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A Brief History of the Par 3 Golf Course
The Par 3 Golf Course you now see began its life 90 years ago in 1916 as the 18-hole Miami
Beach Municipal Golf Course. It was built by Miami Beach pioneer Carl Fisher, who also built the
Bayshore Golf Course, the La Gorce Golf Course, and a 9-hole course for the Flamingo Hotel.
Unlike other courses that were being built at the time, which tended to be flat and straightforward,
Fisher had his course designers include artificial hills and gullies, to give his golfers a unique
experience.
The Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course was the first course built in Miami Beach. The Course
was divided into two 9-hole courses by the Collins Canal and Dade Boulevard, stretching south
from the Canal to Lincoln Lane (now the sites of the Miami Beach Convention Center, Botanical
Garden, and Holocaust Memorial) and north from the Canal to West 28th Street. Portions of the
northern course are now the sites of Miami Beach High School, the Hebrew Academy, the Miami
Beach Fire Station (Station #2) and the Scott Rakow Youth Center.
The original Clubhouse, designed by the architect August Geiger, is one of the earliest traceable
examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in the Miami area. The Clubhouse is now the
21st Street Community Center located at 2100 Washington Avenue.
In 1930, Carl Fisher (through his Alton Beach realty Company) and John Collins (through the
Miami Beach Improvement Company) sold the Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course to the City of
Miami Beach, with a warranty deed covenant stipulating that the land be used only as a golf
course. That deed was modified in 1957, allowing the development of the lands south of the
Collins Canal.
In 1992, Citizens for Greenspace was formed by concerned neighbors in the Bayshore community
for the express purpose of protecting the remaining Par 3 Golf Course. Recently rechartered,
Citizens for Greenspace continues to work as a neighborhood organization dedicated to
preserving this parcel of land that has become a centerpiece of the Bayshore neighborhood.
The Par 3 Golf Course you now see began its life 90 years ago in 1916 as the 18-hole Miami
Beach Municipal Golf Course. It was built by Miami Beach pioneer Carl Fisher, who also built the
Bayshore Golf Course, the La Gorce Golf Course, and a 9-hole course for the Flamingo Hotel.
Unlike other courses that were being built at the time, which tended to be flat and straightforward,
Fisher had his course designers include artificial hills and gullies, to give his golfers a unique
experience.
The Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course was the first course built in Miami Beach. The Course
was divided into two 9-hole courses by the Collins Canal and Dade Boulevard, stretching south
from the Canal to Lincoln Lane (now the sites of the Miami Beach Convention Center, Botanical
Garden, and Holocaust Memorial) and north from the Canal to West 28th Street. Portions of the
northern course are now the sites of Miami Beach High School, the Hebrew Academy, the Miami
Beach Fire Station (Station #2) and the Scott Rakow Youth Center.
The original Clubhouse, designed by the architect August Geiger, is one of the earliest traceable
examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in the Miami area. The Clubhouse is now the
21st Street Community Center located at 2100 Washington Avenue.
In 1930, Carl Fisher (through his Alton Beach realty Company) and John Collins (through the
Miami Beach Improvement Company) sold the Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course to the City of
Miami Beach, with a warranty deed covenant stipulating that the land be used only as a golf
course. That deed was modified in 1957, allowing the development of the lands south of the
Collins Canal.
In 1992, Citizens for Greenspace was formed by concerned neighbors in the Bayshore community
for the express purpose of protecting the remaining Par 3 Golf Course. Recently rechartered,
Citizens for Greenspace continues to work as a neighborhood organization dedicated to
preserving this parcel of land that has become a centerpiece of the Bayshore neighborhood.