Florida in 1928

« **Reply #75 on:** February 23, 2014, 03:31:51 PM »

A 1927 article discusses the old Royal Palm course (The Miami News - Aug. 28, 1927), noting a bit of quirk in its nine holes.

The article notes the Miami CC course was built when "the park was depleted of its bunkers and sandpits," but gives no mention of the timing. It does note that the old course went out of existence around 1915, and that the new Miami CC was built with 9 holes at first followed by nine additional holes three years later. I am guessing this is a reference to the Ross course, but the mention of the original course playing right near the hotel runs contrary to accounts of the original Miami CC having been laid out a good distance from the hotel, so that golfers had to take a boat or horse and buggy to reach it.

There is also a bit of history on Carl Fisher's Miami Beach courses, including that the original Miami Beach GC was initially intended to be only five holes. The article also suggests that the Miami-Hialeah course was conceived around 1915 (which runs contrary to the articles posted earlier in the thread discussing a later date for its construction).

Other items to note:

-Both the Miami-Hialeah and Miami Beach GC courses are noted as having been turned over to the city to be used as Municipal courses.
-The Flamingo Course had been abandoned by the time the article was written.
-Bay Shore, La Gorce, Miami Biltmore (2 courses), Golf Park have been constructed.
-Two courses were in the works in Hollywood.
-Fort Lauderdale had two courses at this point.

« **Reply #76 on:** February 23, 2014, 03:40:34 PM »

Another non-contemporaneous account (The Miami News - Oct. 16, 1955) provides some more information to the mix.

I suspect this article has certain aspects of the history correct, although some of the dates and claims seem a bit off. There's some interesting commentary on what was happening to the course in 1955, indicating that a "better use" had been found for the property.

« **Reply #77 on:** February 23, 2014, 03:56:29 PM »

Here's a Nov. 22, 1920 article from The Miami News discussing the opening of the new Miami Beach CC/Royal Palm clubhouse and course:

« **Reply #78 on:** February 23, 2014, 04:46:28 PM »

The Miami-Hialeah Golf Course was discussed on the first page of this thread amongst the posts dealing with Langford. That course, which became known as Miami Springs CC, received a good deal of press while it was being built.

From The Miami News, June 29, 1922:

Same paper, August 14, 1922:

« **Reply #79 on:** February 23, 2014, 04:52:13 PM »

An article from later on noting the history of Miami-Hialeah and the transition to Miami Springs CC (The Miami News, July 5, 1952). A detailed course history can be found on the Miami Springs CC website (http://www.miamispringsgolfcourse.com/history.pdf).

« **Reply #80 on:** February 23, 2014, 05:34:22 PM »

There's another course from the Miami area with a bit of an interesting architectural pedigree. Miami Shores CC is noted as a Donald Ross design from 1925, and was advertised heavily in the local papers at that time noting the plan for two courses designed by Ross. I'm not sure what happened to the course, but it is noted as being NLE.

A few years later, in 1938, a new course was built in Miami with a similar name. The Miami Shores Village G&CC was built by two former Flynn and Toomey employees, one of them being Red Lawrence and the other Louis Wilson. Lawrence worked for a time in Florida with a home base of Boca Raton before relocating to the Phoenix area. Known today as Miami Shores CC, the course is still in existence.

From The Miami News, Jan. 5, 1938:

« **Reply #81 on:** February 24, 2014, 12:03:46 AM »

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Hialeah-TheMiamiNews-July519521_zpse236730b.png

Why does government run golf courses?

« **Reply #82 on:** February 24, 2014, 12:58:07 PM »

A few additional articles on Flynn's work in Florida.

First, an article on Cleveland Heights in Lakeland (The Evening Independent - Jan. 11, 1925):

Next, a Nov. 1, 1925 The Miami News piece on Flynn in Boca Raton working on the Ritz Carlton course. The article also discusses Ross' work on The Cloisters course:

And an ad for the Boca Ritz:

« **Reply #83 on:** February 24, 2014, 01:04:05 PM »

Two additional articles on Boca Raton.

The first discusses the Flynn and Ross courses after they had opened (The Miami News - Dec. 27, 1926):

The second, just covering the Ritz Carlton course, is from The Palm Beach Daily News on Feb. 6, 1927:

« **Reply #84 on:** February 24, 2014, 01:24:09 PM »

And a series of articles on other Ross courses.

Here's an Sarasota Herald-Tribune article from Feb. 26, 1929 discussing the state of golf in that city.

Courses noted:

Bobby Jones Muncipal Course
Sarasota Ritz-Carlton Hotel Course - to be opened in 1929/30 [Don't think this was ever completed.]
Longboat Key course - "constructed by the Sarasota CC, but allowed to lapse into disuse."
Whitfield course - aka Sara Bay CC, the DRS has this as an 18 hole remodel in 1925.

« **Reply #85 on:** February 24, 2014, 01:29:40 PM »

Another article from a few years later (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Jan. 31, 1932) discussing the Bobby Jones Municipal Course and the Whitfield Estates CC.

