A Brief History of the Jungle Country Club Golf Course

A palm bordered golf course in sunny Florida. 

By 1915, St. Petersburg – aka "The Sunshine City" and "The Health City" –  was one of the leading tourist destinations in Florida. Northerners returned year after year to enjoy sunbathing, swimming, tennis, boating, fishing, lawn bowling, major league baseball, shuffleboard and other outdoor sports – but there was no golf course.

Golf had recently become a popular sport in America. It could be played by men and women of all ages and was an enjoyable form of exercise. Even an unskilled golfer could benefit from a  four mile walk in a park-like setting. Civic leaders in St. Petersburg observed that other Florida cities were attracting tourists with new golf courses. There was an urgency to remain up-to-date and competitive by building a first-class course.

After a year of clearing the jungle near Boca Ciega Bay, the Country Club at Davista golf course opened in 1916 (it was renamed the Jungle Country Club in 1925). It was the first championship level course in St. Petersburg – designed by renowned course architect A.W. Tillinghast and touted as possibly the best course south of Baltimore. During the next three decades athletes, celebrities and notables of the era - as well as residents and tourists - played on the course. Hall of Fame golfers Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen, Hall of Fame baseball players Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx, football coach Pop Warner and civic leaders mayor Al Lang, H. Walter Fuller and Walter P. Fuller all played on the Jungle Country Club course. The prestige of living near the golf course and Boca Ciega Bay inspired the affluent to build magnificent homes, many of which are still standing.

During the Depression, the course continued in use but owners struggled to make it profitable. In 1939, baseball player Jimmie Foxx and a partner leased the Jungle course and it was renamed Jimmie Foxx's Jungle Club. He and his partner were soon estranged and Foxx ended up losing his life savings in the venture.

In 1943, 10,000 army trainees camped on the course and adjacent Piper-Fuller Flying Field creating a tent city. The Jungle Country Club officially closed in 1944 when the property was sold to Admiral Farragut Academy. In the mid-1950's a residential neighborhood ‒ Azaleaville ‒ was built on the property.

To see the last trace of the historic golf course, visit Golf Creek on Farragut Drive in St. Petersburg, but leave your golf bag at home. There is a sign at the north end of the street – “Hitting Golf Balls Prohibited.”

Hall of famers and civic leaders who played on the course. Top -Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx. Bottom - Mayor Al Lang, Walter P. Fuller.

Playing golf amongst the palms in St. Petersburg.