A November Golf Tournament In 1901

A November Golf Tournament In 1901

I take quite a bit of good-natured ribbing from my friends for continuing to play golf through the winter months here in Michigan.

Apparently, I come from a long line of Washtenaw golfers who play long after others have hung up their clubs.

An article in the November 15, 1901 Detroit Free Press gives an account of a golf tournament held in Battle Creek:

Washtenaw Golfers Won Post Cup

Battle Creek, Mich., November 14 – (Special) – Mesers Rennen and Todd, representing the Washtenaw Country Club, Ypsilanti, won the Post championship cup to-day on the local links with 208 strokes over a 36 holes course, defeating Flansburg and Campbell of the Waniken Golf club, Kalamazoo by one hole. Battle Creek golfers were not in the race. The cup is given by C.W. Post as an intercity challenge trophy to be competed on local links every year. The contest is open to all Michigan clubs, Detroit alone being barred. Five teams were represented in the contest to-day.

Detroit Free Press, November 15, 1901

Michigan’s average high in November is 48 degrees F, so it likely was a cool day. While I don’t have a problem playing in such weather, I wonder why anyone would schedule a golf tournament the second week of November in Michigan. It is as likely to snow as it is to be sunny.

The winning score of 208 over 36 holes indicates that the 18 hole average was 104. That’s not great.

I’m also curious what the author meant by the statement that Washtenaw defeated Waniken by “one hole.” Was it stroke play, as the score of 208 indicates, or match, as the “one hole” line suggests.

Washtenaw Country Club is now the Washtenaw Golf Club (club link) and is open to the public. The club celebrates its 125th anniversary next year.

The C.W. Post mentioned in the story is the founder of what now is Post Consumer Brands, perhaps best known for its breakfast cereals. In 1901 his company was producing Postum and Grape Nuts. Post Toasties was three years away.

Historically, Post has been a bit of a controversial figure, having been accused of stealing the recipes for Postrum, Grape Nuts and Toasties from Kellogg. Post, who suffered from chronic mental and physical complications, had stayed at the Battle Creek Sanitarium run by John Harvey Kellogg, brother of Will Kellogg, the cereal entrepreneur.

Post also was accused of making wild claims about his products curing diseases. To be fair, a lot of products made such claims in those days.