Appendix 9 – Course Record
When the Temple Terrace golf course first opened, it was promoted as one of the longest courses in the South. By today’s standards, its original length of 6,600 yards would be considered extremely short; however, the first reference to a course record I found during the pre-private club era was a “record breaking” even par score of 72 shot by Club Pro James Kelly Thompson in 1924. Then during the first Florida Open held in 1925, the lowest score recorded was a 71 shot by Long Jim Barnes; and remember, almost every top golfer in the country played in that tournament, including the reigning US Open and British Open champions. (As the saying goes, “It’s an easy course, until you add up your strokes.”)
Fast forward to 1959 when Paul Tarnow Jr. set a new course record by shooting a 63, a score that would be tied in 1960 by Bill Dudley and in 1972 by Bob Duvall.
On Thursday, September 18, 1975, Gary Koch broke that record when he shot a 62 in an unusual round that included bogies on both front nine par three holes. Gary’s 62 stood as the course record for almost thirty years although during that period, Gary tied the score twice and Daniel DeBra, another TT prodigy, also shot 62 during a round in which according to Daniel, he left a birdie putt for a 61 on #18 “a tenth of a turn short”.
In late April of 2002, Gary, Daniel and Club Pro Jim Garrison went out for a quick nine holes because Gary had to leave for an appointment. After DeBra finished their nine-hole match with a 31, Koch suggested the twosome continue because, “Maybe you’ll shoot a course record.” Nine holes and 29 strokes later, Daniel DeBra’s “60” established a new course record that has stood for over twenty years.
Any guesses what the course record will be at the end of the Club’s second hundred years?
