Toledo Golf Legend Frank Stranahan Won There in 1948
By Mike May
When people think about Florida golf courses, the first venues that spring to mind are those seen on television every year, PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Bay Hill in Orlando, Doral in Miami, and the TPC Stadium Course near Jacksonville, but they are just four of 1,300 golf courses in Florida.
The ‘forefather,’ of professional tournament golf in Florida, however, is the Miami Springs Golf & Country Club. For 30 years, from 1925 to 1955, when the pros visited Florida, they competed at Miami Springs Golf & Country Club. 
The course is listed as one of the 54 courses on the Florida Historic Golf Trail and is the oldest golf course in Miami-Dade County. The club’s rich history has been preserved and there is a yesteryear feel to the site, when you step on the property.
In the early years, the course was known as the Miami-Hialeah Golf Course and the pro event was called the Miami Open. Golf legends, Gene Sarazen, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Arnold Palmer, all played in the Miami Open, Snead won the event six times and the Miami Open was the site of Palmer’s professional debut, in 1954. The King missed the cut that year but would go on to become one of the most beloved athletes of all time.
A historical fact for Ohio golf fans is that Toledo golfing great Frank Stranahan won the Miami Open at this course in 1948. Of course, Stranahan would go on to become one of the most successful amateurs of all time, before he embarked on a professional career.
Today, Miami Springs plays to a par 71 layout and has evolved into a wonderful golf experience. The three biggest hurdles to overcome at Miami Springs are a canal, which crosses three fairways on the back nine, the ever-present winds and the raised greens. Always club up at least one club for approach shots at Miami Springs.
The driving force behind the development of this golf course was national aviation hero, Glenn H. Curtiss, along with the “Miami Coconuts,” a group of wealthy golfers. They hired prominent golf architect Willam Langford, along with Theodore Moreau to design and build the course, which opened for play in 1923. 
Miami Springs also has a strong affiliation with the local Seminole Indians. When the golf course was being built in the early 1920s, local Seminole Indian women planted the grass by hand around the bunkers and on the banks of the canal. When the course opened, Seminole Indian men, wearing their native clothing, served as caddies.
There’s another piece of history at this course. It hosted the North-South Tournament, the largest minority sponsored golf competition in the country, from 1953-1989. Some of its more famous participants included baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, former boxing legend Joe Louis, singer Nat King Cole, and former Wimbledon tennis champion Althea Gibson. When you visit Miami Springs be sure to view the picture hanging inside the clubhouse of Robinson and Gibson, taken at the 1962 North-South Tournament.
Bring an appetite and enjoy their delicious, locally acclaimed Cuban sandwiches, which are served inside the clubhouse.
For more information or to reserve a tee-time visit, Miami Springs Golf & Country Club.
You will walk in the footsteps of legends. The experience was memorable for Arnold Palmer and Jackie Robinson.
It will be for you, too.
