Country Club History
In the early 1960's a developer, Coral Ridge Properties, flush with profits
from Coral Ridge and Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale, cast its gaze to
the west looking for new frontiers. Their search ended with the purchase of
24 square miles of land from the Lyons family and other farmers. This land
backed up to the Everglades conservation area in northwestern Broward County.
Used for years for vegetable farming and cattle grazing, the land was
considered to be inaccessible. The only way to get there was on a two-lane
country road known as Wiles Road. Today it is lined with businesses and is
called US441.
City of Coral Springs
Coral Ridge Properties proceded to master-plan the land and was granted a charter
for a new city, which they called Coral Springs. Although plenty of coral was
uncovered, no one has ever found a spring.
The area was heavily promoted using celebrities such as Johnny Carson. It soon
became a hit, although some may question what happeded to the original slogan
"The City in the Country". Details of those early days are well described
in a history of the city written by Stuart McGiver on the occasion of the
city's 25th anniversary.
The Country Club
In the late 1960's Coral Ridge Properties developed a neighborhood in Coral Springs,
which they called The Country Club. It consisted of single family homes on lots
that were a minimum of 1/3 acre; 160 of the lots were adjacent to land which was
designated for a golf course; 156 of those lots now front the golf course, the
remaining four front the area where the tennis courts are located.
Following the fashion of the day, the neighborhood was ringed with multi-family
parcels. It was not given the type of identity one sees in modern subdivisions
of their type - such as well-defined entrances and the aura of exclusivity. Oddly
enough, there was no direct vehicular connection between the neighborhood and
what was to become the golf clubhouse.
Despite these shortcomings, The Country Club remains a desirable neighborhood,
and the only one in the city which has single family homes abutting a private,
member-owned golf course. Many of the owners of golf course frontage properties
are also club members who commute to and from the club in their private golf
carts.
Design and Development of the Golf Course
Coral Ridge Properties had a lease-option arrangement with noted golf course
architect, Robert Trent Jones, in the building of the Coral Ridge Country Club
and American Golfers Club in Fort Lauderdale. When they began developing the
city of Coral Springs, the hierarchy of Coral Springs Development, (President
Jim Hunt, Sr. and Joe Taravella) allowed the president's son, Jim Hunt, Jr. the
opportunity to design Broken Woods Country Club. Jim Jr. was a "hands on"
designer, a good golfer and an avid fan of the game.
Jim Jr. lived and played golf at Rolling Hills in west Fort Lauderdale. He tried
to emulate that golf course design. There was not enough land available to build
an 18 hole championship length course. In 1965 nine holes on the south side
of Hampshire Drive were completed. Another nine holes were added between Hampshire
Drive and Cardinal Road in 1968.
When it came to land in The Country Club development, Coral Ridge Properties decided
that it would do better by following the Robert Trent Jones program in Fort Lauderdale.
They entered into agreement with William W. Ullman, President of Colonial Gardens
in Marietta, Ohio. Ullman engaged the services of golf course architect Edmund Ault
of Bethesda, Maryland to design the golf course within the available 165 acres. This
land was completely barren and flat, with no natural features to build upon. Many
bodies of water were created for drainage and irrigation - with the excavation
materials being used to contour the holes.
Opening Day
The course opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1969. Many of the earliest members came from
Pittsburgh as ex-Westinghouse employees who decided to take their retirement in
South Florida. Coral Ridge Properties was, at the time, owned by Westinghouse who
offered them discounts on club memberships and lots in The Country Club
development.
Ullman flew potential members by helicopter from Galt Ocean Mile to view the
property. To assist him in the promotion of these properties, Ullman hired John
Schlee, a prominent PGA Tour player at the time. John's job was to ensure the promotional
packages were placed in player's lockers on all PGA tour stops, and that the
name Coral Springs Country Club was prominently displayed. John went on to win the
Hawaiian Open in 1973 and finished second in the U.S. Open at Oakmont that same year.
Coral Springs Golf and Tennis Club
Bill Ullman was a hard working entrepreneur and lived on the premises. However he
lacked the proper financing and, after eight months of operation, the course and
facilities were taken over by Coral Ridge Properties in 1970. The name of the club
was changed to Coral Springs Golf and Tennis Club. Ullman had contracted to hold
a PGA tour event the following November and Coral Ridge Properties now had the
responsibility for what was to be known as the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Coral
Springs Open.
During the Coral Ridge Properties stewardship, honorary memberships were conferred on
local politicians, police officials and local clergy. The membership in the early
years consisted mainly of people from surrounding communities as the US Census noted
in 1971, Coral Springs had only 1,489 residents - hardly enough to support two private
country clubs. However, Coral Ridge Properties did use the club in its sales
promotions.