In 1923, the City of Key West recognized the need to provide a quality activity to the community and designated 150 acres of undeveloped property on Stock Island to be used as a public golf course. The property was mostly coral rock, which required the use of dynamite to clear the land and then re-surface it to build a foundation for a quality golf course. The course was designed by Langford & Moreau, architects from Chicago, and the Key West Golf Course opened in 1924. Now, 100 years later, tens of thousands of golfers of all ages have played and continue to play the course.
In 1994, Gwenn Smith bought the golf course lease with the city and undertook a massive renovation to restore the fairways, sand traps, course pathways and putting greens. The Smith family also rebuilt the clubhouse, built a new driving range, installed an irrigation system that uses treated wastewater discharge, installed a salt-tolerant grass and established an ongoing program to maintain golf carts for the convenience of golfers.
The family hired professional staff and certified golf pros. Each spring, the course offers a golf school for children to learn the fundamentals along with the etiquette of the game, and then allows those students to play for free throughout the year when accompanied by an adult. The Smith family also supports and contributes to various local athletic programs.
Several men’s and women’s groups meet on a weekly basis to play golf. Some 45,000 rounds of golf are played each year at the Key West Golf Course.