« **Reply #86 on:** February 24, 2014, 01:35:43 PM »

Another article discussing Whitfield, with a fairly concise description of the course and noting an exhibition match between Hagen and Jones.

And an ad for the project, along with a routing map:

A close up of the routing map:

« **Reply #87 on:** February 24, 2014, 01:41:24 PM »

Switching coasts, here's an article on Palm Beach CC, a course designed by Ross in 1917 and reworked by him in the late '30's.

(The Palm Beach Post - Dec. 1, 1939)

« **Reply #88 on:** February 25, 2014, 06:20:11 PM »

Lake Eola is surrounded by housing today.

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« **Reply #89 on:** February 25, 2014, 06:24:16 PM »

Guys, thanks for all your efforts. Really good stuff!

« **Reply #90 on:** February 25, 2014, 06:29:56 PM »

I am trying to get up to Suwanee Country Club to take some pics and talk to the locals about any history of the course. When I do, I will post that info here. The only information Sven and I have discovered is that it was founded in 1926.

I have enjoyed this thread immensely and appreciate all the effort that Sven and others have put into finding these articles. When I get some more time I will repost my Clewiston thread.

« **Reply #91 on:** February 25, 2014, 06:52:32 PM »

Rees,

Here's a blurb from a cached page:

The 9-hole Suwannee Country Club was founded at Houston in 1926 on land earlier owned by the County, with such locals as F. D. Helvenston, Cary Hardee, R. H. Helvenston, B. W. Helvenson, Jr., and Dr. W. C. White present at its dedication.

The names may aid in your search.

The page:
http://tinyurl.com/lp9qseh

« **Reply #92 on:** March 02, 2014, 05:47:00 PM »

A few posts up the Hagen/Jones match in St. Petersburg was noted. Here's a postcard from the event:

« **Reply #93 on:** March 04, 2014, 01:48:01 PM »

The other course played over by Hagen and Jones in their match was Pasadena G&CC. Pasadena started as Boca Ciega G&CC, and is referred to elsewhere as Bear Creek GC.

The course was designed by Stiles & Van Kleek in 1924 with some assistance from Walter Hagen. This St. Petersburg Times article from December 31, 1924 discusses the opening of the course:

Here's an ad from April 10, 1924 (then named Bear Creek):

A March 31, 1925 blurb from the St. Petersburg Times notes the name change from Boca Ciega to Pasadena:

« **Reply #94 on:** March 04, 2014, 02:20:02 PM »

Taking a break from the articles to add in some photos.

A shot of the Daytona Highlands course (built around 1926):

Granada (Langford & Moreau), from 1924:

Two photos of Ormond Beach (the first dates from 1910):

Royal Palm:

Royal Poincaina:

Two shots of Tallahassee CC (aka Hill City CC), the second being from 1921:

« **Reply #95 on:** March 04, 2014, 07:28:16 PM »

Here are two articles on Langford's Coral Gables course that were linked to earlier in the thread by Jim Kennedy:

From the Nov. 27, 1922 edition of The Miami News:

And from the same paper on Jan. 3, 1923:

« **Reply #96 on:** March 04, 2014, 07:58:50 PM »

Sven,
If you search around a bit on the Florida Memory site you'll find a photo of the Scenic Highlands course in Avon Park.

Jim

« **Reply #97 on:** March 08, 2014, 01:27:29 AM »

In the January, 1922 edition of Travel, there's an article entitled "Creating the New Florida."

In the article appears the following:

"The golf courses in South Florida are as ubiquitous as the orange groves and they are not the sand green affairs of early Florida vintage. Except for the old links at Winter Park, there is not a sand green course in the southern section of the state. Two golf course architect, Donald J. Ross and Seth J. Raynor, have had a profound influence on golf course construction all over Florida, and to them belongs the credit of laying out some of the finest links in the country. The first of Mr. Ross' work was at Belleair, and his most recent links were built at Ft. Myers. At Tampa, Mountain Lake and Orlando there are Raynor courses, all of which have tried the skill of our cleverest present-day professionals."

Anyone ever heard of Raynor working in Tampa or Orlando?

« **Reply #98 on:** March 08, 2014, 12:42:15 PM »

Copied below is a Feb. 10, 1925 article from The Palm Beach Post discussing the opening of a golf course in Lake Wales. The article notes 9 holes of the course had been completed, with 9 more to follow. The architect is noted as Seth Raynor, and it states he also laid out the Mountain Lake course. My understanding was that there was Mountain Lake by Raynor, and Lake Wales GC by Ross. The website for Lake Wales notes that the course used to be public, and it was my assumption that the references to Lake Wales Municipal GC were for the same course.

So was it Raynor, or Ross, or some combination of the two due to Raynor's passing before the 2nd Nine holes were completed?

Edit: Found an old thread that touched on the issue:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50709.msg1155452.html#msg1155452

« **Reply #99 on:** March 10, 2014, 01:00:45 PM »

A few more images.

Highland Park Club, Lake Wales -

Mountain Lake -

College Arms, De Land -

News:

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