Some of the most storied women’s amateur golf events on the calendar take place in the middle of the winter in Florida. The long-running Harder Hall Invitational, played for more than 65 years at Harder Hall Golf Club in Sebring, Florida, is one of them. It fits into what has affectionately been known as the Florida Orange Blossom Circuit – a series of tournaments with such recognizable winners as Jessica and Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and, much further back, JoAnne “Big Mama” Carner and Babe Didrikson Zaharias.
Beginning in 2021, the Harder Hall will get a bit of a facelift. The tournament, newly named the Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational, will start a rotation around its Sebring, Florida, home to six area clubs on the Citrus Golf Trail. Sun ‘N Lake Golf Club is first up to host the next event on Dec. 28-31.
The rotation for the courses is set through 2027, with River Greens Golf Club serving as host in 2023 then Pinecrest Golf Club (2024), Sebring Municipal Golf Course (2025), Golf Hammock Country Club (2026) and Sebring International Golf Resort (2027).
“We are honored to be the host for the Harder Hall tournament in 2022,” said Andy Kesling, head golf professional at Sun ‘N Lake Golf Club. “It is exciting for the entire golf community to rally around this event and write the next chapter of its history with all members of the Citrus Golf Trail.”
The Harder Hall’s long history means its past players carry plenty of memories from the event. Even though it’s played in Florida, temperatures can be brutally cold. Since the Augusta National Women’s Amateur debuted in 2019, the Harder Hall has come at a time of year when participants are buzzing to receive an invitation.
After the tournament committee disbanded in 2019, the event’s future was uncertain. With the new name and new rotation of courses, that doubt is cleared.
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