Secretary Detzner Announces Publication of Florida Historic Golf Trail Guidebook

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner today announced the release of a new Florida Heritage Trail guidebook highlighting Florida’s golf history. The trail publication includes historical information on the more than 50 partner courses and identifies other historic public and private golf courses across the state. It also includes a background essay on the history of golf in Florida, a timeline of events, and sidebars on individuals important to the development of golf in Florida.

“We are pleased and proud to present the Florida Historic Golf Trail guide,” said Secretary Detzner. “This guidebook celebrates Florida’s early golf heritage by featuring publically accessible historic golf courses throughout the state that golfers can still play on today. The Florida Historic Golf Trail is designed to enhance public awareness of Florida’s historic golf courses and increase an appreciation for historic preservation and Florida history.”

The Florida Historic Golf Trail publication was produced for the Department of State by the Florida Association of Museums, with a historic preservation grant provided through the Division of Historical Resources. Copies of the booklet are available to public libraries, educators, students and interested citizens throughout the state. 

The 76 page booklet is the newest addition to the Florida Heritage Trail series, which includes the British Heritage Trail, French Heritage Trail, Florida Seminole Wars Heritage Trail, Florida Spanish Colonial Heritage Trail, the Florida Native American Heritage Trail, Florida World War II Heritage Trail, Civil War Heritage Trail, and the Florida Black Heritage Trail, among others. The entire series of Florida Heritage Trail publications are available online at flheritage.com/historical/preservation/heritage-trails.

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About The Florida Historic Golf Trail

Florida's golf history, recognized as one of the oldest in the nation, dates back to the 1890s when a number of early courses were created along with the development of railroads and hotels in the state. The Florida Historic Golf Trail is a collection of more than 50 historic, publicly accessible golf courses throughout the state that can still be played on today.Through the Florida Historic Golf Trail, golfers can play on courses designed by world-class architects and played by famous golfers such as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Information about the history and current day contact information for each partner course can be found at FloridaHistoricGolfTrail.com.  Find the historic course near you and Come Play on History!

About The Bureau of Historic Preservation

The Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Historic Preservation conducts historic preservation and folklife programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, preserving and interpreting the historic and cultural resources of the state. The Bureau manages a grants-in-aid program to help preserve and maintain Florida’s historic buildings and archaeological sites, and coordinates the State Historic Markers program and the Florida Main Street Program.  Under federal and state laws, the Bureau oversees the National Register of Historic Places program for Florida, maintains an inventory of the state's historical resources in the Florida Master Site File, assists applicants in federal tax benefit and local government ad valorem tax relief programs for historic buildings, and reviews the impact that development projects may have on significant historic resources. The Florida Folklife program identifies and promotes the state's traditional cultures, and coordinates folklife apprenticeship and award programs. For more information visit flheritage.com/preservation.

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.