OUR HISTORY
1955
The initial 250 acres of land was purchased in 1955 with additional land acquired over the years. The vision for Rio Pinar was the building of 350 beautiful homes along a championship golf course!
The golf course was masterfully designed by architect Mark Mahannah with the assistance of Lloyd Clifton.
1957
1959
The ground clearing for Rio Pinar Golf Club began! The area for the clubhouse and the amazing Florida-shaped pool was able to be seen along with the initial clearing of the land for the golf course.
The Rio Pinar clubhouse, with extensive amenities, was completed in 1959 and was a great example of mid-20th-century, modern architecture.
The first PGA Tour held at Rio Pinar, the Florida Citrus Open, was won by Lionel Hebert and for 13 years, the PGA Tour welcomed some of the PGA Tour’s finest stars including Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Hale Irwin amongst others!
The first Lady Citrus Open won by Jane Blalock was held in 1979 and for the next three years, Orlando and Rio Pinar welcomed the LPGA stars of the day!
1962
1966
The first major Professional Golf Tournament was held at Rio Pinar Golf Club in 1962.
The Carling Open was won by Bo Wininger shooting 274 for four rounds and pocketing first place winnings of $5,300!
1971
1979
The Florida Citrus Open winner in 1971 was Arnold Palmer - The King!
2017
2017 Rio Pinar Golf Club celebrates it's 60th Anniversary and still remains a must play for any golfer wanting to "Walk in the Footsteps of Champions!"
