JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson Country Club is proud to announce they have signed a comprehensive contract with Spence Golf and Kris Spence, for a restoration and renovation of the club’s golf course.

The multi-million-dollar restoration will upgrade every area of the Golden Age golf course that was built in 1929. The upgrades include: a state-of-the-art irrigation system, new USGA spec green complexes with TifEagle Bermuda, new tee boxes with Zeon Zoysia, new fairway grass with TifTuf Bermuda, renovation of all greenside and fairway bunkers, and new bunkers and landforms will be added throughout the course. A total renovation of existing holes 8 and 9 will also occur. Number 8 will become a scenic par 3 and number 9 will become a dramatic 600-yard par 5. Additional plans call for the creation of a modern short game practice facility. The restoration will result in added length from the championship tees with a total yardage projected at just over 7,000 yards. However, for members, the restoration will result in a course that all skill levels will enjoy.

COURTESY: Jackson Country Club

Spence Golf and Kris Spence have developed a renowned reputation for restoring and renovating Golden Age golf courses. Their work includes projects throughout the southeast and includes the Memphis Country Club, Holston Hills Country Club, Sedgefield Country Club, Blowing Rock Country Club, Roaring Gap Club, and The Country Club of North Carolina to name a few. Spence’s intent is to implement the design features of the original Golden Age architecture while upgrading the course to fit the modern game.

Spence is very excited about the project and offered the following: “The Jackson Country Club has a golf course that was clearly designed in or around 1929 by a highly skilled golf architect with a pedigree from the golden age era of golf design. It bears all the hallmarks of a designer who was accomplished in the art of building strategic and classic design features. The elevated greens with distinct fill pad shoulders and depressed grass faced bunkers coupled with meandering and artfully designed landform grass ridges initially led me to suspect William Langford’s involvement. The architectural team of William Langford and Theodore Moreau were based out of Chicago and designed many courses in the Midwest region. While we have not been able to verify his direct onsite involvement, news articles and historical documents suggest Langford’s close protégé Hugh H. Miller as the likely designer or having been put in charge of the design and construction by Langford who designed Chickasaw CC in nearby Memphis a few years earlier. Either way, the course bears a design consistent with the Langford and Moreau philosophic approach. It is traditional in style following the lay of the land and takes great advantage of its rolling topography to produce a thoughtful, interesting and compelling test of golf. The upcoming project will reconstruct greens with new drainage and root zone, recapture lost putting surface along edges and in the corners of original greens, reinstate closer integration between greens and bunkers, restore width of playing corridors, open long course vistas through thoughtful tree reduction and expand the strategic placement of raised landforms and grass bottom depressions, all unique hallmarks of a Langford and Moreau design. Upon completion, I am confident the Jackson Country Club’s restored course will be looked upon and respected as one of the best classically designed courses in the state of Tennessee, if not the southeastern United States.”

Construction is scheduled to start in March 2025 and is anticipated to be completed by mid-September. Hunter Simmons, President of the Board of Directors commented, “The restoration is a truly historic undertaking that we fully funded with no debt.

We look forward to unveiling the enhanced JCC golf course for our members.” Simmons anticipates that this restoration will lead to inquiries for perspective members. “We have limited availability for those that want to enjoy one of the best golf courses and historic private clubs in Tennessee.”

To follow course updates or for membership information please visit jacksoncclub.com or contact Shelby Tucci, Director of Golf Operations and Acting General Manager, at stucci@jacksoncclub.com and follow our social media pages Instagram @jacksoncclub and Facebook Jackson Country Club.

About Jackson Country Club:

Located in Jackson, Tennessee, the Jackson Country Club is a private club that has a long and storied history dating back to 1914. The current course opened for play in 1929. No private club in the state has hosted more Tennessee Golf Association state championships and USGA qualifying events. Since 1938, the club has hosted 45 TGA championships and USGA qualifiers. Additionally, the JCC has hosted such legends as Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Patty Berg and Mickey Wright. The JCC also boasts a world class tennis program, swimming pool, member dining, and wedding/event facilities.

For more news in the Jackson area, click here.