World Golf Village, FL

World Golf Village now carries the name of an institution that no longer occupies it. The golf-centered development opened between Jacksonville and St. Augustine around the World Golf Hall of Fame, but the Hall closed its Florida location in late 2023 and returned to Pinehurst in 2024. The adjoining IMAX ceased public operations on December 12, 2024. St. Johns County owns the former Hall building, which reverted to the county when its ground lease ended, and in June 2025 the county described a two-phase public-private solicitation for redevelopment. That transition matters because World Golf Village has also become a substantial residential community: its census population rose from 12,310 in 2010 to 22,117 in 2020 across 27.02 square miles. Golf nevertheless remains part of ordinary geography here. King & Bear, co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, underwent a five-month restoration in 2024; nearby Slammer & Squire, named for Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen, continues as the other 18-hole course.

ATTRMichael Rivera / CC BY-SA 4.0

Yet current life extends well beyond resort grounds. Census estimates for 2020-24 found that 89.4 percent of occupied homes were owner-occupied, while the 33.7-minute mean commute makes regional travel a measurable part of the weekday routine. A new county park is adding a more conventional neighborhood gathering place. Commissioners approved the $1.15 million Pacetti Bay Park construction contract in March 2026 after resident input. Plans include playgrounds, an athletic field, basketball and four-square courts, bocce, a pavilion, a walking trail, open green space, and a dog park with a splash pond. The former destination complex is still being redefined, while residential growth and county recreation investments increasingly shape day-to-day use of the area.