Bobby Jones Golf Club Featured as Florida Historic Golf Trail Course of the Month

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that the Bobby Jones Golf Club, located in the City of Sarasota in Sarasota County, has been chosen as the featured course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail for the month of September.

“We are pleased to feature the historic Bobby Jones Golf Club as a partner on the Florida Historic Golf Trail,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “In 1927, the Bobby Jones Golf Course was named for and dedicated by one of the game’s most famous players. Today the course continues to serve as a testament to the City of Sarasota’s rich golf heritage.”

Image Courtesy of Bobby Jones Golf Club

Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie arrived in Sarasota in 1886, and built a practice course consisting of two greens and one long fairway between what is now Main Street and Ringling Boulevard. That course is one of the oldest recorded golf courses in the nation.

In 1926, renowned golf course architect Donald Ross was hired to design the 18-hole layout that opened as the Sarasota Municipal Golf Course. In 1927, when the City renamed the municipal course the Bobby Jones Golf Club, a crowd of over 1,000 gathered to watch the most popular and famous player of the day, Bobby Jones, dedicate the course and then play in an exhibition game where he shot a 73.

“The City of Sarasota and Bobby Jones Golf Club, are delighted and honored to be the September 2016 featured golf course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail,” said golf course manager Sue Martin. “Sarasota is known as the ‘Cradle of Golf’ thanks to our first Mayor, Scotsman Colonel John Gillespie’s love of the sport.”

Today, the Bobby Jones Golf Club is a 45-hole golf complex consisting of two 18-hole golf courses and a 9-hole, par-30 executive course. The original Donald Ross course was split in half into the American and British courses. To play all 18 holes of the original Donald Ross-designed golf course, golfers today play the back nine of the American and British courses. The 18-hole, par-71, American Course features four sets of tees playing from 4,300 to 6,000 yards and is a shotmaker's course with water and trees frequently coming into play. The 18-hole, par-72, British Course features four sets of tees playing from 5,200 to 6,500 yards. The British Course is more open and includes plenty of sand bunkers.

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

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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 late 1800s 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 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. The Division Director’s office oversees a grants-in-aid program to help preserve and maintain Florida’s historic buildings and archaeological sites; coordinates outreach programs such as the State Historic Markers program and the Florida Folklife program which identifies and promotes the state's traditional culture. DHR directs historic preservation efforts throughout the state in cooperation with state and federal agencies, local governments, private organizations, and individuals. The Division director 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, archaeological research and historic preservation. For more information visit flheritage.com.