How old is your course?

[DavidH88]

Hey everyone,

 

hope you are all well and enjoying your golf during these Covid times. The season is starting to wind down for me for now since the cold weather is approaching now over here in the UK. 
 

now i wish to ask How old is your course? The reason I ask is that i love to the game and the history of it. And also to gather knowledge on historic courses world wide and what better place to start than here. 
 

My local is the only municipal course left in Nottingham,  is Bulwell Hall Golf Course and is 110 years old. It was opened on May 26th 1910 by the former US Open Champion and x6 Open Champion Harry Vardon. Opened on the outskirts of a market town of Bulwell (Nottingham UK), it was also used as a training ground for soldiers in the first and second world wars and had a grand Hall in which its name came from. Sadly the Hall no longer exists as the hall was burnt down in a fire though remains do still stand of the old stables and house which can be seen on google maps.  

the course is a Parkland layout and is fairly easy to walk and play. Though i am not a member of the course i feel that is where my heart is. The makeup of the course is 1 Par5, 4 Par 3’s and 13 par 4’s. The front is the easier of the two nines but still enjoyable to play. 
 

sadly earlier this year the city council proposed the plan to close it from November to find a external operator. though this isn’t the first time this has happened. The council says its due to covid lockdown and cut backs to save 12.5million pounds in their funds. But its a load of bs. I am hoping to play the course 1 more time before it does close for the remainder of the year. I am hopeful however that now that the council is using some of its money reserves it might be saved. I will keep you all updated if i hear any news on it. 
 

If anyone would like to reply or comment below about the courses you play on then please do feel free to do so. 
 

bfn and good golf everyone 🏌🏻‍♂️🏌🏽‍♀️⛳️

[caniac6]

66 years old. Maple Chase Country Club in Winston-Salem, NC.

[davep043]

My home club opened for play in 1992.  The history of the site is pretty long, for the US, with the first dwelling having been built in the mid-1700s, but the golf history is short.  

[cristphoto]

Mine opened in 1954.  May have been a farm before because in one corner we have a small fenced in burial area with about a dozen headstones from the 1800's.  

[Edsland]

One of the local muni 9 I play is advertised as first 18 hole club in America. 1892 it was a 18 hole course, in 1895 the members where so taken by the sport they opened the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton. Shortly after the original 18 was made into a 9 hole where it’s still a park district course today. 

[tiger-vs-me]

from 1956, treelined an hard, only 9 holes but love it

 

[jonnymc44]

Bolton Old Links- founded in 1891 and was redesigned by Alister MacKenzie and the new course reopened in 1924. Here's some blurb from Top 100 Courses. It's not a top 100 course (!) and features at 17 in Lancashire behind the likes of Royal Lytham, Royal Birkdale etc al.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by jonnymc44

[beckjg135]

1919

Battle creek country club, MI , Willie park Jr design, mostly all original, lost a lot of trees over the years but the greens are almost exact. We have a book on the history in the clubhouse and its quite fascinating, Being  "cereal city" of Kelloggs and post in the area.

[DavidH88]

6 hours ago, jonnymc44 said:

Bolton Old Links- founded in 1891 and was redesigned by Alister MacKenzie and the new course reopened in 1924. Here's some blurb from Top 100 Courses. It's not a top 100 course (!) and features at 17 in Lancashire behind the likes of Royal Lytham, Royal Birkdale etc al.

 

 

Nice one jonny, i have seen a few videos from the golfmates youtube page. Great looking course. Thanks for the reply 👍⛳️🏌🏻‍♂️

[crazygolfnut]

Construction began in 1966 and the business was in full operation by the next year. Over the years, the golf course was expanded to 18 holes. 

 

I have been a member since 1995.  Wow, I must be getting old...

Edited October 12, 2020 by crazygolfnut

[596]

1925 for the original 18.  Sometime after that they added 11 holes and closed 2, to make 27.  The routing of the 3 9s all cross at one point and people get lost a lot!!🤣

[scott_Donald]

I am winning so far, only 5 courses ahead of mine -

 

1780.

[CyFan]

Waveland Golf Course, Des Moines, Iowa.  Opened in 1901.  I believe the planning started in 1896, but don’t have confirmation.  
 

https://golfwaveland.com/
 

Traditional hilly treed course with blind shots, so local knowledge helps. 

