User:IrishKopey/sandbox/The Club at Lac LaBelle

''' The Club at Lac LaBelle

The Club at Lac LaBelle is a semi-private golf club located near Oconomowoc, WI. Founded in 1896 by wealthy Milwaukee and Chicago businessmen in the lake country west of Milwaukee, it is one of the five oldest golf courses in Wisconsin. In its almost 125 year history it has had six names: Country Club of Oconomowoc, Oconomowoc Golf Club, Lac LaBelle Country Club, Rolling Hills Golf Course, LaBelle Golf Club and now The Club at Lac LaBelle. It is currently under renovation by The Prestwick Group with plans to reopen to the public in 2019.

Contents

Early History Course layouts Early Pros: Willie Anderson & Alex Smith Early La Belle Professional Tournaments Current Course Future Course References External Links

Early History

The original club members filed papers of incorporation on October 1, 1895. Initial plans plotted the course at the east end of the Shufeldt estate, called The Anchorage, along the shores of Lac LaBelle. However, a parcel of the George Seavern farm adjacent to the Shufeldt estate became available and was purchased and leased to the club. The Seavern farmhouse was remodeled by adding a stately double veranda and became the original clubhouse.{1}

By1900 golf in the United States was spreading quickly. In only four years course development grew from just over 80 golf courses in the United States to 982. There was at least one course in each of the 45 states.{2} The club founders included many members known as the “Summer Colony.” Many prominent and wealthy Milwaukee and Chicago businessmen like cataloguer Montgomery Ward, meat packer, Phillip Armour, brewers Gustav Pabst and Frederick Miller, motorboat inventor Ole Evinrude, liquor distributor Harry Shufeldt, and Chicago land developer Ferd Peck were on the original governing board.{3}

From the 1870s until the Great Depression, Oconomowoc was known as the "Newport of the West.” With visits by Presidents Cleveland, Harrison, Grant, Taft, Coolidge, McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt, Oconomowoc’s Main Street earned the nickname "Avenue of the Presidents.”{4} The early club hosted sailing regattas, lavish balls, baseball games, tennis matches, bridge tournaments, horse contests and trap shooting.

Course Layout

The history of the original 9-hole course design of 1896 is debatable as some sources credit the famous golfer Alex Smith as the original designer, while later sources indicate golf pro William Marshall did the design with later improvements done by professional golfer Robert Simpson. In early years, golf pros performed multiple tasks on golf courses as course designers, greenskeepers and club-makers. It is commonly thought all would have played a role in course design. Records indicate Smith was the club professional in 1897 and 1898, and held the course record of 32. Later historical journals indicate Robert Simpson was the club professional in 1899 as well as the greenskeeper. Those journals point toward Simpson as the record holder with a 35. Later journals compromise the two claims by saying William Marshall, who was the professional at Onwentsia, and Alex Smith designed the course. George Seavern, owner of the original farm, was a member at Onwentsia and provided the connection to Marshall, Simpson and Smith, all immigrants from Carnoustie, Scotland.{3}{6}{7} In 1924 a reformatted course layout including fairway improvements was designed by Stanley Pelchar with work done by U. S. Golf Architects of Chicago. Soon thereafter the course was renamed Lac LaBelle Golf Club.{8}

By 1959 the course was expanded to 18 holes with the acquisition of neighboring farmland owned the Redemptorists Fathers. Play opened on the expanded 18 holes in 1963.

Due to a change of ownership to The Prestwick Group in 2018, the course is going under renovation with the work contracted to the Oliphant Group of Madison, Wisconsin. Course designer Craig Haltom is managing the improvements and new design. Anticipated opening of the updated course will be in the spring of 2019.

Early Pros: Willie Anderson & Alex Smith

In 1900, the Country Club of Oconomowoc governing board was able to procure the services of one of the most well-known and the most prominent golfers of the period. Willie Anderson had arrived from Scotland in 1896 as part of a talented Scottish group of immigrants. While at the Oconomowoc club in 1900, Anderson served as golf instructor to the membership and played in a number of tournaments in the area. Anderson went on to win the U. S. Open in 1901, with additional U. S. Open victories in 1903, 1904 and 1905. Willie Anderson remains one of four golfers to have won the U. S. Open four times and the only golfer to have won three times in a row. He also won the Western Open four times, which at the time was considered a major championship. Anderson is one of the original inductees in the World Golf Hall of Fame.{9}

Alex Smith, who played a role in the original course design, would go on to win the U.S. Open twice in 1906 and 1910. Smith also won The Western Open twice and the Metropolitan Open four times.{10} He and his brothers are thought to be the most famous professional golfing family in history.

Early Professional Tournaments at LaBelle

In 1898, 1899 and 1900 Oconomowoc Golf Club hosted the countries most well-known and accomplished golf professionals in 36 hole weekend tournaments. The local membership provided an excellent cash awards with … the largest prize list for professionals ever given in the United States outside of a national championship tournament.{11}

In 1900 Lawrence Auchterlonie won first prize followed in a tie by local pro Willie Anderson and his friend Alex Smith. Six of the participants of the tournament would later become U. S. Open Champions.{12} The Oconomowoc Club was a widely recognized course and facility by the country’s most well-known golf professionals of the day.{13}

Current Course

The modern course underwent an expansion to 18 holes in 1963. Adjacent land had finally become available and a new clubhouse was build. In the past fifty years the course has experienced updates and revisions while transitioning from being the LaBelle Country Club to private ownership and several name changes.

Future Course

In 2018 The Prestwick Group purchased the course and closed it for major renovations with the intention to restore the course to its former prominence. Additional land was purchased and tons of dirt moved to reshape fairways and greens, following the new course layout designed to restore the legacy and beauty of this historical course where the early golf champions of America played. Golf architect Craig Haltom and The Oliphant Companies are developing the project with the course due to open in early summer 2019. ...