It started in Ponte Vedra Beach in 1979 with three people working out of a house in the Sawgrass community.
Today the PGA Tour has about 800 employees working in 17 buildings in and around the TPC Sawgrass golf club.
But the golf tour officially announced Friday that it will consolidate all of its employees — and eventually add 300 more jobs — into one 187,000 square-foot headquarters building on property it owns along County Road 210 near TPC Sawgrass.
“We’re going to have an awesome facility in which to work,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said during the announcement in the clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass.
Although the PGA Tour had not announced its plans, St. Johns County Commissioners approved $2.8 million in incentives for the $81 million project in October.
In exchange for the incentives, the PGA Tour promised to create 307 new jobs by 2030 with an average wage of at least $79,442.
Monahan said the new facility, scheduled for completion in 2020, will make it easier for employees to communicate and work together. Spreading out the workforce in 17 buildings can be difficult.
“Yes, it’s been a challenge. It’s been inconvenient,” he said.
The new building was designed by London-based architecture firm Foster and Partners, which Monahan said has designed buildings for major corporations such as Apple Inc. and Comcast Corp.
Monahan called it “a treasure and a piece of art.”
Monahan said the new building and the additional jobs are needed because of the international growth of golf. The PGA Tour has employees in eight countries.
“We have grown mightily. We’re now a global organization,” he said.
The nonprofit organization provides benefits to the communities where it holds tournaments, generating $180 million for charities last year, he said. That includes $8.7 million generated by the annual Players Championship tournament at TPC Sawgrass.
Although the PGA Tour is in St. Johns County, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County and the region benefit from having the headquarters there.
“This is part of our city. We’re grateful,” Curry said.