yardage and small-target putting surfaces favored regionally.
Donald Ross attribution—what’s supported and what is not.
Local/club narratives assert that Donald Ross “visited Avon Park in 1926 to oversee construction of his design,” and many modern directories therefore list Pinecrest as a Ross (1926). However, the Florida Historic Golf Trail—a state historical resource that synthesizes period documents—attributes the original planning to Bert Way within Taylor’s subdivision scheme and does not document Ross plans, contracts, or invoices. Independent research threads note conflicting press attributions over time (including an early 1925 Palm Beach Post item naming Way and a later 1945 article naming Adrian Kouwenhoven), underscoring that authorship claims varied in the press and need primary corroboration. At present, no publicly accessible Ross drawings or office correspondence have surfaced that tie Ross directly to the Pinecrest routing.
Televised match-play series (1959).
In December 1959, Pinecrest hosted a high-purse, nationally televised match-play elimination series for the TV program World Championship Golf on NBC, hosted by Bob Crosby. The field comprised Ryder Cup players; Cary Middlecoff won. This event—filmed in 1959 and aired in 1960—is the source for Pinecrest’s oft-repeated claim to early national golf telecasts.
1960–62 mixed-team events (co-hosted with Harder Hall).
Pinecrest and nearby Harder Hall co-hosted the Haig & Haig Scotch Mixed Foursome (later the JCPenney Classic) in the early 1960s, with winners including Jim Turnesa & Gloria Armstrong (1960) and Dave Ragan & Mickey Wright (1961).
Unique Design Characteristics (course-specific)
Parkland routing with lake-edge vistas. Even today, Pinecrest moves across a modest, sand-influenced ridge above Lake Lotela, using natural swales and a central drainage to create soft doglegs rather than forced carries. The feel is traditional Florida parkland—citrus on the perimeter, long views, and only episodic water intrusion—consistent with period descriptions from its 1930s expansion.
Approach-driven targets. Current tees yield a par-72 card in the 6,5xx–6,7xx range; the course defends par more with approach angles into modestly contoured greens than with penal rough or forced water shots. In practical terms, the best scoring comes from controlling depth and leaving uphill pars rather than short-siding into gentle but persistent fall-offs. Yardage/ratings tables published by the club and directories align with this profile.
What to ascribe to “Ross” here? In the absence of primary Ross plans, no specific Pinecrest hole, green pad, or bunker form can be responsibly labeled a Ross feature. The routing and walk most likely reflect the 1926–35 Way/Taylor scheme and subsequent expansion; any Ross influence—if it existed—remains unproven publicly.
Holes that best preserve the early character. Without hole-by-hole historic drawings in public circulation, the corridor geometry and green-site scale (rather than micro-contours) are the clearest survivals of the 1920s–30s Pinecrest. A formal integrity map would require 1920s/1930s aerials and on-site measurement against historic plan sheets.
Historical Significance
A contested-attribution Florida 1920s course with television history. Pinecrest is significant not for elite championship routings but as a 1920s Florida development course whose architect attribution is disputed—a cautionary case where later marketing seems to have overtaken early documentation—and as an early televised-golf venue in 1959–60. The Florida Historic Golf Trail entry anchors the developmental history (Taylor/Way; 1926 opening; 1935 expansion), while club/civic tourism sources preserve the Ross tradition; together they mark Pinecrest as an instructive site for authorship scholarship.
Regional tournament footprint. The World Championship Golf filming brought Ryder Cuppers to Avon Park, and the Haig & Haig/JCPenney mixed events linked Pinecrest to the era’s marquee men’s and women’s professionals (e.g., Mickey Wright, Dave Ragan). Though not a regular Tour stop thereafter, the property retains a mid-century aura through photos and local memory.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing and scale. The 18-hole routing and par-72 scale remain consistent with mid-century cards, with tips around 6,6xx–6,7xx yards. The course still presents open corridors bordered by groves and scrub pines, and a traditional clubhouse-centric loop.
Later work. Public sources do not credit a named architect with wholesale redesigns post-WWII; changes appear incremental (tee additions, irrigation, turf modernization). The 1959 broadcast likely prompted conditioning improvements but no published architectural campaign has been tied to that moment. In the absence of plan sets, specific green rebuilds or bunker programs cannot be dated confidently.
Preserved vs. altered.
• Preserved: routing framework; par/yardage scale; traditional parkland setting with lake adjacency and citrus borders.
• Altered/modernized: turf, irrigation, tree management, and tee sets; any micro-feature evolution remains undocumented publicly and should be treated cautiously in attribution.
Citations:
Florida Historic Golf Trail — Pinecrest Golf Club. State historical entry detailing the A. D. Taylor plan, Bert Way as original architect, Dec. 16, 1926 nine-hole opening, 1935 expansion to 18; “Today” section noting par 72 and tees from ~4,900–6,700 yards; “Local Knowledge” on 1959 World Championship Golf filming (NBC/Bob Crosby; winner Cary Middlecoff).
Pinecrest GC — Club site & history PDF. Club narrative asserting Donald Ross visited in 1926 to “oversee construction of his design”; same PDF lists Black 6719 yds / Par 72 / Rating 71.4 / Slope 120 and other tee data used locally. Treat authorship claims as club tradition pending primary evidence.
Visit Sebring (tourism) — Pinecrest partner page. Repeats Ross (1926) attribution and “first nationally televised PGA Tour event in 1959” language; promotional but useful for how the claim circulates publicly.
Where2Golf — Pinecrest Lakes tournament pages. Results for 1960–62 Haig & Haig Scotch Mixed Foursome/JCPenney Classic co-hosted with Pinecrest/Harder Hall, including named winners (Turnesa/Armstrong 1960; Ragan/Wright 1961; Rudolph/Whitworth 1962).
GCA research thread (Reunderstanding Ross). Notes conflicting period attributions (1925 Palm Beach Post naming Bertie Way; 1945 Evening Independent naming Adrian Kouwenhoven), and absence of evidence in the Ross 1930 routing book; included here to flag scholarly disagreement and the need for primary verification.