Ponte Vedra Inn and Club

The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, located at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is a AAA Five Diamond Award resort and the first country club at Ponte Vedra. The 9th hole on the Ocean course has the distinction of having the first island green ever built.HistoryIn the early 1900's, Ponte Vedra was primarily an area dominated by sand dunes, swamps, alligators, and palmetto trees. In 1912, it was discovered that these dunes were rich in desirable minerals, containing rutile, ilmenite, and zirconium. These minerals were vital in the production of steel, which was in high demand during this era. After this discovery, attention was drawn to this pristine area of wilderness, in turn, resulting in the transformation to a mining town with a workers' quarter, a post office, and a supermarket. The National Lead Company took over the area for the purpose of mining ore and spurred development of the mineral-rich land, which supported the war effort. After World War I ended, demand for the minerals decreased and the company decided to transform the beachfront property into a resort community, covering the property with seaside houses, small and pastel in color. After a few years, the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club debuted in 1928, bringing an influx of socialites from nearby San Jose, San Marco, Ortega, and Riverside.Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co. was a developer of Ponte Vedra Beach in the early 1930s and owned the Ponte Vedra Club. The resort became a favorite of the wealthy with guests and their families returning year after year. The 1937 clubhouse stands behind the lobby building and is still in use.In the early 1980s, Gate Petroleum purchased the Florida real estate holdings of Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co., which was then owned by Phillips Petroleum Company for $60 million. The purchase contained more than 16000acre of land in northeast Florida including the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club. Gate raised the standards at the resort, and the property was awarded the AAA Five Diamond designation in 2002 and every year since.