Forest Hills (Babe Zaharias Golf Course) Homes for Sale, Tampa FL

About Forest Hills (Babe Zaharias Golf Course)

Forest Hills was planned in 1926 along with a golf course first called Golfland, part of a larger North Side Country Club development that was meant to include two courses. Only one was built, and the neighborhood around it stayed mostly citrus grove until home building took off in the 1950s and 1960s. The street plan still largely follows the original design, with curving roads around the course and lots shaded by oaks. Part of Forest Hills lies inside Tampa city limits and the northern part sits in unincorporated Hillsborough County near Lake Magdalene, which affects things like utilities and code rules, so check jurisdiction for any address. Homes are mostly single-family ranches and mid-century houses, with renovated homes and some newer builds mixed in, particularly around the lakefront area west of North Boulevard. There is no gate and no master HOA. What draws golfers is a historic public course right in the neighborhood, with tee times open to everyone and no club dues.

The golf at Forest Hills (Babe Zaharias Golf Course)

The course opened in 1926 as the Forest Hills Golf and Country Club, designed and built by J. Franklin Meehan, a Philadelphia landscape architect. In 1950 golf champion Babe Zaharias and her husband George bought the course, renamed it the Tampa Golf and Country Club, and she served as the club's winter professional. After her death in 1956 the course closed and sat unused for years. The City of Tampa bought and restored it, reopening it in 1974 under her name. Today it is an 18-hole, par-70 public course that plays from about 4,800 to 6,000 yards across four tee sets, so it rewards accuracy more than length. It is on the Florida Historic Golf Trail and hosts local events such as the Babe Zaharias Day tournament. Golfer reviews through October 2026 note ongoing green repairs, so check current conditions before booking.

Is club membership required in Forest Hills (Babe Zaharias Golf Course)?

No club membership. Babe Zaharias Golf Course is a public course owned by the City of Tampa, so anyone can book a tee time and no membership is tied to the homes.

Want the current HOA, CDD and club numbers for a specific home? Ask me and I will pull them from the listing and the association.

Living in Forest Hills (Babe Zaharias Golf Course): location and lifestyle

Forest Hills sits west of Florida Avenue between Busch Boulevard and Fletcher Avenue, about 15 minutes from downtown Tampa and about 20 minutes from Tampa International Airport outside rush hour. I-275 is a few minutes west. Grocery stores and everyday shopping are along Florida Avenue, Busch Boulevard and Fletcher Avenue, and Carrollwood's restaurants are about ten minutes northwest. Lake Magdalene and the neighborhood's smaller lakes add water views and some lakefront lots. USF and Moffitt Cancer Center are about 15 minutes east, and Busch Gardens is a short drive. Lettuce Lake Park and the Hillsborough River are close for paddling and boardwalk walks. For golfers who want more variety, Northdale and Temple Terrace are both about 15 minutes away.