Tacoma Country & Golf Club

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Tacoma is heralded as the oldest private club west of the Mississippi.  Founded in 1894 the present course was built in 1906.  Walter Hagen played there regularly as the pro was a good friend. (The name slips my brain cell at this very moment).

They have held numerous USGA events, NCAA tournies, and a Washington Open or two.

Architect John Harbottle is a member there.  With all of this history, a club employee tells me they do not know who designed the course.  For all they know it could have been a local with some skill or the likes of Stanley Thomson.

Here are the questions:
1) Does anyone know who designed this course?

2) If no one knows, who were the likely architects working on the west coast in the early twentieth century?

[Craig Van Egmond]

Cos,

   According to Jeff Shelley's book "The Golf Courses of the Northwest"  the Tacoma Golf and Country Club was founded in 1894 on a site in south Tacoma, initiation fee was 2.50 and monthly dues were .25 cents. It was originally only 9 holes and at the turn of the century expanded to 18 and 5,522 yards. The club moved to a new site in 1905 and the course is credited to Stanley Thompson. In the 1980's John Steidel redid 3 holes (14 - 16). Chuck Congdon was the head pro from 1935 - 1965.

   The Architects of Golf also lists Stanley Thompson as architect with some work by John Steidel.

   Jeff Shelly's book is a must for all Northwest golfers.

[Tom_Doak]

John Harbottle isn't just a member there; he grew up there.

He comes from pretty good golfing stock; his mom won the U.S. Women's Amateur in the 1950's (as Pat Lesser), and his dad lost in the finals of the U.S. Senior Amateur not far back.  They all hit it really straight ... in the pictures I've seen of the course, if a tree fell over on either side of the fairway it would wind up leaning against the trees on the opposite side.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Tom,
I didn't feel all that comfortable with sharing Johns family history.  But now that you have broached the subject....I have played with both John and his father.  After a long layoff due to a back injury,  Harbottle senior shot his age and waxed this young whipper snapper.

You might be interested that Tacoma is now one of the more wide open western Washington courses.  In good part to John's input.  It is always meticulously manicured.  The greens complex on the par 5 15th is one of my favorites.  

Thanks for the info on Stanley Thompson.  I found it almost impossible to believe that a club with that much history would not know who the architect was.  

Come on up and visit, we'll take the Harbottles on ion a friendly match.