Wisconsin Aerial Photographs - 1937 to 1940

[Sven Nilsen]

Much like the thread on the 1934 Connecticut Aerial Survey (found here - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,32030.0.html), this thread is going to cover aerial images of Wisconsin golf courses, as well as a little bit about each course's history.

The Wisconsin Historic Aerial Imagery Founder can be found here - https://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/#7/44.750/-89.750.

It is a tremendous resource, and if you know where to look it isn't too hard to focus in on the approximately 180 golf courses that existed in the state at the time these images were captured.

Wisconsin as a golf state represents a bit of a microcosm of the development of golf in the United States as a whole.  It was one of the earliest states to adopt the game with a number of mid-1890's courses.  Later on, it saw the same Golden Age growth of private clubs experienced elsewhere, as well as a concerted emphasis on public golf in the 1920's and 1930's.  You can pretty much track the expansion of the game with the advances in transportation, as courses moved from cities and towns to locations off the rail lines to even more remote sites that required an automobile or even a boat to reach.  Many of the names associated with the design of these courses are familiar (Bendelow, Langford & Moreau, Ross, Alison, etc.).  Others represent a core of upper midwest designers, mostly out of Chicago but many local, that picked up where the bigger names would not go.

There are big money country club and resort projects depicted in these images, just as there are small town courses and "campsite links."

I plan to tackle each course one at a time, in alphabetical order (pursuant to the continually updated list below).  Please feel free to comment on each course with any additions, insights or corrections.  I'd only ask that you do so after each course is posted, i.e. comments on Tripoli CC can wait until we get to the T's.

Sven


List of Courses:

