Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 3
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 3
The par-3 third hole at Hyde Park Golf Club has its share of trouble, plus a difficult Donald Ross green. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 5
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 5
For most golfers, this is the third shot on the par-5 fifth at Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Fla. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - memorial
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Hyde Park Golf Club - memorial
Hyde Park pays homage to some of its past donors in this memorial behind the fifth hole. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 6
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 6
To commemorate Ben Hogan's dubious 15 minutes or so at Hyde Park in 1957, there's a sign behind the sixth tee. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 6
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 6
And here it is, the 151-yard par-3 sixth hole at Hyde Park Golf Club, where Ben Hogan found himself in the hazard on the left. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 9
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 9
The ninth hole at Hyde Park Golf Club is a 555-yard par 5 that returns to the clubhouse. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 11
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 11
With water and trees in the way, the 11th is a fairly challenging par 3 at Hyde Park in Jacksonville, Fla. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 12
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 12
Besides just falling off, the Donald Ross greens at Hyde Park have a few humps in them as well. The par-4 12th is a good example. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 13
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 13
Part of the charm at Hyde Park is the radio towers (shown here near 13) that have leased land at Hyde Park since the 1950s. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 15
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 15
It's just 409 yards, but the par-4 15th with a water hazard and trees on the approach is the no. 1 handicap hole at Hyde Park Golf Club. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 18
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Hyde Park Golf Club - no. 18
A pair of large bunkers loom left of the green on the par-4 finishing hole at Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Fla. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Hyde Park Golf Club - clubhouse
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Hyde Park Golf Club - clubhouse
A putting green fronts the beautiful clubhouse at Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Fla. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
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Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Florida: Take a walk through history

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1925, Hyde Park Golf Club is steeped in history and tradition and has picked up a few quirks along the way.

The former home of the Jacksonville Open on the PGA Tour remains a popular course for locals and should be on the radar for visitors because of its unique layout, greens and pedigree.

Once owned by the city of Jacksonville, the golf course was purchased by longtime PGA Tour players Chris Locker and Billy Maxwell in the early 1971.

At just under 6,500 yards, it isn't long by today's standards, but when it played host to the Jacksonville Open in the 1950s, it was a championship test for the likes of Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan. In fact, Hogan would rather forget at least one hole at Hyde Park, the par-3 sixth, which measures just 151 yards. Now nicknamed Hogan's Alley, the Wee Iceman had a bit of a meltdown during the third round of the Jax Open in 1947. It seems he hit his ball in the water hazard and tried several times to hit the ball out of the water but failed, eventually taking an unplayable and making 11. He was only three shots off the lead at the time.

That water hazard, by the way, is pretty easy to find, even if you hit the green. When the greens are running fast, balls on the left side of the green can run off a slope and into the water below.

Besides the men, LPGA legends such as Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Mickey Wright, who won her first professional tournament here in 1956, also played the course.

This very walkable course is also very affordable. Hyde Park Golf Club's regular green fees run in the $30 range, but there are times when you play it for less than that. The clubhouse features a snack bar, bar, locker rooms and well stocked golf shop.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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Hyde Park Golf Club in Jacksonville, Florida: Take a walk through history