The Concession Golf Club is set in a 1,200-acre private community on Florida’s Gulf Coast south of Tampa. The Jack Nicklaus “Signature” course was designed in collaboration with Tony Jacklin and was inspired by the moment that has been referred to as the “greatest single sporting gesture ever”.
On the 18th hole of the final match of the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale, Jack Nicklaus holed his four-foot putt for par. With the matches tied, Nicklaus stunned the world of golf by conceding a tricky two-footer to Tony Jacklin. It resulted in the first tie in the history of the Ryder Cup and the act has been known simply as “The Concession” ever since.
The Concession Golf Club is a monument to that exemplary act. “I want the clubhouse full of memorabilia and pictures and reports of the great Ryder Cup games and epics. We want to epitomize the game and the values we love.” Said Tony Jacklin.
Naturally you’ll need to befriend a member to experience the Concession, or perhaps you might want to buy one of the up-market properties on the estate. Ah well, we can all dream.
A question remains: Would you have given Tony Jacklin that putt?
Looking back nearly 50 years to “The Concession”
Bryson DeChambeau won the 2015 NCAA Championship at The Concession, while the COVID-19 pandemic forced the WGC-Mexico Championship (due to be staged at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City) to change venue and name for the 2021 event, which returned to Florida for the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession. Collin Morikawa won the tournament, claiming his fourth PGA Tour title, the most by any player under the age of 25.
