Florida Historic Golf Trail Features Dunedin Golf Club as Course of the Month

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that the Dunedin Golf Club has been chosen as the featured course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail for the month of January. The Dunedin Golf Club is located in the city of Dunedin in Pinellas County.

“We are proud that Dunedin Golf Club is a partner of the Florida Historic Golf Trail,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “With the PGA Merchandise Show taking place this month in Orlando, we are pleased to honor Dunedin Golf Club as the original host in the mid-1950s of what has become one of the biggest events in golf industry.”

In 1926, it was announced that legendary golf course architect Donald Ross would construct an 18-hole golf course in conjunction with the development of the Dunedin Isles subdivision. Work on the course started in that year when Ross and his staff visited Dunedin to look over the site. The golf course was finished 10 months later, although some details remained to be completed. The course opened for play on January 1, 1927.

In 1944, PGA of America moved its national headquarters from Chicago to Dunedin, Florida, and signed a lease with the City of Dunedin to turn the city golf course into the PGA National Golf Club.

The PGA Merchandise Show, now the world’s largest and most influential golf business event, grew from humble beginnings in Dunedin. In 1954, a handful of golf merchandisers assembled in the PGA National Golf Club parking lot during a series of winter tournaments. By 1957, it became so large, with nearly 50 manufacturers’ representatives, that PGA officials leased a tent to house the growing event. Today, the PGA Merchandise Show has become a global gathering. Held annually in Orlando, the marketplace occupies nearly 10 miles of aisles, featuring more than 1,000 companies and over 40,000 PGA Professionals, buyers and industry leaders from all 50 U.S. states and 74 countries.

“We are honored to be chosen as this month’s featured course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail” said Ronald Randolph, General Manager of Dunedin Golf Club. “With the inception at the hands of legendary golf course architect Donald Ross himself, Dunedin Golf Club has seen its share of golf history and hosted a veritable "Who's Who" of American golfers.”

For more information about the Dunedin Golf Club or the Florida Historic Golf Trail program visit Dunedin Golf Club or Florida Historic Golf Trail or Facebook.com/FloridaHistoricGolfTrail.

###

About The Florida Historic Golf Trail

The Florida Historic Golf Trail, a program of the Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources, is a collection of historic courses throughout the state that date back to Florida’s first greenways, where golf can still be played today. Florida's golf history is recognized as one of the oldest in the nation, dating back to the 1890s, when a number of early courses were created along with the development of railroads and hotels in the state. For more information, visit floridahistoricgolftrail.com.

About The Division of Historical Resources

The Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources (DHR) is responsible for preserving and promoting Florida’s historical, archaeological, and folk culture resources. DHR directs historic preservation efforts throughout the state in cooperation with state and federal agencies, local governments, private organizations, and individuals. The director of DHR serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer, acting as the liaison with the national historic preservation program conducted by the National Park Service. The Division is comprised of two Bureaus or major program areas: archaeological research and historic preservation. For more information, visit flheritage.com.