Wisconsin Aerial Photographs - 1937 to 1940

[Sven Nilsen]

Racine CC (Racine)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Racine CC was formed in 1909 to replace the Racine GC who could not secure the further use of their land.  Despite early plans for 18, a 9 hole course was built and opened in 1910 on the current site and expanded to 18 in the late 1920's by then professional Tod Sloan.

The club history notes Bendelow as designer of the GC course (which dates to 1899 and would be early for Bendelow in the Midwest) and Joe Roseman as responsible for the CC course.  Roseman did serve as the pro at Racine CC, but he didn't arrive until around 1915 succeeding Jim Hurd and Willie Hoare.  1909/10 would be over a decade prior to any of Roseman's other design work.  As the Golf Magazine article below notes, it was most likely Bendelow that was responsible for the club's 1910 course.

The last article on the opening day of the 18 hole course is included mostly for the reference to the "People" and "Folk" teams that competed that day.

June 1909 Golf Magazine -





Nov. 2, 1909 The Journal Times -



Nov. 23, 1909 The Journal Times -



May 23, 1910 The Journal Times -



Sept. 11, 1926 The Journal Times -



July 5, 1927 The Journal Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Reedsburg CC (Reedsburg)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Home to the Reedsburg Butterfest, the 9 hole course was built in 1925.

July 22, 1925 Wisconsin State Journal -



May 9, 1928 Wisconsin State Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Rhinelander CC (Rhinelander)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Home of professional golfer Dan Forsman and the Hodag (look it up).  Harry Collis built the first 9 holes here and I've seen Charles Maddox and Frank MacDonald associated with the course but I do not know what they did or when they did it.

Aug. 10, 1926 Rhinelander Daily News -



Aug. 27, 1926 Rhinelander Daily News -

[Sven Nilsen]

Richland CC n/k/a Quail Run Golf Links (Richland Center)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Richland Center was the birthplace of Frank Lloyd Wright in 1867.

This course was built in 1928 when land for a new course was found closer to town with the plans drawn by George Hansen.

April 28, 1928 Wisconsin State Journal -



May 9, 1928 Wisconsin State Journal -

[Sven Nilsen]

Ridgeway GC f/k/a Neenah-Menasha GC (Neenah)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



The first 9 holes here were built in 1927 by John Barr of Milwaukee, with 2 holes added in quick order and 7 more in 1929.

The course changed names in the early 1930's.

March 11, 1927 Menasha News-Record -





May 12, 1927 Menasha Record -



June 1, 1927 The Post-Crescent -



June 29, 1929 Oshkosh Northwestern -

[Sven Nilsen]

River Falls GC (River Falls)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



The only real evidence I have of roots of this course comes from the 1931 Annual Guide, which notes a 9 hole course with a date of organization of 1926.

The course was extended to 18 holes in the 1960's.

[Sven Nilsen]

Riverdale CC (Sheboygan)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Initially conceived as a private club it quickly became a public course and Riverdale remains that way today. 

Sept. 7, 1928 Sheboygan Press -



June 25, 1930 Sheboygan Press -

[Jeff_Brauer]

Reedsburg CC (Reedsburg)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Home to the Reedsburg Butterfest, the 9 hole course was built in 1925.

July 22, 1925 Wisconsin State Journal -



May 9, 1928 Wisconsin State Journal -

Killian and Nugent added the second nine just prior to me starting there in 1977.  It was one of those projects where they sent Bob Lohmann and a shaper up to build it with locals and members to keep it affordable.

[Sven Nilsen]

Rivermoor CC f/k/a Waterford Woods Golf Course (Waterford)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



One of the rare original 18 hole public courses in Wisconsin, it was built as a recreational amenity for the Waterford Woods subdivision.  The lay out is credited in a number of sources to amateur star and local golf reporter Billy Sixty (William Soechting), but the Wisconsin Historical Society states Edwin O. G. Head of Milwaukee did this work.

May 3, 1928 Burlington Free Press -



June 9, 1928 The Journal Times -



July 1, 1929 The Journal Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Riverside GC (Portage)

1937 Aerial -



A 9 hole public course.

Sept. 9, 1931 Portage Daily Register -

[Sven Nilsen]

Riverview CC (Appleton)

1938 Aerial -



A 7 hole course was laid out in 1898 by a Mr. Worcester and quickly expanded to 9 holes by 1899.  Bendelow came through in the early 1920's to remodel the course and replace two holes.  Riverview stuck around until 2011 as a golf fixture in Appleton.

Sept. 2, 1898 The Post-Crescent -



1899 Official Golf Guide -



April 27, 1922 The Post-Crescent -



Postcard -

[Sven Nilsen]

Shawano CC a/k/a Shawano Lake CC a/k/a Shalagoco GC (Shawano)

1939 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Built in 1922 with 9 holes, the course was improved with grass greens in 1931.  Today the course has 18 holes.

