Wisconsin Aerial Photographs - 1937 to 1940

[Sven Nilsen]

White Oak Park GC (Bohners Lake)

1937 Aerial -



Its hard to make out a course in the aerial above, but by the articles below its clear that there was one here for at least a short while beginning in the late 1920's.

Oct. 25, 1928 Burlington Free Press -



May 9, 1929 Burlington Free Press -



July 18, 1929 The Journal Times -



May 14, 1931 Burlington Free Press -

[Sven Nilsen]

Whitehall GC (Whitehall)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



This 9 hole course is noted in a number of sources as having opened in 1934, but the 1927 article below indicates a new course in Whitehall, and the 1931 Annual Guide gives a date of organization of 1926.  I have not found any evidence of a new course opening in 1934.

June 1, 1927 La Crosse Tribune -



Sept. 20, 1929 Leader-Telegram -

[Sven Nilsen]

Whitewater CC n/k/a Willow Brook GC (Whitewater)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A 9 hole course that opened in 1931.  Whitewater the city is the home town of the author Stephen Ambrose.  It is also known as the "Second Salem" due to local stories of witches, spirits and murderers.

June 27, 1931 Stevens Point Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Whiting CC a/k/a Stevens Point GC n/k/a Stevens Point CC (Stevens Point)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Although Leonard Macomber was brought in during the initial phase of the project, the original 9 hole course was laid out by W. C. Jackson.  In 1965 Jackson's course was replaced by a new 18 holes which underwent an extensive recent renovation.

Originally a logging outpost on the Wisconsin River where logs would be floated to market, the city is better known today for its branch of the University of Wisconsin.  It is also the home town of distance runner Suzy Favor Hamilton and Joel Hodgson, the creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Sept. 26, 1925 Stevens Point Journal -



Dec. 15, 1925 The Daily Tribune -





Aug. 6, 1929 Stevens Point Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Whitnall Park Municipal GC (Hales Corner (Milwaukee))

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Designed by George Hansen and built as a Civilian Conservation Corps project in 1932, Whitnall Park was named for Charles Whitnall a land planner and conservationist who devised a plan for Milwaukee's parks and parkways in 1923.

The Milwaukee County Park System's network of golf courses is a wonderful testament to the individuals who pushed not only for the development of public spaces in the larger cities of this country, and specifically those that saw the benefits of golf as part of these projects.

[Sven Nilsen]

Woodmont CC l/k/a Lincoln Hills GC n/k/a New Berlin Hills GC (Milwaukee)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



The 1907 9 hole course is credited to Tom Bendelow and was expanded to 18 holes by 1931.  The club has been through a foreclosure and sheriff's sale and another ownership change in the years since.

Dec. 1906 Golfers Magazine -



Feb. 1907 Golf Magazine -



April 1907 Golfers Magazine -





April 1907 Golf Magazine -

[Sven Nilsen]

Woodruff Public Fee Course (Woodruff)

1937 Aerial -



In 1930 there were three courses in Woodruff, the previously notes Minocqua Heights course, a public course by the name of Pinehurst (for which I cannot find a late 1930's aerial) and the Woodruff Public Fee Course.  I have no information on this course other than the listing in the article below and the aerial above.

June 29, 1930 Capital Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Wrigley Miniature Course (Lake Geneva)

1937 Aerial -



The last course on the list, and the one that prompted the thread.  This course was the subject of a mystery aerial thread back in January - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,70592.0.html. 

The Wrigley Mansion on Lake Geneva harkens back to the heyday of the lake as a getaway for Chicago's upper crust.  The hiring of Bell is no surprise, as Bell was Wrigley's guy for his West Coast projects.

April 14, 1930 Los Angeles Times -



April 28, 1930 Los Angeles Evening Express -



June 5, 1930 Los Angeles Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Copied below is a March 31, 1987 La Crosse Tribune article listing all of the courses in Wisconsin.  It is pretty amazing to see how many of the courses noted in this thread survived into the '80's.  A few have since disappeared, but the retention rate is pretty strong considering some of the early courses survived two world wars and the depression.

I'm going to list a number of other early courses in subsequent posts that appear not to have made it into the late 1930's.  Some of these are earlier iterations of other clubs, while some only enjoyed a very short life before fading into the ether.

