National Shuffleboard Tournament Coming to Clearwater

Clearwater, FL, January 26, 2023 --(PR.com)-- The Clearwater Shuffleboard Club will be hosting the National Open Doubles Shuffleboard Tournament on March 11th and 12th, attracting expert shufflers from around the country. Sixty-four teams of two players will compete for a cash prize pool of over $3,000.00 and their names engraved as National Champions. The tournament will take place at the Club facility on Calumet Street, starting at 8:30am each day, open to the public.

Modern court shuffleboard in Pinellas County began with the establishment of the St. Petersburg Mirror Lake Park Shuffleboard Club in 1924. The game itself has a long history, stretching back to the 15th century in England, where it started as a wildly popular indoor table game called shovel-penny. Four centuries later, in the late 1800s, shuffleboard became popular among cruise ship travelers as a ship’s deck game. Eventually an enterprising hotel owner in Daytona Beach built the first land-based shuffleboard court in 1913. Outdoor courts soon appeared across the country, spreading from coast to coast. The rules of the modern game were formulated in 1924 in St. Petersburg and later formalized with the founding of the National Shuffleboard Association in 1931. There are currently over 500 outdoor courts spread over 150 locations in Pinellas County.

The Clearwater Shuffleboard Club, established in the 1920s, was originally located near the city court house. The current facility on Stevenson Creek opened in January 1964, boasting 26 indoor covered courts and another 26 semi-shaded outdoor courts. The Club holds local, regional and state tournaments sanctioned by the Florida Shuffleboard Association every week from October through April. The Club also offers shuffleboard play to the public at no charge during those months, including free lessons every Wednesday at 1:00pm and Friday Night Fun Shuffle every Friday evening at 7:00pm.

Shuffleboard is an excellent sport which incorporates low impact physical exercise, can be played equally well by men and women, and has virtually no age limits. Clearwater Shuffleboard Club is a nonprofit organization supported by its members and corporate sponsors. Membership is open to anyone. The Club is open year-round. It also hosts the National Shuffleboard Hall of Fame and the International Shuffleboard Hall of Fame which are open to the public by appointment or during office hours. More information about the Club can be found on the ClearwaterShuffleboard.com website, or by calling (727) 446-3306.