1.  Alpine Resort GC, Egg Harbor
2.  American Legion GC, Wausau
3.  Antigo Bass Lake CC, Antigo
4.  Antlers GC, Burlington
5.  Appleton Municipal GC, Appleton
6.  Arcadia CC, Arcadia
7.  Baraboo GC, Baraboo
8.  Barron GC, Barron
9.  CC of Beloit, Beloit
10.  Beloit Municipal GC, Beloit
11.  Big Foot GC, Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake
12.  Black River Falls CC, Black River Falls
13.  Blackhawk CC, Madison
14.  Blue Mound G&CC, Wauwatosa
15.  Brown Deer Park Municipal GC, Milwaukee
16.  Brown's Lake GC, Burlington
17.  Brynwood CC, Milwaukee
18.  Bulls Eye CC, Wisconsin Rapids
19.  Burr Oaks Public GC, Madison
20.  Butte des Morts GC, Appleton
21.  Calumet GC, Chilton
22.  Casa Loma CC, Powers Lake
23.  Chenequa CC, Hartland
24.  Chequamegon CC, Ashland
25.  Chetek GC, Chetek
26.  Chippewa Falls CC, Chippewa Falls
27.  Chiwaukee GC, Kenosha
28.  Coldwater Canyon GC, Kilbourn
29.  Columbus CC, Columbus
30.  Commodore Barry CC, Twin Lakes
31.  Commodore Hotel GC, Sturgeon Bay
32.  Country Club Estates, Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake
33.  Currie Park Municipal GC, Wauwatosa
34.  Darlington GC, Darlington
35.  Decatur Lake GC, Brodhead
36.  Delavan Lake CC, Delavan
37.  Delbrook GC, Delavan
38.  Dells-Ringling CC, Kilbourn
39.  Eagle River CC, Eagle River
40.  Eagle Springs GC, Eagle
41.  Eau Claire CC, Eau Claire
42.  Edgerton CC, Edgerton
43.  Evansville CC, Evansville
44.  Everett GC, Eagle River
45.  Four Seasons Club, Pembine
46.  Fox Lake CC, Fox Lake
47.  Fox River CC, Green Bay
48.  George Williams College GC, Williams Bay
49.  Gitchinadji CC, Superior
50.  Glenway GC, Madison
51.  Grant Park Municipal GC, Milwaukee
52.  Greenfield Park Municipal GC, Milwaukee
53.  Hartel's Resort GC, Lost Land Lake
54.  Hartford GC, Hartford
55.  Hi-Dale Golf Links, Rice Lake
56.  Hillcrest GC, Eau Claire
57.  Hillmoor CC, Lake Geneva
58.  Janesville CC, Janesville
59.  Janesville Municipal GC (a/k/a Riverside Municipal GC), Janesville
60.  Johnson Park GC, Racine
61.  Kaukauna GC, Kaukauna
62.  Kenosha CC, Kenosha
63.  Kenosha Municipal GC, Kenosha
64.  Kishwauketoe CC, Lake Geneva
65.  La Crosse CC, La Crosse
66.  La Crosse Public GC, La Crosse
67.  Ladysmith CC, Ladysmith
68.  Lake Delton CC, Lake Delton
69.  Lake Geneva CC, Lake Geneva
70.  Lake Hallie GC, Chippewa Falls
71.  Lake Lawn GC, Delavan
72.  Lake Ripley CC, Cambridge
73.  Lake Wisconsin CC, Prairie du Sac
74.  Lakeside CC, Manitowoc
75.  Lakeside GC, Pewaukee
76.  Lancaster CC, Lancaster
77.  Lauderdale CC, Elkhorn
78.  Lawsonia GC (Links Course), Green Lake
79.  Lawsonia GC (First Course), Green Lake
80.  Ledgeview GC, Fond du Lac
81.  Lincoln Fields GC, Manitowoc
82.  Little River CC, Marinette
83.  Luck GC, Luck
84.  Lynx Club, Milwaukee
85.  Maple Bluff GC, Madison
86.  Maple Crest CC, Kenosha
87.  Marshfield CC, Marshfield
88.  Mary Jewell Municipal GC, Oshkosh
89.  Mascoutin GC, Berlin
90.  Maxcy's GC, Oshkosh
91.  Maxwelton Braes CC, Bailey Harbor
92.  Mayville GC, Mayville
93.  McKenzie Lakes CC, McKenzie Lake
94.  Meadow Springs GC, Jefferson
95.  Meadowbrook CC, Racine
96.  Medford GC, Medford
97.  Mellen CC, Mellen
98.  Menomonie CC, Menomonie
99.  Merrill GC, Merrill
100.  Merrill Hills CC, Waukesha
101.  Michiwaukee CC, Milwaukee
102.  Milwaukee CC, North Milwaukee
103.  Minocqua Heights CC, Minocqua
104.  Mondovi CC, Mondovi
105.  Monona GC, Madison
106.  Monroe CC, Monroe
107.  Morse Hills GC, Beloit
108.  Mt. Horeb GC, Mt. Horeb
109.  Nakoma CC, Madison
110.  Nemadji GC, Superior
111.  New Richmond GC, New Richmond
112.  Nipperink Manor CC, Genoa City
113.  North Hills CC, Milwaukee
114.  North Shore CC, Menasha
115.  CC of Oconomowoc, Oconomowoc
116.  Oconomowoc CC, Oconomowoc
117.  Oconto GC, Oconto
118.  Ojibwa GC, Chippewa Falls
119.  Old Hickory GC, Beaver Dam
120.  Old Mission Inn GC, La Pointe
121.  Oneida Golf & Riding Club, Green Bay
122.  Oshkosh CC, Oshkosh
123.  Otter Rapids GC, Eagle River
124.  Owen GC, Owen
125.  Ozaukee CC, Mequon
126.  Pan Yak Park Club, Dover
127.  Park Falls CC, Park Falls
128.  Pell Lake Highlands GC, Bloomfield
129.  Peninsula State Park GC, Ephraim
130.  Petrifying Springs GC, Kenosha
131.  Pine Hills CC, Sheboygan
132.  Platteville CC, Platteville
133.  Powers Lake CC, Genoa City
134.  Quit-Qui-Oc GC, Elkhart Lake
135.  Racine CC, Racine
136.  Reedsburg CC, Reedsburg
137.  Rhinelander CC, Rhinelander
138.  Richland CC, Richland Center
139.  Ridgeway CC, Neenah
140.  River Falls GC, River Falls
141.  Riverdale CC, Sheboygan
142.  Rivermoor CC, Waterford
143.  Riverside GC, Portage
144.  Riverview CC, Appleton
145.  Shawano CC, Shawano
146.  Sheboygan CC, Sheboygan
147.  Shoop Park GC, Racine
148.  Shorewood GC, Green Bay
149.  Smokey Lake CC, Phelps
150.  Sparta CC, Sparta
151.  Spooner Lake GC, Spooner
152.  Spring Valley CC, Salem
153.  Springbrook-Antigo CC, Antigo
154.  Springvale GC, New London
155.  Squires CC, Port Washington
156.  St. Johns GC, Delafield
157.  Stark CC, Randolph
158.  Stoughton CC, Stoughton
159.  Swan Lake CC, Portage
160.  Tagalong GC, Red Cedar Lake
161.  Takodah Club, Fond du Lac
162.  Three Lakes GC, Three Lakes
163.  Tomah GC, Tomah
164.  Tripoli CC, Milwaukee
165.  Trout Lake G&CC, Woodruff
166.  Tuckaway CC, Milwaukee
167.  Turtle Lake CC, Winchester
168.  Tuscumbia CC, Green Lake
169.  Twin Lake Lodge GC, Twin Lakes
170.  Tyranena GC, Lake Mills
171.  Villa Louis CC, Prairie du Chien
172.  Viroqua GC, Viroqua
173.  Washington Park Municipal GC, Racine
174.  Watertown CC, Watertown
175.  Waukesha GC, Waukesha
176.  Waupaca GC, Waupaca
177.  Wausau CC, Wausau
178.  West Bend CC, West Bend
179.  Westmoor CC, Brookfield
180.  Westmoreland GC, Madison
181.  White Oak Park GC, Bohners Lake
182.  Whitehall GC, Whitehall
183.  Whitewater CC, Whitewater
184.  Whiting CC, Stevens Point
185.  Whitnall Park Municipal GC, Milwaukee
186.  Woodmont CC, Milwaukee
187.  Woodruff Public Fee Course, Woodruff
188.  Wrigley Miniature Course, Lake Geneva

