Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Jack Gaither Golf Course
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 17, 2024
1. Jack Gaither Golf Course Marker
The City of Tallahassee owns and operates the Jake Gaither Golf Course. The picturesque 9-hole course sits on 120 acres on the city’s south side. It opened on Dec. 14, 1956, during the era of racial segregation, to give African Americans a place to play. Many Black golfers had learned the game by serving as caddies at Capital City Country Club, Tallahassee’s only golf course at the time. One golfer recalled, “We could caddy there, but we couldn’t play.” The Tallahassee City Commission named the course for Alonzo S. “Jake” Gaither, a well-known citizen and legendary head football coach at Florida A&M University (FAMU). In the 1960s, it was the home course of the FAMU Golf Team. Black golfers from the course’s early years, known as “Legends of the Links,” taught and mentored women and kids to grow access and interest in the sport. The City completed a modernization of the course in 2022, while maintaining many of the historically significant elements. On August 9, 2022, Jake Gaither Golf Course was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation's historic sites worthy of preservation.
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A Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2022 by The City of Tallahassee and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1206.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Sports. A significant historical date for this entry is December 14, 1956.
Location. 30° 24.27′ N, 84° 17.807′ W. Marker is in Tallahassee, Florida, in Leon County. It can be reached from the intersection of Bragg Drive and Rackley Road. Marker can be found behind the Pro Shop. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 801 Bragg Drive, Tallahassee FL 32305, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Florida. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 17, 2024
2. Jack Gaither Golf Course Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 1963 Civil Rights Protest Jail Overflow Site (approx. one mile away); Gibbs Cottage (approx. 1.2 miles away); Coach Alonzo "Jake" Gaither Home (approx. 1½ miles away); Wilhelmina Jakes And Carrie Patterson: Initiators of The Tallahassee Bus Boycott (approx. 1.6 miles away); Florida A&M University (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Florida A&M University Hospital (1911-1971) (approx. 1.7 miles away); Carnegie Library at Florida A&M University (approx. 1.7 miles away); Bel Air Community (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tallahassee.
Also see . . . Jack Gaither Golf Course. (Submitted on April 28, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 422 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
