Photo Exhibits

Photo exhibits spotlight various topics in Florida history, and are accompanied by brief text intended to place selected materials in historical context.

Golf in the Sunshine State

In between rides on glass-bottom boats and trips to alligator farms and sandy beaches, many Florida tourists have teed off on Florida's numerous golf courses. Florida's sunny climate and flat terrain made for a perfect terrain for eager golfers. Below are just a few images of golfing in Florida over the years.

Dr. Tennent Ronalds putting on golf course: Leon County, Florida (ca. 1907)

Dr. Tennent Ronalds putting on golf course: Leon County, Florida (ca. 1907)

Image Number: HR104

Dr. Ronalds developed Live Oak as Leon County's first hunting plantation and built a golf course. He kept a flock of sheep to keep the greens and fairways trim.

People playing golf by Fort Marion: Saint Augustine, Florida(1902)

People playing golf by Fort Marion: Saint Augustine, Florida (1902)

Image Number: RC03596

John Hamilton Gillespie poses under a large palmetto: Sarasota, Florida (1901)

John Hamilton Gillespie poses under a large palmetto: Sarasota, Florida (1901)

Image Number: RC01851

An early promoter of golf, Gillespie built one of the first golf courses in Florida. In May 1886, he cleared a woods on Main Street and laid out a long fairway. By 1905 there was a complete 9 hole course, plus a clubhouse, on a 110 acre tract.

Rosie the elephant being used as a golf tee: Miami Beach, Florida (1927)

Rosie the elephant being used as a golf tee: Miami Beach, Florida (1927)

Image Number: RC01825

Developer and entrepreneur Carl Graham Fisher used the elephant Rosie to promote Miami Beach during the Florida land boom of the 1920s.

Women's golf champion Maureen Orcutt: Jacksonville, Florida

Women's golf champion Maureen Orcutt: Jacksonville, Florida

Image Number: SP01111

Maureen Orcutt was one of the nation's outstanding golfers for almost fifty years and one of the first women sportswriters in the US. Orcutt was 99 when she died in January of 2007.

Race car driver Sig Haugdahl with clubs he had specially made: Jacksonville, Florida (1922)

Race car driver Sig Haugdahl with clubs he had specially made: Jacksonville, Florida (1922)

Image Number: N032681

Jackie Gleason and Arnold Palmer at a golf match: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (196-?)

Jackie Gleason and Arnold Palmer at a golf match: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (196-?)

Image Number: PR07243

Babe Ruth and the former governor of New York, Al Smith, playing a round of golf at the Miami Biltmore: Coral Gables, Florida (1930)

Babe Ruth and the former governor of New York, Al Smith, playing a round of golf at the Miami Biltmore: Coral Gables, Florida (1930)

Image Number: RC07703

Nancy Lopez at the Centel Classic : Tallahassee, Florida (1991)

Nancy Lopez at the Centel Classic: Tallahassee, Florida (1991)

Image Number: PR03985

In 1987, Nancy Lopez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (located in St. Augustine, Florida).

Bill Glasson acknowledges applause : Tallahassee, Florida (1988)

Bill Glasson acknowledges applause: Tallahassee, Florida (1988)

Image Number: MF0308

Bill Glasson, from Fresno, California, acknowledges applause from the crowd on the 18th green Sunday after sinking a birdie putt and taking the $90,000 winner's share of the $500,000 Centel Classic golf tournament.

Glasson finished with a 16-under-par, 272 total for the four rounds, two strokes ahead of his next challenger.

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