The History of Capital City Country Club

In 1908, the Tallahassee Country Club was organized in Tallahassee, Florida, with an initiation fee of $1.00 and dues of $1.00 per year.  The Club consisted of a small golf course and tennis courts on the grounds of the home of Mrs. Reinette Hunt, known as The Grove, at the north end of Adams Street.  After a few years, a rudimentary golf course consisting of a few holes with sand greens was built on the site of the present eighteen hole course of the Capital City Country Club.

In 1924, the Tallahassee Country Club was incorporated, and purchased the golf course property from George Perkins.  Fred C. Elliott, chief engineer of the Internal Improvement Fund, was in charge of laying out the original few holes on the Perkins property.In the early years, a small wooden building near the first hole (which is now the present thirteenth tee) served as a golf shop.  Before the end of the twenties, the course had been enlarged to nine (9) holes and a new club–house was constructed on the north side of the present thirteenth hole.The Tallahassee Country Club remained under private ownership until August 1935, when the Club gave the property to the City of Tallahassee, with the provision that the course would revert back to the original members of the Tallahassee Country Club should the City become unable continue to maintain it. The City expanded the course to the regulation 18-hole layout designed by A. W. Tillinghast.  For a little more than twenty years, the course was operated as a municipal facility.  The wooden clubhouse, with small locker rooms and one large ballroom with a dance floor, was a principal Tallahassee social center.  It was the scene of private parties and receptions, formal balls, and other activities both private and official.  Golf tournaments were also held at the Club and sponsored by the Tallahassee Men's Golf Association and the Tallahassee Women's Golf Association.

In February 1956, the City, faced with deficits in its operation of the golf course and the need for capital improvements of the clubhouse, leased back to the Club for 99 years most of the property it had received as a gift two decades earlier. In May 1956, the Tallahassee Country Club assigned its lease to the newly chartered Capital City Country Club, whose membership included many of the original members of the Tallahassee Country Club.

The prime mover in the founding of Capital City Country Club was Mr. Blair C. Stone, vice president and division manager of the Southeastern Telephone Company, who became the Clubs first president. The clubhouse burned in 1958, shortly after the completion of the new masonry club–house on the west side of the course.  The new clubhouse, pool and tennis courts were built on nine acres which the Club purchased from the City.  The clubhouse and swimming pool were completed and opened on Wednesday, September 24, 1958.  Three tennis courts, two hard and one clay,  were constructed in 1972.  Another clay and another hard court were added in 1982 along with an automated lighting system for night play.  In 1989, the downstairs area was improved, updating the 19th Hole grille and expanding the grille dining room and mens card room.  A new Golf Pro Shop was built adjacent to the clubhouse at the same time.  Begun in January 1999 and completed in July 2000, the entire interior of the clubhouse, both the main level and downstairs, underwent extensive renovations.  The ballrooms (the Magnolia & Camellia) and the members dining room and bar (the Azalea) on the main level can be used separately or can be opened and combined.  This provides one of the largest and most elegant spaces in Tallahassee for wedding receptions, dinner dances, banquets and other prestigious events.The 19th Hole Grille & dining room, Mens Locker Room & Lounge, Womens Locker Room & Lounge, and the staff offices were completely renovated & updated.  A state-of-the-art security and surveillance system was installed throughout the clubhouse for the peace of mind of our members and their guests.   A covered, open-air veranda, complete with ceiling fans and piped-in music, was created outside the 19th Hole.  It provides our members with a pleasant space to relax and enjoy the breathtaking view of the putting green, driving range, Tee #1 and the swimming pool.  Thanks to our out–standing Florida weather, it is in use all year around!The resurfacing and upgrading of our cart paths was completed in April 2002.  The next project, tentatively scheduled to begin in Fall of 2003, will be to rebuild and modernize the pool house with space for exercise and spa equipment.The Capital City Country Club, nestled in beautiful rolling hills covered in tall pines and large moss-draped oaks, occupies one of the most beautiful and natural settings in the South today, and is an outstanding venue for our members and their families and guests.