July 18, 1922 The Post-Crescent -





April 25, 1931 Green Bay Press-Gazette -

[Sven Nilsen]

Sheboygan CC a/k/a Sheboygan Town and Country Club (Sheboygan)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Before anything Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits there was Pine Hills, and before Pine Hills there was the Sheboygan CC.  Attributed to Bendelow in 1905, the course became public when the club moved to the Pine Hills CC course in the late 1920's.  The course now has 27 holes.

May 30, 1905 Oshkosh Northwestern -





1924 Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

Shoop Park GC (Racine)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Built on land donated to the park system by Clarendon Shoop, the "patent medicine" king of Racine, the course opened in 1921 with 6 holes.  The plans for the course were prepared by The American Park Builders, with Bendelow being the architect in charge at that time.

June 28, 1921 The Journal Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Shorewood GC (Green Bay)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Started as an idea for a public course with a number of architects called in to look at the site, the course was designed by Sam Pelchar of U. S. Golf Architects and opened as a semi-private club.  The course was taken over by UW - Green Bay and was made NLE in 2021.

The 1938 Aerial mirrors the 1937 Plan for 18 holes noted below, but at some point the course reverted back to 9.

Sept. 24, 1930 Green Bay Press-Gazette -





Nov. 7, 1930 Green Bay Press-Gazette -



March 18, 1931 Green Bay Press-Gazette -



Nov. 24, 1937 Green Bay Press-Gazette -

[Sven Nilsen]

Smokey Lake CC n/k/a Big Sand Lake Club GC (Phelps)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Founded in 1891 as the Eagle River Fishing & Shooting Club, the Big Sand Lake Club was a Northwoods retreat located right on the Michigan border for a number of leaders of the Chicago business class.  The 9 hole course was started in 1926 and is credited to Chick Evans.

Oct. 4, 1928 Rhinelander Daily News -

[Sven Nilsen]

Sparta CC n/k/a River Run GC (Sparta)

1939 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Sparta is known as the Bicycling Capital of America.  The club was started in 1916 with 6 holes and was expanded to 9 holes by 1931.

May 6, 1916 La Crosse Tribune -



Feb. 1917 American Golfer -





1950's Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

Spooner Lake GC n/k/a Spooner GC (Spooner)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Located in the northwest corner of the state, Spooner is another course credited to Tom Vardon from neighboring Minnesota.

May 8, 1930 Leader-Telegram -

[Sven Nilsen]

Spring Valley CC f/k/a Our CC (Salem)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



A 1927 Langford & Moreau design that remains a bit of a museum piece today.  With no sand in the bunkers and shrunken greens, the course has been described as an old house with covers still on the furnishings.  If you don't know the story here, you haven't been paying attention.

July 16, 1928 Kenosha Evening News -

[Sven Nilsen]

Springbrook-Antigo CC a/k/a Springbrook CC (Antigo)

1938 Aerial -



Home of John Bradley (one of the Iwo Jima flag raisers), James Bradley (who wrote Flags of Our Fathers) and D. Wayne Lukas (of horse racing fame), this 1927 Frank MacDonald design was the second course built in the Antigo area.

Sept. 6, 1927 Sheboygan Press -



Postcard -

[Sven Nilsen]

Springvale GC l/k/a New London GC n/k/a Shamrock Heights GC (New London)

1938 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



The original 9 hole course (now expanded) was built in 1926 with advice given by Mr. Taylor of Appleton.  In 1938, during a golf marathon craze that swept the country, a 16 year old named Gordon Meiklejohn played 237 holes on the course in less than 16 hours.

April 24, 1926 Oshkosh Northwestern -





July 16, 1926 Oshkosh Northwestern -

[Jeff Zugelter]

Great research Sven! Mr. Taylor (Jack) was the long time greenskeeper for Butte des Morts Country Club in Appleton. The Butte des Morts website credits him with putting down the first grass seed after the architect W.C. Jackson was finished.


Here is a write up of him from Golfdom magazine
https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/golfd/article/1937jun62.pdf

[Sven Nilsen]

Squires CC f/k/a Port Washington CC (Port Washington)

1937 Aerial -



I don't have much on Squires.  The course was developed by Clarence (a local golf legend) and Maxine St. Peter around 1930 with 9 holes and run as a family business into the 1970's.  It eventually went NLE in 2008 with the land being purchased as part of a land preservation trust sponsored by members of the Uihlein family.

Photo -

[Sven Nilsen]

St. Johns GC a/k/a St. Johns Northwestern GC (Delafield)

1937 Aerial -



Modern Aerial -



Another course I have little information on, this one built in the early 1920's in connection with the military academy by the same name.  The course is credited to a Carl Muirfield, a name I can find little about.

[Sven Nilsen]

Stark CC (Randolph)

1937 Aerial -



A basic 9 holer laid out on the south side of town by Jack Taylor, the course appears to have gone by the wayside in the late 1930's.

July 2, 1930 The Post-Crescent -