Florida Historic Golf Trail
When Scottish immigrant John Gillespie established his homestead in Sarasota in 1886, he brought his passion for the emerging game of golf with him, and constructed a practice course consisting of two greens and one long fairway behind his home. This two-hole golf “course” became the origin of golfing in Florida and one of the first recorded in the nation.
Today, Florida's golf history is recognized as one of the earliest in the nation. Its growth dates back to the 1890s, when a number of courses were created for resorts along the railroad lines built by Henry Flagler on the east coast, and on the west coast by Henry Plant. The construction of Florida’s early golf courses and resorts continued through the “golden age” of golf course architecture that lasted from the 1900s through the 1930s.
In honor of our 10th anniversary, we updated our trail publication and created a one-of-a-kind specially designed Florida Course Pocket Guide. The 52-page flip book includes historical information on all our partner courses and is designed to fit in your golf bag or your back pocket. Historical and current information for each partner course can be found at FloridaHistoricGolfTrail.com.
Find the historic course near you and Come Play on History!
The Florida Historic Golf Trail pocket guide was produced by the Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources.
- Read the original Florida Historic Golf Trail guide online.
- Download the Florida Historic Golf Trail Pocket Guide (.pdf)
- Read more about the history of golf in Florida using this bibliography, accessible through the State Library and Archives of Florida.
- Discover other Florida Heritage Publications
