"Auld Reekie" Golf Club of Chicago, Illinois

[Karl Jensen]

Found this Dec 1888 newspaper article yesterday. Perhaps it is the earliest mention of organized golf in Chicago.


Auld Reekie Golf Club, 21 Dec 1888 Chicago, IL The Inter Ocean newspaper

[Terry Lavin]

The course called Lincoln Park is probably Waveland, which is on old nine hole municipal golf course on the lakefront designed by Edward Dearie Jr.  It is now known as Sydney Marovitz, named for a local attorney and park commissioner.


I’m very skeptical about the 1889 date, however, based on my quick research, which indicates that it opened in 1918, well after Jackson Park had opened.


https://chicagology.com/parksystem/lincolnparkgolf/

[Terry Lavin]

And here’s another article that might be of assistance:


https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/golfd/article/1943oct13.pdf

[Karl Jensen]

The course called Lincoln Park is probably Waveland, which is on old nine hole municipal golf course on the lakefront designed by Edward Dearie Jr.  It is now known as Sydney Marovitz, named for a local attorney and park commissioner.


I’m very skeptical about the 1889 date, however, based on my quick research, which indicates that it opened in 1918, well after Jackson Park had opened.


https://chicagology.com/parksystem/lincolnparkgolf/

Terry,


I checked the newspaper heading and it is definitely 21 Dec 1888. Occasionally Newspapers.com screws up the image to the actual date.


Karl

[Terry Lavin]

There’s no way there was a Lincoln Park golf course in 1888. It opened in 1915 with Chick Evans and Jock Hutchison in attendance.

[Sven Nilsen]

Terry,


It is very possible there was an early rudimentary course in the Park just like there was at Franklin Park in Boaton very early on.


The course may have lasted a day, a week or a year, but there’s no reason to doubt the newspaper account.


Sven

[Terry Lavin]

Terry,


It is very possible there was an early rudimentary course in the Park just like there was at Franklin Park in Boaton very early on.


The course may have lasted a day, a week or a year, but there’s no reason to doubt the newspaper account.


Sven

Often wrong, never in doubt!

[SL_Solow]

Waveland opened in 1932

[Tim_Cronin]

This is an astonishing and welcome find.


It's the first evidence of golf played in the Chicago area by someone other than Charles Blair Macdonald, Herbert J. Tweedie or a fellow named Robert Chandler, who swatted it around in Jackson Park and Washington Park in 1887-88.


Auld Reekie is a nickname for Edinburgh, so we can assume that at least some of those involved came from there.


The seeds for the first permanent course in Lincoln Park were sewn by golfers in 1914, and the next year, the Lincoln Park Golf Course – a.k.a. Diversey – was built, 9 holes by Tom Bendelow (of course). Lincoln Park North, a.k.a. Waveland, now Marovitz, opened in 1932. There's still a range at Diversey, but the course is long gone.


Karl, kudos on the find.

[Karl Jensen]

This is an astonishing and welcome find.


It's the first evidence of golf played in the Chicago area by someone other than Charles Blair Macdonald, Herbert J. Tweedie or a fellow named Robert Chandler, who swatted it around in Jackson Park and Washington Park in 1887-88.


Auld Reekie is a nickname for Edinburgh, so we can assume that at least some of those involved came from there.


The seeds for the first permanent course in Lincoln Park were sewn by golfers in 1914, and the next year, the Lincoln Park Golf Course – a.k.a. Diversey – was built, 9 holes by Tom Bendelow (of course). Lincoln Park North, a.k.a. Waveland, now Marovitz, opened in 1932. There's still a range at Diversey, but the course is long gone.


Karl, kudos on the find.

Your welcome Tim.


I haven't found anything more on the men's names and only found a brief mention of curling to an Auld Reekie club.


Karl

[Tim_Cronin]

This is an astonishing and welcome find.


It's the first evidence of golf played in the Chicago area by someone other than Charles Blair Macdonald, Herbert J. Tweedie or a fellow named Robert Chandler, who swatted it around in Jackson Park and Washington Park in 1887-88.


Auld Reekie is a nickname for Edinburgh, so we can assume that at least some of those involved came from there.


The seeds for the first permanent course in Lincoln Park were sewn by golfers in 1914, and the next year, the Lincoln Park Golf Course – a.k.a. Diversey – was built, 9 holes by Tom Bendelow (of course). Lincoln Park North, a.k.a. Waveland, now Marovitz, opened in 1932. There's still a range at Diversey, but the course is long gone.


Karl, kudos on the find.

Your welcome Tim.


I haven't found anything more on the men's names and only found a brief mention of curling to an Auld Reekie club.


Karl

I've been looking as well and come up empty.