[Sven Nilsen]

Alpine Resort GC (Egg Harbor)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Located near Egg Harbor in Door County, Alpine Resort was designed as a 9 hole course by "Walter Carberry," the pro at Shoreacres.  It should be noted that there was a professional at that time in Iowa named Walter Carberry, but the pro at Shoreacres was James Carberry.

Wisconsin was in many ways the summer playground of the Chicago elite, and it is of no surprise to see Carberry's name associated with this course, although who was responsible for bringing him up north remains a question.  The course still exists today having subsequently been expanded to 18 holes.

Oct. 30, 1924 Green Bay Press Gazette -

[Sven Nilsen]

American Legion GC (Wausau) - n/k/a Tribute GC

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A possible Harry Collis layout that answered the demand for a public course in Wausau.

Sept. 13, 1928 Daily Herald -





Sept. 24, 1928 Daily Herald -





April 12, 1929 Daily Herald -

[Sven Nilsen]

Antigo Bass Lake CC a/k/a Antigo CC n/k/a Bass Lake GC (Antigo)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Although this course was listed as being in Antigo, it was located 5 miles north on the shores of Bass Lake near Deerbrook.  Its tough for me to tell if the aerial above depicts 9 or 18 holes, but we do know the course opened with 9 holes in 1925.  Reworked later by Larry Packard, the original architect of this one remains a mystery.

June 26, 1924 Stevens Point Journal -



July 10, 1925 Wausau Daily Herald -

[Sven Nilsen]

Antlers GC (Burlington)

1937 Aerial -



Located on the north shore of Browns Lake near Burlington, Antlers was designed in 1921 by Tom Bendelow, built in 1923, opened in 1924 and stuck around into the 1940's before being developed into housing.  The 1925 Ad copied below sums up much of what lake life was like in Wisconsin in the 1920's, and still perhaps today. 

