Founded in 1926, Lake Wales Country Club is a true treasure in Central Florida. Designed by the famed golf course architect Donald Ross, Lake Wales was a municipal course owned by the city of Lake Wales. In 1980, citrus and cattle businessman Ben Hill Griffin Jr. bought the course and it still remains in the family managed by Ben Hill Griffin IV. With the Griffin ownership came some renovations to the club including a new clubhouse, softening contours in the greens and new sets of tees yet still staying true to its designer with challenging bunkers and generous fairways. The elevation changes at Lake Wales will shock some visitors. There are 30-40 foot elevation changes and some blind shots that add to the uniqueness of the course. “The course has some great par 4’s,” said Bob Forward, General Manager and Head Golf Professional. “With our new tees there will be five par 4’s that are 445 yards or longer.” Bob adds, “the par 3’s are brutal.” From the back tees, the course is a par 70 at 6780 yards while the members play it at a par 72 from 6500 yards. Currently, they are lengthening six holes to “get the clubs back in the player's hands to play the course as it was designed.”

As a private club with more than 500 members, Lake Wales hosts many charity golf tournaments as well as competitive amateur events. “We have a huge tournament program,” said Bob. Lake Wales hosts many association tournaments in the community in addition to the Ben Hill Griffin in March, the premier tournament in Polk County. This year, they also hosted a Florida Junior Tour event and will host the Florida State Senior Four-Ball Championship in October. The club is the practice course for two colleges, Warner Southern and Weber International, and four high schools. “Our members enjoy giving back to the community,” said Bob.

Lake Wales has a dedicated General Manager and Head Golf Professional in Bob. He moved to Florida from upstate New York after being in the restaurant business and hoped to get a job in the golf industry. After more than 50 interviews, Bob landed a job at Placid Lakes Country Club where he completed the apprenticeship program. It was there that he presented a business plan to his boss who only after eight weeks promoted him to General Manager. From Placid Lakes, Bob went to River Greens Golf Course where he was Head Golf Professional and now has been at Lake Wales for five years. Bob, a PGA Member for 11 years, is a PGA Master Professional meaning that he went through specific training in Rules and Tournament Operations. At Lake Wales, “the staff is very involved working in all areas of golf course operations.” Bob is looking forward to many more years at Lake Wales. “We just keep growing and growing,” said Bob. “We keep picking up members, the golf course is in great condition and food and beverage is flourishing.”

Bob is very involved with amateur and professional golf outside of his club serving on the FSGA Board of Directors and acting as a Tournament Chairman for events in Central Florida. He is also a member of the PGA National Rules of Golf Committee.

Visit Lake Wales at http://www.lakewalescc.com

To register for the Senior Four-Ball Championship at Lake Wales, click here.