World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, continues to evolve with new additions
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- For golfers, a trip to see the World Golf Hall of Fame is a must. But you might be thinking that once you've seen it, why go back?
The answer is that it's constantly changing, not only with the new inductees each year, but with new interesting exhibits.
In the last few years, a lot has been added to the Hall to go along with what's already there. In fact, if you've only been there once, you didn't have enough time to really appreciate all the exhibits, from the history of golf and golf clubs to the lockers of the 150 members of the Hall of Fame. The latter is most interesting since it reflects what each member or each member's family thought was important enough to include.
As for the latest, in 2014. a section dedicated to the accomplishments, struggles and contributions of African Americans in golf was added. Developed with the support of the PGA of America, the PGA Tour and the USGA, this permanent exhibition, called "Honoring the Legacy: A Tribute to African-Americans in Golf," contains rare photographs, audio, video and memorabilia to highlight the history of African-Americans in golf starting with pioneers from the late 1800s through today's game.
Hall of Fame member Charlie Sifford's PGA Player Card from 1960, the document that officially broke golf's color barrier, as well as Calvin Peete, boxing legend Joe Louis, tennis great Althea Gibson (who was a terrific golfer as well) and Tiger Woods, of course, are part of the exhibit. The centerpiece is an original sculpture, "The DNA of the Golf Swing," designed by renowned sculptor Mario Chiodo. It features 13 African-American golf legends.
Secondly, there's also a new section dedicated to women in golf, featuring greats and pioneers such as Patty Berg, Carol Mann and Annika Sorenstam, just to name a few. Speaking of greats, there's also an ongoing exhinit dedicated to the life and times of Nancy Lopez. One of the most interesting parts of this exhibit is an anonymous painting of Lopez and her parents that was dropped off at her family's Roswell, N.M. house early in her career. Nobody took credit for it. It remains one of Lopez' most treasured possessions.
Additionally, there's a section devoted to the PLAYERS Championship. At one point, visitors can place their feet on two footprints facing a large screen to get a feel for what's it like to play the 17th island green par 3 with all the fans surrounding the tee. (Outside you can also play a replica hole of the 17th).
And finally, there's a section dedicated to Olympic golf following the Rio Olympics of 2016. There's also a new simulator in that section where visitors can play a hole on whatever course is featured on the tours that week.
One of the best parts about visiting the World Golf Hall of Fame is that they encourage to take photos. So we took a few and featured them in this gallery.
Admission is $20.95 for adults (discounts for seniors, students and juniors), and it includes the chance to hit couple of shots at the replica of the famed par-3 17th at the PLAYERS Stadium Course up the road, as well as a green fee to the putting course outside.