Featured Golf Course

The Rocky Point Golf Course is located in the City of Tampa in Hillsborough County. In 1910, the Tampa Automobile Club accepted the offer of John H. Drew to purchase one and a half acres for the clubhouse and 100 acres of land for the golf links at Rocky Point. The Club hired Atlanta golf expert F.G. Byrd to design an 18-hole golf course. Byrd, a native Floridian residing in Atlanta, was the 1910 Southern Golf Champion. The plans prepared by Byrd included surrounding the course with ditches in order to drain water. Byrd also recommended planting a palmetto tree at each tee. The club retained the services of golf professional C.J. Smith, who would be in charge of laying out of the course, with his assistant R.E. Jones. Nine holes were opened for play in 1912, and the 18-hole, 5,303 yard layout was completed in 1913.

In December 1915, the golf course was the site of the first state-wide amateur golf tournament under the newly formed Florida State Golf Association. A.C. Ulmer of the Florida Country Club in Jacksonville won the inaugural tournament, 5 and 3 over J.D. Harnett, also from the Florida Country Club, after playing 36 holes on the last day. In 1917, the Tampa Automobile and Golf Club officially changed its name to the Rocky Point Golf Club.

On April 24, 1926, one of America’s most renowned golf course architects, Albert W. Tillinghast, played an interesting round of golf at Rocky Point. Tillinghast was in Tampa to begin work on the Davis Islands Country Club golf course. Playing for his first time in five years, Tillinghast used just one club, a Mid Iron, which is roughly a 4 iron today. According to a Tampa Times newspaper article, he drove with it, made approach shots and putted with it on the greens. But most impressive was that he shot a 90 with just one club!

In 1931, former Rocky Point caddy and head professional, Ed Dudley, won the Western Open Championship, beating Walter Hagen by four strokes. 

In 1941, the federal government took over the golf course and closed it for use as part of Drew Army Airfield. Two years later the course was reopened to officers and enlisted men of Drew Field, and to personnel of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. In 1953, the government turned the property over to the City of Tampa for $1. The city then leased it to J.S. “Curly” Hartman for 25 years who with his wife, Merle, reopened the course in 1954. Merle took over operations when Curly passed away in 1957.

In the early 1960s, the course expanded from 18 holes to 27. However, once the Hartmans’ lease expired in 1978, the city turned course operations over to the Tampa Sports Authority. Five years later the course would be redesigned and return to 18 holes.

Today, the Tampa Sports Authority manages Rocky Point, the Babe Zaharias Golf Course, Rogers Park Golf Course and Raymond James Stadium.