Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative: Florida Collection: Florida Collection August 2026

August 2026

Focus: Golf

Boys watching pro golfers at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club, 1601 MacDill Avenue: Tampa, Fla. PA 11832

FEATURED BOOKS FROM THE FLORIDA COLLECTION:

Rogers Park Golf Course: 18 Holes of History

by Lionel Ballard

Rogers Park Golf Course is special. Its history is rich, and its people are legendary. If you listen carefully, you will hear the sound of children's joy and families' laughter. You will feel the celebration of a hole-in-one and the stories it spawns. You will appreciate the community unity that it fosters. You most likely will interact with a legend, with or without your knowledge. When it is all said and done, endless and endearing memories are attached to the names Rogers Park and Rogers Park Golf Course.

Golf in Florida: 1886-1950
by Richard Moorehead

Florida has depended on tourism since the earliest days of American ownership. Entrepreneurs, scoundrels, and visionaries flocked to the Sunshine State to take advantage of the natural resources--land, water, climate, natural beauty, flora, and fauna--to implement their schemes and dreams. One of the attractions was golf. Every Florida resort of note included a golf course, and golf became the major attraction for winter visitors and part-time residents. This book provides a brief history of golf in Florida, focuses on the men who designed the courses, and provides a guide to the resorts that catered to the game.

Dunedin Dubs and Divots: a History of Golf in Dunedin, 1925-1962

by Don Goodall

From 1925 to 1962, here is a researched look at how the Dunedin Country Club has grown today. Going from how the starting members all volunteered time to building the clubhouse and having issues with financing it to then keeping the game of golf alive in Dunedin. Goodall was able to bring all this research together by getting access to files from the Dunedin Times and the Dunedin Historical Society. Not only did they access old articles, but they were also able to talk to some of the golf pros that retired and remained in the area.

Wonder Girl : the Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias
by Don Van Natta

Experience the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics. Then Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world.

Florida's Fairways: 60 Alluring and Affordable Golf Courses From the Panhandle to the Keys
by Alan K. Moore

Florida offers more than a thousand accessible and affordable golf courses, which attract more than two million golfers every year. Moore's guide to 60 golfing venues in the Sunshine State caters to all budgets by featuring public courses, semi-private clubs where daily-fee players are welcome, and resorts that offer on-site accommodations. Moore explores each course's character--from its architect, design, and history to an analysis of each hole, including advice on drive and approach shots and helpful observations on hazards and putting surfaces. Both the recreational golfer and the keen student of the sport will find Florida's Fairways a handy, richly informative, and enjoyable guide.

HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS:

From the Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection

Explore the Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection of over 20,000 images that highlight the history of the Tampa Bay area from the late 1800s to the early 1960s. Below are pictures of Florida's golfers with wide and close-up photos. From top left to bottom right: 1. PA 2512 (Men playing golf; house in background: Tampa, Fla.); 2. PA 2493 (People playing golf in front of bungalow-style clubhouse of the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club: Tampa, Fla.); 3. PA 2787 (People playing golf at Macfarlane Park Municpal Golf Course: Tampa, Fla.); 4. PA 11833 (Pro golfer instructing boy on proper grip as other boys watch at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club, 1601 MacDill Avenue: Tampa, Fla.) 5. PA 4193 (People playing golf at Palma Ceia Golf Club, with west facade of clubhouse in background: Tampa, Fla.); 6. PA 14471 (Pasadena Golf: Saint Petersburg, Fla.); 8. PA 2494 (People playing golf with houses in background: Tampa, Fla.); 9. PA 7695 (Silver Lake Golf Club with three male golfers playing the first tee of the golf course: Leesburg, Fla.).