[sabram]

Rivervale CC in New Jersey, opened in 1935. It was designed by Orrin Smith who was a protoge of Donald Ross. For years the course was erroneously credited to Ross. It's a very good course. The greens are fantastic and the land is a good parcel for golf with lots of movement... Uphill and downhill shots and you'll have some uneven lies in every round. It's a fun challenge

[caniac6]

23 hours ago, cristphoto said:

Mine opened in 1954.  May have been a farm before because in one corner we have a small fenced in burial area with about a dozen headstones from the 1800's.  

That is the same as mine. We have a small graveyard on the left side of 18, and an old log structure by the 6th tee. Our course was the first solo design of Ellis Maples after serving as Donald Ross's right hand man. We have some greens complexes very similar to Ross designs. One hole has been changed due to a green that remained in constant shade, and some additional tees have been added, but that is about it. The course is not long, but the greens can be very difficult.  Maple Chase Country Club in Winston-Salem, NC. Formerly called Pine Brook Country Club.

[Drwoods2017]

Sedgefield Country Club.  Nice Donald Ross design from 1927. Not an overly long course with greens that will just destroy you if you're above the hole.

[DoubleorQuits]

Club founded in 1899 though I believe the course opened for play in 1901.

 

 

[Divot License]

My course was founded in 1994 so 26 years old.

[ChrisLC40]

Brook Lea CC in 1926.

[RossRules]

1993.  It's an Arthur Hills design and fairly difficult.  The picture over there ⬅️ is the first tee.

[Tim_Gavrich]

Sandridge Golf Club - Vero Beach, Fla.

Dunes Course - 1987

Lakes Course - 1992

 

Both by Ron Garl.

[J_Birdie]

Mine home course is 105 years old in 2021

[scott_Donald]

34 minutes ago, J_Birdie said:

Mine home course is 105 years old in 2021

 

just a young 'een!

[NJPhil]

Mine is fairly young, club founded in 1983 and course opened in 1985.

[sheppy335]

52 years old, it is a nice layout that can be challenging. 

[JDFish]

Denison Golf Club (fka Granville Golf Course) designed by Donald Ross in 1924 and opened in 1925.  It was "updated" in the 80s with some re-routing and 3 new holes added.  Hoping the rumor of Hanse Golf Design Group being hired to create a master plan for restoration is true.

[Golfnuck]

My club is the Vancouver Golf Club est. 1910.

 

Vancouver Golf Club, located in the Canadian city of Coquitlam, British Columbia, is the oldest golf club in the Lower Mainland.^[2]

Established 110 years ago in 1910, it opened the following year on a former sheep farm on the west side of Blue Mountain. The suburban club was originally considered to be far outside of the major population centre of Vancouver, requiring a trip on the British Columbia Electric Railway and often an overnight stay at the club. Today, the club is considered to be centrally located in the Lower Mainland.

[EDT501]

Originally built in 1908 as the home of the Houston Country Club. Sold to the City in 1972 and turned into a muni - still named Gus Wortham Park Golf Course. Recently restored under the leadership of the Houston Golf Association. It's an awesome old-school track and the HGA is doing a spectacular job with it. 

 

Fun facts:

1) They claim it is the oldest continually operating course in TX

2) Harry Vardon & Ted Ray made a stop here on their exhibition tour of the USA prior to the 1913 US Open (which Francis Ouimet won)

[scott_Donald]

10 minutes ago, EDT501 said:

Originally built in 1908 as the home of the Houston Country Club. Sold to the City in 1972 and turned into a muni - still named Gus Wortham Park Golf Course. Recently restored under the leadership of the Houston Golf Association. It's an awesome old-school track and the HGA is doing a spectacular job with it. 

 

Fun facts:

1) They claim it is the oldest continually operating course in TX

2) Harry Vardon & Ted Ray made a stop here on their exhibition tour of the USA prior to the 1913 US Open (which Francis Ouimet won)

 

I have played it once about 6 weeks ago and the greens were awesome. scary driving home though!

 

for Texas it does have some history. 

[cardoustie]

1990