Golfers Pack Turkey Creek for ‘Miracle’ Tournament

ALACHUA – Golfers from across the region gathered Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Turkey Creek Golf and Country Club for the Miracle at Turkey Creek golf tournament, marking the event’s fifth annual playing since the course reopened after a decade-long closure.

A total of 144 golfers participated in the tournament, which featured a full field, shared meals and time on the course as players filled the fairways throughout the day.

The men’s first-place team included Joe Thigpen, Ken Vejraska, Ken Radcliffe and Ben Love, while the women’s first-place honors went to Kathy Quelland, Tina Banner, Vicki Glass and Robin Cunningham.

The tournament is held annually at Turkey Creek Golf and Country Club, 11400 Turkey Creek Boulevard, just off U.S. Highway 441 in Alachua. The course originally opened in 1978 and served as a central feature of the Turkey Creek community for decades. Following multiple ownership changes and financial challenges, the course closed in 2011, remaining unused and overgrown for nearly 10 years.

In 2015, the Turkey Creek Master Owners Association purchased the property. In the years that followed, residents and volunteers worked to restore the course, addressing long-standing infrastructure issues and gradually returning it to playable condition. The reopening of the course marked the end of a prolonged period of inactivity and signaled a revival of golf at the site, a feat that many likened to a miracle given the many challenges that the nearly an all-volunteer team of residents and volunteers faced in restoring the golf course.

Saturday’s tournament coincided with the milestone of five years since the course’s reopening, a point organizers and participants recognized throughout the day. Golf carts lined the staging area early in the morning as teams checked in, and players returned to the clubhouse following their rounds for awards and fellowship.

Organizers credited the continued success of the Miracle at Turkey Creek tournament to steady participation and community involvement, noting that the event has grown alongside the course’s return to regular play.

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