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- The SOCIETY Newsletter #59
The Society Of Golf Historians Twitter Auction
The Society of Golf Historians is excited to announce the commencement of its third annual Twitter Auction, featuring nearly 40 prestigious golf courses. The auction will officially begin on the morning of Tuesday, February 25, 2025, and conclude on Friday, March 7, 2025, starting around 7 PM ET.
A view from Eastward Ho!
Each auction item will have its own tweet, and bidding will remain open for 10 days. At the end of this period, the highest bidder for each item will be declared the winner.
A view from Sleepy Hollow
Proceeds from the auction will support underfunded sports teams in the Tampa Bay Market and helping to fund the Society’s ongoing efforts to preserve and promote golf’s rich history. This includes building a robust website, funding research projects, educational programs, and the maintenance of archival materials. The Society extends its heartfelt gratitude to all donors and hosts who have generously contributed to this event.
A view from Prairie Dunes
For more details and to participate in the auction, follow the Society of Golf Historians on Twitter (@SHistorians).
The auction will include the following golf courses/golf clubs:
Crystal Downs (twosome)
Lake Zurich
Sand Valley (3 rounds with member)
Peachtree (twosome)
Elmwood CC
Hollywood (twosome)
Belleair CC
Mountain Lake
Ravisloe
Eastward Ho
Dubuque CC
Interlachen
Eagle Springs
Muirfield Village
Blessings Golf Club
Prairie Dunes
The Covey at Big Easy Ranch
Inverness
Atlanta National
Scioto
Kenosha CC
Olympia Fields
Lido
Happy Hollow in Omaha
Blue Mound
CRCC
Oak Hill
Philly Cricket
Palmetto Club
White Bear Yacht Club
Dismal River
Black Sheep (men only)
Grande Oaks (Caddyshack)
Old Town
Moriane CC
Sara Bay CC
Sleepy Hollow
Let’s dive into some of these auction items:
If you love Donald Ross then you should love this auction. Donald Ross leads the auction with ten of his designs including the following courses: Belleair CC, Ravisloe, Interlachen, Inverness, Scioto, Kenosha, CRCC, Oak Hill, White Bear Yacht Club and Sara Bay.
Of those ten courses seven are ranked in the Top 100 by one of the ranking lists.
A view from Belleair CC (Photo: Evan Schiller)
The class of architects in this auction is really outstanding the names include:
Dr Alister Mackenzie, Donald Ross, CB Macdonald, Seth Raynor, Perry Maxwell, AW Tillinghast, Walter Travis, Willie Park, Langford & Moreau, Pete Dye, Tom Doak, Coore & Crenshaw, David McLay Kidd, Jack Nicklaus, and more…
There are also two all world experience rounds in the auction.
Lake Zurich Golf Club:
A private golf club that is so private most Chicago golfers don’t even know it exists. Founded by the kids of Chicago Golf Club members in the late 1890s a group of rebel golfers founded their own 9 hole course designed by CB Macdonald…well no…Macdonald considered designing it but handed the job to the new pro at Chicago Golf Club, James Foulis who was at the time the reigning US Open Champion.
James Foulis with his U.S. Open Trophy & Medal
Lake Zurich Golf Club had a hilarious cast of characters who charted their own unique way through time- the club has its own patron saint, the club also has its hilarious own set of rules for instance: “If a ball is lost, another player will find and pocket it, making it a stolen ball. There is no penalty for a stolen ball.”
Patron Saint of LZGC, Saint Barnabas
One of the most legendary tales in Lake Zurich’s history is how its members outwitted imminent ruin. Not long after the club’s establishment, the railroad sought to claim its land under eminent domain, planning to lay tracks straight through the property. In most cases, such a claim would be an unstoppable force, but the quick-thinking members of Lake Zurich refused to surrender.
Under the cover of night, they devised a daring plan. Sneaking off to the local morgue, they procured unidentified bodies and buried them on the grounds. With this ingenious maneuver, they reclassified the land as a cemetery, an untouchable designation, since eminent domain cannot be exercised over burial grounds.
Their gamble paid off. The railroad’s claim was blocked, and Lake Zurich was saved. To this day, the tombstones of these anonymous saviors remain, marking their place in history. In recognition of their services whether in life or death, they were granted honorary membership for eternity.
The Tombstones of LZGC
If this isn’t enough to intrigue you, consider this: Lake Zurich has only 35 members, and its charter strictly limits membership to 37. But the real draw isn’t just its rarity it’s the experience.
If you’re after pristine fairways and lightning-fast greens, this isn’t your club. Lake Zurich is old-school, a time capsule of golf played as it was in the 1890s. The greens are slow, the fairways are long, and by all accounts the hole locations change only once every three months. It’s an utterly unique, wildly charming experience that you simply won’t find anywhere else.
Original Jarvis Hunt Clubhouse
Don’t leave without a tour of the Jarvis Hunt designed clubhouse (designed NGLA’s as well). It’s a throwback to what golf club’s used to be. Oooohhh and I forgot to tell you- the course is haunted…ask your host!
If you want a deeper dive into the amazing history of Lake Zurich Golf Club - we covered its story in an episode of the TalkinGolf History Podcast, “The Club That Time Forgot.” Click the link below to listen for free.
Bushwood Country Club
Well maybe not Bushwood, but it might as well be, Grande Oaks Golf Club is Davie, FL was the fictional Bushwood CC in the movie Caddyshack!
There is no gambling at Bushwood CC
While some of the holes were redesigned by Raymond Floyd in the 1990s Grande Oaks offers some amazing golf in an amazing location that just so happened to be where the greatest golf movie of all-time was filmed.
Your host has been a member of the club for decades so he should be able to share some of the inside stories of the movie shoot while playing where legends like Ty Webb, Al Czervik and Judge Smails once teed it up- and let us not forget the caddie who illegally won the match…Noonan should have incurred a penalty for waiting too long for that ball to fall in the hole.
Thank you so much!!!
A special thank you to all who donated golf rounds at your golf clubs, I sincerely appreciate it!
Thank you to all of you who will be bidding on items in this year’s auction- whether you win or not you are making a big difference.
The auction kicks off tomorrow and runs until Friday, February 28th. Auctions will start closing at 7PM Eastern. They will close when I tweet that the auction is over.
The auction is only on Twitter and can be found under @shistorians.
Good luck!
Thank you again for taking the time to read this week’s newsletter. If you enjoy the SOCIETY Newsletter please share it with your friends.
Until next time
Yours in Golf History,
Connor T.