"Beautiful - Economical - An Ideal Place"

Sept. 29, 1921 Burlington Free Press -



Jan. 8, 1923 Journal Times -



July 24, 1924 Burlington Free Press -



Aug. 11, 1925 The Journal Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Appleton Municipal GC n/k/a Reid Municipal GC (Appleton)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A prime example of the spirit that fueled many municipal courses throughout the country.  Although there were plans to extend the course to 18 hole in the early 1930's, it would appear the expansion didn't take place for at least a few years.

Sept. 9, 1927 Stevens Point Journal -



June 10, 1930 The Post-Crescent -



April 30, 1932 The Post-Crescent -

[Sven Nilsen]

Arcadia CC (Arcadia)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A classic small town course that started with sand greens.

July 6, 1924 La Crosse Tribune -

[Sven Nilsen]

Baraboo GC a/k/a Devils Lake CC (Baraboo)

1937 Aerial -



I don't have much on the origins of Baraboo, although it was noted as a 2,600 yard grass green course in the Annual Guides, a decent length for a course built on 20 acres.  From the sounds of the 1928 article below, the club operated on a fairly meager budget.

Oblique Aerial -



Two Photographs -





June 15, 1928 Wisconsin State Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Barron GC, Barron

1939 Aerial -



The only information I have on this course comes from the 1938 Golf Guide which notes a 9 hole 2,563 yard public course with a date of organization of 1926.

[Sven Nilsen]

CC of Beloit a/k/a Beloit CC (Beloit)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Beloit had golf as early as 1899.  This course was built as a 9 holer on a 40 acre parcel in 1909 and is credited to Tom Bendelow.  Stanley Pelchar is credited with extending the course to 18 holes in the late 1920's.

Dec. 1929 Golfdom -

[Sven Nilsen]

Beloit Municipal GC n/k/a Krueger Municipal GC (Beloit)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



This course opened in 1927 with 9 holes and had 18 holes by 1931.  Pelchar (pursuant to the Ad noted above) was involved at some point with the 18 hole version.  During the depression the course was playable for free by anyone who was unemployed.

Alvin Krueger, the longtime professional here and its namesake later on, was also a pitcher for the Madison Blues baseball team.

April 30, 1927 The Post-Crescent -

[Sven Nilsen]

Big Foot GC a/k/a Big Foot CC (Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake)



On the Southwest corner of Lake Geneva plans were formulated to build three 18 hole courses.  Three courses would eventually get built here, but only 18 holes were only constructed by Tom Bendelow for this club.

April 3, 1924 Chicago Tribune -



Nov. 6, 1924 Chicago Tribune -



May 7, 1925 Lake Geneva Regional News -



July 2, 1925 Kenosha News -

[Sven Nilsen]

Black River Falls CC (Black River Falls)

1939 Aerial -



A 6 hole course built in a town of 1,800 people where one in every seven citizens became a member.

July 30, 1922 La Crosse Tribune -



Oct. 1922 Golfers Magazine -

[Sven Nilsen]

Blackhawk CC (Madison)



Laid out by C. H. Mayo in 1921, 2nd 9 added by club professional John Hackbarth around 1927 and 11 holes renovated by A. W. Tillinghast in the mid-1930's, Blackhawk has been one of Madison's premier clubs since its inception.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the club are the burial mounds of the Blackhawk Indians that were on the site.

Oct. 5, 1921 Wisconsin State Journal -





May 13, 1927 Wisconsin State Journal -



May 6, 1928 The Capital Times -



Undated Plan -

[Sven Nilsen]

Blue Mound G&CC (Wauwatosa)

1937 Aerial -



Although Blue Mound has been covered extensively on this site, surprisingly very little was written about the club's new Seth Raynor course when it was built in the mid-20's.  Raynor's design replaced an 18 hole course on a smaller parcel of land.  The first 9 holes date back to 1903, with the extension to 18 by Bendelow taking place in 1907.  This was erroneously noted as being the first 18 hole course in the state (Lake Geneva holds this honor).

Bendelow was briefly considered as the architect for the new course when the club purchased the Swan and Gilbert farms, with Raynor eventually getting the job.

