St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club turns 100

While sliding biscuits seems like something you would do at the breakfast table, it is actually the centerpiece of a relaxing sport that has been played in St. Petersburg for 100 years. This month (January) marks the 100th anniversary of founding the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. It is said that the city was introduced to the sport by a winter visitor named Phineas Ives, who enjoyed shuffleboard when he was on Florida’s east coast. The city, in the fall of 1923, installed two courts in Mirror Lake Park. A formal club was formed the following January, and by March, there were more than 400 members.

The two courts were in constant use, so the city and the club partnered in the creation of two more.

Plans were put into motion for further expansion, and soon, nearly 40 courts were available – along with three roque (croquet) courts. Weekly tournaments started in November 1924, and, like the club itself, regular tournaments are still going strong to this day. Members are allowed access to the courts throughout the week, but non-members can try their hand every Friday evening from 7 to 10.