Par Fore the Mountains (eBook)

Chapter 2

A Golf Course Arrives

1920-1925

Having endured the challenges of the previous decade, the world, nation, and Steamboat Springs were ready to let loose a little during the 1920s. Although there would be limits to the fun, as the eighteenth amendment of the US Constitution had been passed in 1919, and prohibition went into effect in 1920. Colorado had been ahead of the prohibition bandwagon and had become a dry state three years earlier in 1917. Still, the relief of having made it through the “War to End All Wars” and the Spanish-flu pandemic led to people everywhere being ready to enjoy life a bit more. All around the country there was relative prosperity. That became evident in Steamboat Springs as Oak Street started to become more developed as a residential street in the downtown area, a new county courthouse was erected, and regular mail service from Denver was facilitated by the railroad.

Indeed, the roaring twenties were a time when people wanted to cut loose and relax. The desire for relaxation was evident in the explosive growth of golf as a sport around the country. By 1932, the USGA had grown and had over 1,100 clubs in affiliation, an increase of over 400 percent in one decade. In 1920, the USGA founded its Green Section to conduct research on turfgrass. Around much of the country the golf courses that were being developed did not show much resemblance to the manicured courses of today. The fairways were not as lush as they are today, and for many courses that were being developed, the greens were actually made of oiled sand. Steamboat Springs would reflect the trends of the day in many ways.

During this period of time, Steamboat Springs saw its first chapters of the Lions Club and the American Legion formed. In addition to those clubs and civic organizations, another long-lost club that was devoted to civic betterment and community progress was formed in 1919 called the Sequoyah Club. It would be this club that would develop the very first 9-hole golf course in Steamboat Springs. The population of the town in 1920 was a mere 1,249, but they wanted their first golf course.

In 1923, Steamboat Springs finally had its first 9-hole golf course. The course was built on a fifty-acre tract near the home of Mrs. Violet Fletcher on Crawford Hill. As would be the case for several decades, the work of designing and building the course would fall on the ordinary citizens of the community without the use of golf-course architects, designers, and other experts. The local paper, the Steamboat Pilot, reported that a new golf club was being formed and that thirty applications had already been submitted. As the club solicited new applications, they made it clear that all were welcome and that membership in the Sequoyah Club was not required to be in the golf club. Golf was truly off and running in Steamboat Springs with a very devoted, enthusiastic, and excited group of players ready to try out the new links.

The course was a source of civic pride and, in a bit of local bravado, was touted as being equal to many of the municipal courses around the country. Since there was really no objective way to measure the veracity of such a bold claim, the Steamboat Pilot and the dedicated golfers of the day were free to make the claim without fear of being contradicted. While no diagrams of the course layout can be found, there are records of the yardage and other details of the course design. The course was a par 34 layout and had a total yardage of 2,583 with holes laid out as follows: No. 1: 226 yards; No. 2: 258 yards; No. 3: 260 yards; No.4: 212 yards; No.5: 447 yards; No. 6: 395 yards; No. 7: 268 yards; No. 8: 322 yards; No. 9: 195 yards. Given the types of clubs and balls that were available at the time, it was a respectable layout. The players would be out with their brassies, wooden cleeks, spoons, and baffeys, trying to master the course. As the game of golf and the technology of clubs evolved, the names of clubs also changed. Brassies became the 3 metal; the spoon is now the 5 metal. Cleeks evolved into driving irons, which are rarely used by today’s modern golfer. Finally, jiggers are today’s chippers and wedges, and a putting cleek is our putter. There were sand and water boxes for each tee. The fairways were kept mowed and dragged to optimize playing conditions. The greens were not really green but instead were sand greens that were oiled. All of this work was done by volunteers from the Sequoyah Club and the golf club, many of which were the same men.

