![]() ![]() To date this is the first verified report of a golf course in Hamilton, Ohio. On Labor Day, September 6th, 1915, the dedication, and formal opening of the new jointly owned Butler County Country Club took place. This course is made up of nine holes and promise to be the center of interest with its opening next spring." For the past several months he has been engaged in the laying out of the golf course at the new country club, which in his estimate will be one of the finest in this section of the country. Dow of Dundee, Scotland, one of the most expert golf instructors in this country and golf instructor of the new Butler County Country Club will introduce the new sport to the city. The Hamilton Daily Republican News reported in December of 1914, " George C. Forgan wrote of the Luffness Golf Links, “The green was laid out by veteran player Old Tom Morris, and at first it consisted of 17 holes for the round, but after a few years it was thought expedient to make 18 holes, which was done by laying out a short hole for an iron shot.” The first reference to “laying out” and “laid out” can be found in “The Golfers Handbook” by Robert Forgan, Jr., published in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1881. Dow performed all these tasks and introduced the game of golf to Hamilton, Ohio. Reported by the newspapers in 1914, 1915, and 1916, George C. During the early days of golf, it was common for the golf professional to be the golf course architect, golf course construction supervisor, golf instructor, clubmaker, and greenkeeper. By September 14th enough progress had been made that the board of directors authorized the greens committee to spend $2500. Dow, reported as a "Scotland golf expert", was hired as the golf professional to lay out the golf course. The golf course will be of nine holes and the greens will be made this fall". Reported on August 27th, "The work on the club will begin at once. On Saturday, August 22nd, 1914, the stockholders of the Butler County Country Club met on the Charles Frederick farm and unanimously agreed to purchase 80 acres as the location for the new country club. Correspondence ended on August 12th, 1914, when Gordon Rentschler informed the Olmsted Brothers "we are having some trouble securing a suitable site, and until this matter is determined, it will be impossible to proceed further." The correspondence outlined the cost of site visits and required board actions. Deeds of Dayton, Ohio, Gordon Rentschler contacted the Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts, to discuss hiring their firm to lay out the club. The budget allowed $10,000 for the purchase of the property and $15,000 for the construction of the clubhouse and golf course. ![]() The charter was filed with the State of Ohio and $30,000 in capital was raised through the sale of stock. Rentschler organized a committee, and the Butler County Country Club was formed. As noted earlier, the lack of a golf course led to the demise of this facility, this dispatch remains a mystery. No corresponding newspaper articles, or accounts of golf played, have been found to substantiate this single report. Nichols, a native of St Andrews, Scotland, was the superintendent of the Dayton Golf Club. Nichols laid out a nine hole golf course in Oak Park for the new Hamilton Country Club. In 1908 The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Mr. The fate of the Hamilton Country Club in Hamilton, Ohio, was sealed, by 1915 the members left, the club failed, and the furnishings were auctioned off. Negotiations failed to procure the required land, so the board of the Hamilton Country Club devised a new plan, joining prominent Middletown businessmen they proposed and formed a new country club. By 1914, as the membership grew, the club desired to expand and build a golf course. Washington Blvd, close to the Hamilton water reservoir. The Pollock Wilson house was located on Oak Hill, between Millikin St and S. Ross designed the golf course.įormed in 1906, and funded through the sale of stock, the Hamilton Country Club leased the Pollock Wilson home to serve as their clubhouse. A lack of this knowledge, and a misinterpretation, is the likely source of the unsubstantiated, false claim that Donald J. It is important to understand the brief history of the Hamilton Country Club in Hamilton, Ohio, before one can delve into the history of the Butler County Country Club. ![]()
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