Jekyll Island in Glynn County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Great Dunes: A Golf Tradition
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 11, 2023
1. Great Dunes: A Golf Tradition Marker
In 1897, the game of golf was listed among a variety of outdoor recreations and improvements planned to entertain "the younger set" at the Jekyll Island Club.
The game continued to gain popularity on the island throughout the 1910s. Because members of the exclusive Jekyll Island Club expected top notch facilities, the Golf Committee planned to create a noteworthy new golf course under the guidance of Dr. Walter James, Cornelius Lee, and Cyrus McCormick. In 1926, the Club hired Walter Travis, a foremost golf professional, to design a new 18-hole course among the dunes.
Travis declared he "was enthusiastic over the prospects at [Jekyll] for one of the most beautiful courses in the country."
Great Dunes opened for play in January of 1928. It was one of the last courses Travis designed. He passed away in the summer of 1927 and never saw the course completed. In all, he had designed or remodeled approximately 50 golf courses nationwide. Nine of the original 18 holes are still intact and continue in play today. Great Dunes is the oldest historic course still in use on Jekyll Island.
Did you know? Walter Travis, famed designer of the Great Dunes Golf Course, was the country’s top amateur golfer. The first three-time winner in U.S. Amateur Championship history, he was also the first non-British citizen
this page online
Erected by Jekyll Island Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1928.
Location. 31° 3.288′ N, 81° 24.578′ W. Marker is on Jekyll Island, Georgia, in Glynn County. Marker is on Great Dunes Lane, 0.1 miles north of Shell Road. Marker is on the south side of the Great Dunes Pro Shop, just west of Beachview Drive North; access is via Shell Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Great Dunes Lane, Jekyll Island GA 31527, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. What Was Here Before? (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named What Was Here Before? (approx. half a mile away); Jekyll Island Club Stables (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bookkeeper's Cottage (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Infirmary / Furness Cottage (approx. 0.6 miles away); Childhood in an Island Paradise (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Skeet House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Morgan Tennis Court (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jekyll Island.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Jekyll Island Club Historic District
Also see . . .
1. Great Dunes Course
Library of Congress
2. Marker detail: Walter Travis
Famed course designer Walter “Old Man” Travis put his stamp on Jekyll Island when he constructed Great Dunes in 1926. Summoned to the Island by some of the nation’s most elite families during the Club Era, Travis created the best course money could buy. Jekyll Island became a testing ground for the future of golf. In 1924, the USGA tested new steel clubs in favor of original hickory shafts and ball size & density tests were conducted, all of which changed the game of golf forever.(Submitted on July 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Walter J. Travis.
American amateur golfer during the early 1900s. He was also a noted golf journalist and publisher, an innovator in all aspects of golf, a teacher, and golf course architect. Driven by his intense and compulsive dedication to the game, Travis became country's top amateur golfer, winning the U.S. Amateur in 1900, 1901, and 1903. In 1904, he became the first player from America to win the British Amateur, a feat that would not be duplicated for another 22 years.(Submitted on July 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Library of Congress
3. Marker detail: Walter Travis
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 11, 2023
4. Great Dunes: A Golf Tradition Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 105 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