The golf club grew rapidly and by 1924 it already counted forty-four individuals as members. Annual dues were set at $10 for each member, the equivalent of just under $135 in 2021. The new club counted among its members many leaders of the community. There were members of the business community and the ranching community. There were those that would be considered pioneers of Steamboat Springs and those that had journeyed long distances to land in the Yampa Valley. They all shared a common pride in having their own golf course and a sense that they should do whatever they could to improve the community of Steamboat Springs.

Lloyd Brown served as president of the club in the early years and then again in the 1940s. He embraced the spirit of the community. He worked at the First National Bank in Steamboat Springs where he was the head cashier. For a time, he was the local sales agent for Scripps-Booth Cars. He owned and managed a real estate business that would later become known as the Columbine Agency. He was active in the Lions Club, Commercial Club (Chamber of Commerce), and Masonic Lodge. He was also a Shriner and served as town clerk. He owned several ranches in Routt County on which he raised cattle, hay, and grain. Mr. Brown was among the most proficient golfers of the town, setting the first course record by shooting a 38 on the par 34 layout in 1923. He was a frequent champion in tournaments in Steamboat Springs and Craig. Later in his life he even traveled out of state to play in tournaments in Arizona, some of which he won. Like many golfers, he was also a creature of habit and had a regular foursome that consisted of George Allen, Bill Fay, Ray Monson, and Jack Malone. He continued to play golf until he was ninety years old.

Claude E. Beverly was another of the main advocates for golf in the early years. He had moved to Steamboat Springs in 1913 from Barnes, Kansas. He worked for the state highway department as his full-time job and was also very active in the community. He served as the secretary of the school board in the early 1920s and also served as treasurer of the town for many years. He served as the initial secretary for the club.

George “Bruce” Wither was one of the more interesting members of the initial club. He was the first club champion, and it would seem that golf was destined to be in his blood. He was born near Stranrauer, Old Kilpatrick Parish, Scotland, in April of 1864. He would endure many challenges in his early life. He was orphaned at an early age and when he turned nineteen he traveled to South Africa with a party of English and Scotsmen who were going to explore the world and seek their fortune. Of the original group of sixteen, only three survived the yellow fever which ravaged the region. After a year or so, Mr. Wither returned to London and before long set sail, this time for the United States. He landed in Galveston, Texas, in early 1886. Eventually he found his way to Steamboat Springs where he was considered a pioneer resident of the area. He owned and operated the Steamboat Mercantile Company along with his brother Donald. For many years the store was the largest general mercantile establishment between Denver and Salt Lake City. In 1929, he left the mercantile business to devote time to his ranching interests. Like many of his fellow golf club members he was very active in the community. He served as county clerk for two terms and president of the school board. The depression would force him to move to Denver in 1933 and eventually to Long Beach, California, where he passed away in 1952.

Charles Harwig, another of the original club members, came to Routt County with his parents in 1903 when he was sixteen years old. In 1920, he purchased the Steamboat Harness & Shoe shop which operated until his untimely death in 1936. He was a member of the Odd Fellows, Elks, and Masons as well as the Winter Sports Club. Besides golf, the Winter Sports Club was where he dedicated a tremendous amount of his time and energy. He frequently served as an officer and on the board of directors for the Winter Sports Club. He was well known for his saying, “We make ’em; you take ’em,” which he used to refer to the ski jumpers who developed their skills at Howelsen Hill and were then adopted by other ski clubs throughout the state. In addition, he could always be counted on to help repair anything related to skiing that needed fixing, from bindings and boots to carriers for the tops of cars. He was one of the participants in the first Steamboat Golf Club Championship in 1924 and was frequently in the championship matches for the local golf tournaments through the 1920s and early 1930s. His harness shop was often the location for post-tournament festivities, the local club business meetings, and general golf chatter.

Clay Monson was one of the members of the original club that could truly trace his roots to the settlement of the valley. He was born in Napa City, California, and came to Routt County in 1886 via wagon. He was one of the six children of well-known pioneers, Mr. Henry C. Monson and Mrs. Ida Alma Harnett Monson. It was his mother who gave name to “Pleasant Valley.” At...