[Sven Nilsen]

List of courses predating (or not appearing in) the 1937 - 1940 Aerials -

1.  Alcoma CC (Osh Kosh)
2.  American Legion Public GC (Marshfield)
3.  Beaver Lake GC (Beaver Lake)
4.  Beloit CC (Beloit)
5.  Beloit City GC (Beloit)
6.  Beulah Lake GC (Mukwonago)
7.  Blue Grass CC (Mineral Point)
8.  Blue Mound CC First Course (Milwaukee)
9.  Bob O'Link Club (Dodgeville)
10.  Burlington GC (Burlington)
11.  Cardinal GC (Kaukauna)
12.  Chambers Island GC (Chambers Island)
13.  Cherry Hills Lodge & GC (Sturgeon Bay)
14.  Chevrolet Employees Golf Association (Janesville)
15.  Crandon GC (Crandon)
16.  Crescent Unnamed Course (Crescent)
17.  De Neveu GC (Fond du Lac)
18.  Door County CC (Ephraim)
19.  Du Rocher GC (Centerville)
20.  Edgerton GC (Edgerton)
21.  Edgewood Golf Links (Minong)
22.  Fairview CC First Course (Fond du Lac)
23.  Fairview CC Second Course (Fond du Lac)
24.  Fond du Lac GC (Fond du Lac)
25.  Fort Crawford GC (Prairie du Chien)
26.  Fountain Spring House GC (Waukesha)
27.  Fox Lake GC (Fox Lake)
28.  Fox Point CC (Milwaukee)
29.  Genoa Junction Municipal GC (Genoa Junction)
30.  Green Bay CC (Green Bay)
31.  Green Lake CC (Green Lake)
32.  Green View GC (Menomonie)
33.  Hamer GC (Mercier)
34.  Hillcrest GC (Lake Geneva)
35.  Hotel Beulah GC (Lake Beulah)
36.  Janesville Golf Course (Janesville)
37.  Kenosha CC (Kenosha)
38.  Kilbourn CC (Frankeville)
39.  Kodah GC (Fond du Lac)
40.  La Crosse GC (La Crosse)
41.  Lake Beulah GC (Lake Beulah)
42.  Lake Geneva Field Club (Lake Geneva)
43.  Lake Lawn Golf Links (Delavan)
44.  Lake Park GC (Milwaukee)
45.  Lake Shore GC (South Milwaukee)
46.  Lake Waneawega GC (Elkhorn)
47.  Madison GC (Madison)
48.  Maple Bluff GC First Course (Madison)
49.  Maplewood GC (Green Lake)
50.  Marinette GC (Marinette)
51.  Melrose GC (Ripon)
52.  Milwaukee CC First Course (Milwaukee)
53.  Milwaukee CC Second Course (Milwaukee)
54.  Milwaukee GC (Milwaukee)
55.  Milwaukee Shriners GC (Milwaukee)
56.  Mineral Point GC (Mineral Point)
57.  Minocqua Municipal GC (Minocqua)
58.  Morgan Park GC (Beloit)
59.  Newspapermen's GC (Milwaukee)
60.  North Shore Acres GC (Kenosha)
61.  Oakland GC (Milwaukee)
62.  Oskaloosa GC (Oskaloosa)
63.  Pinehurst Public GC (Woodruff)
64.  Racine CC First Course (Racine)
65.  Richland Golf Association (Richland Center)
66.  Salem CC (Salem)
67.  Silver Lake GC (Silver Lake)
68.  Sparta Golf and Outing Club (Sparta)
69.  Sturgeon Bay Municipal GC (Sturgeon Bay)
70.  Superior GC (Superior)
71.  Superior Municipal GC (Superior)
72.  The Country Club (Eagle River)
73.  University GC (Madison)
74.  Waldwick GC (Waldwick)
75.  Waupaca GC (Waupaca)
76.  Wausau CC First Course (Wausau)
77.  West Park GC (Milwaukee)
78.  Whitewater GC (Whitewater)
79.  Wingra Park GC (Madison)
80.  Winneskick G&CC (La Crosse)