Featured Golf Course

In this section learn more about the history of the course and its hometown, see a selection of historic and current images of the course, learn about what the course is like today, and discover nearby historic sites.

Mayfair Country Club

History

The Mayfair Country Club is located in the City of Sanford in Seminole County. The golf course sits on land that was part of a 20,000 acre tract purchased in 1870 by Henry Sanford and sold in 1878 to retired sea captain Charles Amory. Amory cleared much of the land and planted citrus trees and the double row of oak trees that still line the main entrance of the golf course. He built the ship-shaped house, which remains a part of today’s Mayfair clubhouse.

The property was later purchased by Sydney Octavius Chase and his brother Joshua Coffin Chase. Early in 1922, the Chase brothers commissioned a 50-man crew to build a 9-hole golf course under the direction of Cameron Trent. That same year, with nine holes completed, the Sanford Country Club golf course officially opened for play. The city of Sanford purchased the golf course in 1924 and later hired W.D. Clark to completely redesign the existing 9-hole golf course and expand it to 18 holes.

From 1955 to 1958, the Mayfair Country Club was the site of the "Mayfair Inn Open", a golf tournament on the PGA Tour. In 1959, Mayfair Country Club was host to the “Sanford Open”, a ladies’ golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, which was won by Marlene Bauer Hagge, a 2002 inductee to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Sanford To Have Own Golf Course

Layout of 9-Hole Sanford Golf Course in 1922

Mayfair Golf Course Under Construction

3rd Hole Under Construction at Mayfair Country Club c1922

4th Green Under Construction at Mayfair Country Club c1922

Advertisement for Golf Course at Sanford Showing 3rd and 9th Holes

Charles Amory House Which would Become the Mayfair Clubhouse

17th Hole at the Mayfair Country Club in 1927

9th Hole and Clubhouse in 1936

1955 Mayfair Inn Open PGA Golf Tournament

Marlene Bauer Hagge Wins Sanford Women's Open Golf Tournament

World Golf Hall of Fame Member Marlene Bauer Hagge

Today

The Mayfair Country Club includes an 18-hole, par-72 golf course featuring four sets of tees ranging from 5,000 to 6,400 yards, which is perfect for novice players and experts alike. The course is guaranteed to challenge all players with the strategic layout and the clever positioning of hazards and trees. The fairways tend to be wider (as is typical of classic course designs), however, the approaches are forgiving enough to ensure that all players will feel competitive as they navigate these grounds.

Mayfair Country Club Sign

Mayfair Country Club Oak Lined Drive

Mayfair Country Club Clubhouse

Mayfair Country Club Bunker and Clubhouse

Mayfair Country Club

Local Knowledge

In 1927, two of golfs legendary players Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen competed in a 72 hole ‘grudge’ match. The first 36 holes were played at the Miami Biltmore in Coral Gables with Hagen having a 3 shot advantage.

The third leg (18 holes) of the competition took place at the Sanford Golf Course. It was not to be Sarazen’s day. On the sixth hole, a member of the gallery stepped on Sarazen’s ball to bury it in the ground and he was forced to take a five. On the thirteenth hole, Saracen’s tee shot struck a spectator on the head and the ball bounced 30 yards into a trap. Hagen beat Sarazen five and four and was 8-up overall.

The final 18 holes took place at Hagen home course the Pasadena Golf course in St. Petersburg with Hagen winning the overall 72-hole match.

Gene Sarazen and Water Hagen Coin Toss to begin the 72 Hole Golf Match

Final Scores of the Gene Sarazen and Water Hagen 72 Hole Golf Match

Inside the Leather

Soap Box Derby - The city of Sanford is home to the Central Florida Soap Box Derby a program of the All-American Soap Box Derby. The Central Florida Soap Box Derby holds monthly races at Derby Park, including the youth gravity racing program for boys and girls ages 7 to 20, which encourages close adult-youth activities while building and racing the car.

The idea of the Soap Box Derby grew out of a photographic assignment of Dayton, Ohio, newsman Myron Scott. In the summer of 1933, Scott came across a group of boys racing their homemade cars, and was so impressed with the event that he acquired a copyright to Soap Box Derby. The first official All-American Soap Box Derby race was held in Dayton in 1934.

Florida has had a long history of soap box derby racing going back to the 1930s. The goals of the Soap Box Derby program - to teach youngsters some of the basic skills of workmanship, the spirit of competition, and the perseverance to continue a project once it has begun - have not changed since 1934. Visit Central Florida Soap Box Derby for more details.