The club went bankrupt in the 1930's, reorganized, changed its name from Blue Mound CC to Blue Mound G&CC and had to lease the club property for a brief period of time before some former members were able to effectuate a purchase and effectively rescue the enterprise.

Thanks to Bret Lawrence for sending on the two Milwaukee Journal articles below.
Oct. 29, 1924 Milwaukee Journal -





Nov. 3, 1924 Milwaukee Journal -



Aug. 11, 1933 Santa Cruz Sentinel -



Scorecard of the Pre-Raynor Course -

[Sven Nilsen]

Brown Deer Park Municipal GC (Milwaukee)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Designed by George Hansen in 1928, Brown Deer will always be known as the site of the GMO. 

Like many Golden Age courses, the paucity of trees at its inception compared to the modern look is striking.

March 8, 1928 Milwaukee Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Brown's Lake GC a/k/a Brown's Lake Golf Association f/k/a Burlington CC (Burlington)

1937 Aerial -



In the 1920's the population of Burlington hovered just below 4,000 people.  Yet the city was able to support the construction of a fairly high budget 18 hole course and attracted Jim Foulis to do the layout.  There are countless examples like this that emphasize the fervor for the game during this time.  What is amazing is how many of the courses, like this one, still exist.

April 10, 1925 Journal Times -



April 29, 1926 Burlington Free Press -

[MCirba]

Sven,


Thanks for this terrific thread.


A visit to Wisconsin is way, way overdue and being a muni guy I really need to get to Brown Deer.

[Sven Nilsen]

Brynnwood CC n/k/a Wisconsin Club (Milwaukee)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Built by the unheralded Harry Smead (who is better known for his work at Pine Hills in Sheboygan) at a time when many clubs were highly restrictive, Brynwood was the social center for much of Milwaukee's affluent Jewish community.

The course was recently merged with the downtown Wisconsin Club and the name changed.

June 1, 1928 Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle -



July 12, 192 Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle -





July 19, 1929 Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle -

[Sven Nilsen]

Bulls Eye CC (Wisconsin Rapids)

1938 Aerial -



Recently covered in a Mystery Aerial thread, Bulls Eye started in 1921 with a 9 hole Bendelow course, was expanded to 18 holes in 1927 with Leonard Macumber constructing the Stiles & Van Kleek plan and was reworked a few times since then.

The plan for the 18 hole course below was forwarded to me by Dan Moore.

April 25, 1918 Wood County Reporter -



Oct. 12, 1925 The Daily Tribune -





Oct. 23, 1925 The Daily Tribune -



May 1927 Golfdom -



Plan of the 18 Hole Course -

[Sven Nilsen]

Burr Oaks Public Golf Course (Madison)

1937 Aerial -



The concept of the "Pay As You Play" course took root during the mid-1920's.  Where the demand called for, and municipalities were unwilling to heed the call, the daily fee was born.

Burr Oaks was one of a number of such courses built in midwest along these lines.

Oct. 18, 1927 Wisconsin State Journal -



May 6, 1928 The Capital Times -



1931 Photo of the 5th Hole -



1933 Photo of the 2nd Green -

[Jerry Rossi]

Sven - is there any more detail on this scorecard?  I’ve seen it before and I just don’t see how this is accurate for the Raynor course (I’m aware the 9’s have been flipped).   This doesn’t at all line up with the hole by hole SJR did for the club pre-construction in 1924 (which is in our archives).  I assume then, that this must be the old location?


Thanks for sharing.

Scorecard -

[Sven Nilsen]

Jerry:


Good catch.  That is indeed the earlier version of the course pre-Raynor.


Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

Butte des Morts GC (Appleton)

1938 Aerial -



Aug. 29, 1923 Post-Crescent -



Dec. 6, 1923 Post-Crescent -



Jan. 16, 1924 Post-Crescent -



April 5, 1924 Post-Crescent -

[Sven Nilsen]

Calumet GC a/k/a Calumet Realty Company GC n/k/a Hickory Hills CC (Chilton)

1938 Aerial -



Another small town, small membership course that survived the depression and still exists today.

Oct. 20, 1927 Post-Crescent -



Aug. 28, 1928 Post-Crescent -