Info
Miami Beach Golf Club - Flamingo Golf Course
Closed - 9 Holes
15th Street
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami-Dade County
33139
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This picture from 1922 shows "The Flamingo" hotel in the foreground with the "Flamingo Golf Course" shown on the right side in the background.
Notes
The visionary of the Flamingo Golf Course was Carl Fisher.
Jan 1 1921-Sep 18 1926: Flamingo Golf Course, 9 holes, par 35, 3144 yards (estimated), designed by Lee Nelson.
From November 14, 1922 to September 18, 1926, the Flamingo Golf Course was one of three courses that belonged to the Miami Beach Golf Club.
Course Area
Estimated Layout and Scorecard
There are no really clear aerials or pictures of the Flamingo Golf Course, but from various sources, here is an estimation of the golf course:
The current Street View of where the clubhouse is estimated to have been
Google Maps
Bing Maps
History
Carl Fisher was one of the main visionaries of Miami Beach and one of his many projects, was "The Flamingo" hotel. According to a 1920 advertisement, The Flamingo's grand opening occurred on January 1, 1921. One of the many amenities of The Flamingo was a 9-hole golf course called "The Flamingo Golf Course". It was to be expanded into 18 holes, but never was. It was also open to the public.
According to the Miami News, construction of The Flamingo Golf Course began in 1919. According to Abraham D. Lavender in the book 'Miami Beach in 1920: The Making of a Winter Resort', The Flamingo Golf Course was designed and constructed by Lee Nelson. According to the Miami News, the Flamingo Golf Course was put in use near the end of 1920. According to the Miami News, in January 1921, construction of a club house started which was located near the first tee.
This 1921 map shows the location of the Flamingo Golf Course.
It was bounded to the north by 15th Street, to the east by Meridian Avenue, to the south by 11th Street, and to the west by Alton Road.
The same street names as today were used in 1921.
Reference: http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/1623783/Index+Map+and+Street+Index/Miami+Beach+1921/Florida/
Since Carl Fisher had interests in all 3 golf courses on Miami beach, he created the Miami Beach Golf Club which included the Flamingo Golf Course, the Miami Beach Bay Shore Golf Course and the Miami Beach Golf Course. Herbert Charles Tippet was appointed the golf director of the Miami Beach Golf Club. In this way, the Miami Beach Golf Club could control the number of daily players on each golf course on each day for the period of November 14, 1922 to May 1, 1923.
In the fall of 1922, the course was closed in order to get it ready for duty for the winter season. It reopened in January 1923. On April 1, 1923 the Flamingo Golf Course closed until the summer.
In the 1925 and 1926 issues of the The American Annual Golf Guide and Year Book, it lists the Flamingo Golf Course as 9 holes, par 35, 3,144 yards, grass greens.
According to Kenneth Ballinger in his book 'Miami Millions', in April 1925, Carl Fisher sold the land holding the course, but no activity was allowed until 1931.
On September 18, 1926, a major hurricane hit Miami Beach nicknamed "The Big Blow". Storm surge flooded the city and wind damage was extensive.
It is apparent that September 18, 1926 was probably the last day for the "The Flamingo Golf Course". In November 1926, permission was granted to put a baseball diamond on The Flamingo Course. On December 2, 1926, the Miami News reported that the owners of the Flamingo Golf Course agreed to turn over the property to the City of Miami Beach until 1931. Since 1926, Flamingo Park has been used as a multi-sport, multi-function municipal park. In April 1929, the Miami News reported that the City of Miami Beach purchased Flamingo Park for $300,000.
