National and International Shuffleboard Halls of Fame
Clearwater Shuffleboard Club hosts the USA National Shuffleboard Association (USA-NSA) Hall of Fame and the International Shuffleboard Association (ISA) Hall of Fame, open to the public.
The game of shuffleboard has been played for centuries, originating in Europe as an indoor table game. It became popular in England as early as the 15th century, especially with the aristocracy, under the names shovegroat, slide-groat, and shovel-penny. The game later became widespread in the American colonies, continuing through today as indoor table shuffleboard. Shove-ha’penny, a later version of shovel-penny, in which a coin or disk is pushed along a polished board, is still a popular game in English pubs. In the early 20th century, outdoor shuffleboard became popular among travelers on ocean liners and cruise ships as a deck game. This modern game moved to land when the first outdoor courts on U.S. soil opened at the Lyndhurst Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1913. From there it rapidly spread across the country, each community devising its own set of rules. The modern form of shuffleboard was formalized at St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1924, and eventually adopted by the USA-NSA, established in 1931, and ISA, established in 1979.
The ISA Hall of Fame room exhibits displays of every Member Nation as well as memorabilia and photographs of shuffleboard worldwide. The USA-NSA Hall of Fame exhibits award plaques or their Hall of Fame inductees, as well as extensive exhibits of vintage tangs (cue sticks) and biscuits (discs), old trophies and printed ephemera related to the game.
Plan a visit to the Halls of Fame, available for viewing during any of the Club open hours. Bring your camera and enjoy your journey through the history of shuffleboard!