Historic Photograph: Babe Ruth and Al Lang Leaving the Train Station in St Petersburg circa 1925

Babe Ruth arrives in St. Petersburg for spring training wearing a golf hat. Then he gets in a car with the president of the Jungle Country Club ‒ Al Lang. The preeminent celebrity of the Roaring Twenties does not appear to be thinking about baseball ‒ it looks like he's ready for golf.

From 1925-1935, Babe Ruth came to St. Petersburg every spring, often arriving weeks before the start of spring training camp in order to play golf. Walking the golf course in a rubber shirt was part of his conditioning program, helping him to lose weight before the baseball season.

The Jungle golf course meandered through the current day Azalea neighborhood. The golf course closed in 1944 and a residential development ‒ Azaleaville ‒ was built on the property in the 1950's.

<click here for course layout>

Thanks to Dominick Griesi for discovering this historic photograph and forwarding it to the blog.

Al Lang (wearing straw hat) and Babe Ruth leaving the train station.

Colorized: