Tom:
I don't see Oconomowoc CC in Wisconsin listed in your pamphlet/ad; I've always seen it listed as only one of two Ross courses (Kenosha CC the other) in Wisconsin. Michael J. Fay's "Golf, As it was Meant to be Played" also lists Oconomowoc as a Ross.
This is from the club's website:
History of Oconomowoc Golf Club
The Country Club of Oconomowoc opened as a nine-hole golf course in 1896, on the East end of an estate on the north shore of Lac La Belle. This new club served as a summer getaway to many of the area millionaires. In the early 1900’s, a large portion of the membership desired to increase the golf course to 18 holes. However, the expansion was not desired by all, resulting in a membership split. After surviving some financial difficulty, the Country Club of Oconomowoc was acquired by a group and renamed it the Lac LaBelle Golf Club.
One of the drawbacks of The Country Club of Oconomowoc (Lac LaBelle CC) was the lengthy carriage ride many members endured traveling from their lake home to the club. In 1909 five men assembled and financed a new golf club to be located on Highway P. John Watkins Mariner (1868-130) led this small group with his previous golf course experience, which involved the promotion of the seven-hole Folsom Avenue Golf Course in Milwaukee in 1894. He hired the famous golf course designer Donald Ross from Scotland. The land, which the finance group purchased, included the Timmel, Thompson and Wilbur farms. The Wilbur farmhouse would eventually become the clubhouse. The original bill for the construction of the new Oconomowoc Golf Club and the fee for Donald Ross were believed to be around $50,000. Several severe rainstorms washed out the newly constructed greens and increased the construction costs. Mariner recruited enough new members to refinance, allowing the project to continue. The construction of the course was completed in 1915. The Oconomowoc Golf Club opened for business in 1916.
During the next several decades, the membership remained small and content. World War II forced several changes to the Oconomowoc Golf Club. Several members were called “to duty” and the membership was also still feeling the effects of the Great Depression. In order to overcome this period, the Oconomowoc Golf Club closed the back 9 golf holes. These holes were allowed to grow wild. The turf on the back 9 greens was removed and relocated to a member’s neighboring farm and kept. In the later 1940’s, the green sod was replaced and the back 9 holes mowed and maintained.
During the early 1950’s, the original clubhouse was becoming old and deficient. The construction of a new clubhouse began as a result of a bet between two of the club’s wealthier members. Shortly after the initial digging of the site, the member passed away, leaving all personal finance to his wife. The construction of the new clubhouse halted. For almost 10 years the Oconomowoc Golf Club included a traditional Donald Ross golf course and a “hole”. In the early 1960’s, George Johnson proceeded to complete the clubhouse construction. In 1962, the new clubhouse would open on the highest elevation in Waukesha County thus producing a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Although the famous Donald Ross designed the golf course, it was not well known among the membership until the late 1970’s. The promotion of the Donald Ross design began with the discovery of an original 1915 Donald Ross blue print of the golf course design. A golf course restoration began in 1995 under the direction of Craig Schreiner. The Renovation Master Plan was an essential tool in helping restore the character of the 1916 Donald Ross design. The renovation involved the restoring of all greens, tee, fairways and sand bunkers. The renovations were designed to not only restore the original intent, but also provide the golfing challenge consistent with today’s maintenance and golf equipment advancements.