---
title: J. Hamilton Gillespie - The Founders Golf Club
description: "The Founders Golf Club is Sarasota's finest private golf club. Featuring a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course, no tee times and a caddie program, this club is within the gated confines of Sarasota's most exclusive golf community, minutes from the azure blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The clubhouse, Golf Hall, is home to exquisite dining, fitness facility, indoor golf training facility, private meeting space, golf shop and massage rooms. This very private club and community has been recognized nationally for its verdant beauty, replete with centuries old oaks, pines and palms. Fine residences are delivered by the area's finest builders: John Cannon Homes, Lee Wetherington Homes, London Bay Homes and Todd Johnston Homes."
---

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- **[J. Hamilton Gillespie](https://thefoundersgolfclub.com/our-history/j-hamilton-gillespie?hsLang=en)**
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# J. Hamilton Gillespie

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## Where it all began...

**The Founder of a City and A Game**

Born in 1852 in Edinburgh, the reputed birthplace of golf, J. Hamilton Gillespie inherited an heirloom set of golf clubs at the age of eight, and in grand fashion grew to become a true pioneer in the game.

Gillespie’s visionary spirit brought him to what is known today as Sarasota, then consisting of little more than a company store and a dusty trail. Soon after his arrival, he carved the land behind his home into a two-hole golf course - giving Sarasota its self-declared claim to the first golf course in America and Gillespie local acclaim as the “Founder of Golf”.

Gillespie was credited with founding not only golf, but also the city of Sarasota, with his passionate spirit and Scottish brogue. Serving six terms as mayor, he was instrumental in the development of Sarasota commerce, along with building a second nine-hole course and Sarasota’s first golf clubhouse.

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