Knickers Ball Roars With 1920s Style

Temple Terrace residents stepped back into the 1920s on Feb. 18—no DeLorean or flux capacitor required.

They didn't need Doc Brown's "Back to the Future" time machine to create the Knickers Ball at the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. All they had to do was don flapper dresses, sweater vests and knickers.

The Knickers Ball was part of a series of events organized Feb. 18-20 for the Temple Terrace Hickory Heritage Weekend, sponsored by the Temple Terrace Preservation Society and the Florida Hickory Golfers. The idea was to experience the game as it was played in the day of golf greats Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones.

During an amateur Hickory Hackers Golf Tournament on Feb. 18, golfers wore knickers and used hickory golf clubs. The Knickers Ball took place that night.

Grant Rimbey, a member of the Temple Terrace Preservation Society, said that golfers in the 1920s would often return to the clubhouse for dinner still wearing their knickers. The Knickers Ball allowed present-day participants to do the same.

After dinner, guests were invited into the "speakeasy" for music, dancing and door prizes. Although the event had a 1920s-theme, the DJ slected music from Motown to modern day in order to encourage dancing.

The United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship followed on Feb. 20.

The Hickory Heritage Weekend is the primary annual fundraising event for the Temple Terrace Preservation Society, and processds from both tournaments will support ongoing projects and initiatives, as well as the Florida Hickory Golfers and the Friends of the American Lake Veterans Golf Course.

For more information, call Leitha Bowles at 813-732-6941.