Tampa Republic

Babe Zaharias has completed a major renovation of all 18 golf course greens and the practice putting green. New TifEagle greens have been installed, along with new greenside bunkers. This $1,000,000 renovation, combined with clubhouse renovations over the last few years, makes Babe Zaharias an even more desirable golfing destination for Tampa residents and visitors.

Media outlets are invited to learn more about the renovations at a press conference planned for Monday, September 30, at 10:30 a.m. at the Babe Zaharias Golf Course, 11412 Forest Hills Drive.

Attendees should park in the Babe Zaharias parking lot and proceed to the pavilion outside the clubhouse. To RSVP or for additional details, please contact Bobby Silvest of Tampa Sports Authority by email at bsilvest@tampasportsauthority.com. The event is closed to the public.

Babe Zaharias Golf Course first opened in 1926 in northwest Tampa as the Forest Hills Golf and Country Club. The original course had riding stables on the south property and was only surrounded by ten homes.

In 1949, Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias purchased the golf course. She later passed away in September of 1956 from cancer. Following her death, the golf course closed down and its clubhouse was abandoned.

The course became overgrown until it was taken over by the City of Tampa and reopened in 1974 under Babe’s name. The City put the golf course under management of Tampa Sports Authority – a special district created in 1965 by Governor Hayden Burns for planning, developing and maintaining sports and recreational facilities for Tampa Bay area.

Tampa Sports Authority still manages Babe Zaharias Golf Course today along with Rocky Point Golf Course, Rogers Park Golf Course and Raymond James Stadium.

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