BIG CYPRESS — Golf has a very long history. Its specific origins have been lost to time, however it’s generally accepted that it began in Scotland in the Middle Ages. That was over 1,000 years ago. But for the last 150 years the game has enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the world and close to home.

But have you ever wondered when the first Seminole or Miccosukee person played golf? We certainly don’t have a definite answer for that. But a picture recently added to the museum’s collection may show one of the earliest games of golf enjoyed by a community member here in Florida. The image shows a very early 20th century game of golf being enjoyed by some well-dressed players.

Fast forward nearly 100 years and the Seminole Tribe has not lost its love for the game. In the 2000s, three gentlemen paused a game to pose for a picture. From this picture of Steve Osceola, Jimmy Hank Osceola and Moses Jumper Jr., it’s not clear who was winning the game. They all look happy, so hopefully a lot of fun was had.

The love of golf can start early in life as well. On Big Cypress in the year 2000, golf pro Shirlee Aylor was brought on to share her skills with some local children. Maybe this event led to a lifelong enjoyment of the greatest game ever played.

And even though the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic have limited golfing and other group activities, a search of the Seminole Tribune website (seminoletribune.org) shows that golf has remained an important subject with several events over the past few years.

The rest of 2022 will no doubt bring even more golfing events to the Seminole Tribe and we look forward to seeing the Tribune’s coverage of those events. In the meantime, if you’d like to peruse pictures of golf and golfers in the museum’s collection, about 700 golf related photos can be found at semtribe.pastperfectonline.com/photo.

If you’re on Big Cypress, you can stop in to see us and we can help you find them in the museum library. You can also reach out by email at museum@semtribe.com or phone (863) 902-1113 to request copies of photos or to make an appointment. Hope to see you soon!