Washtenaw Golf Club A History: Part 5

Washtenaw Golf Club celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. Founded in 1899, it is among the three or four oldest clubs in Michigan.

For my money, it’s among the best. If you are a fan of classic golf courses (as I am), you should play Washtenaw. Long a private club, it has been open to the general public for several years.

For the 100th anniversary, the then-private club published a commemorative book detailing its history.

You can read the earliest history of the club in this post here. The second entry in this series is here. The third segment of the history series is here. Segment four of the Washtenaw Golf Club History is here.

From the official club history:

The Drive Back To Private Status

The goal fo Greenstreet’s plan was to secure 300 membership sat $75 each plus tax. He determined this revenue would equal the funds obtained from green fees received from public play. The course could then operate as a private club for the use of memebrs and their guests only.

The deadlien for signing up 300 members was April 1, 1946. It was decided that if the drive fell short, all deposits would be refunded and the course would operte again on a semi-private basis.

To the great surprise of many doubters, the Greenstreet plan was an overwhelming success.

Clark Greenstreet may have been mildly surprised himself. Not only were 300 paying members signed up but a waiting list of 100 was established. And the waiting list had more potential members waiting to get on it.

Greenstreet was quick to point out that he had a lot of help. Jim Hart headed a membership committee of 50 persons. And Helen Silkworth was responsible for signing up 35 members.

Shortly thereafter, the board of directors adopted a rule requiring each member to own at least 100 shares of golf company stock. The directive prevailed, although it was not overwhelmingly popular. While all members would now own equal shares, all would have a voice as part owners of the club. There still remained some shareholders who were not club members.

The Golden Anniversary.

Greenstreet called the Golden Anniversary celebration in 1949 “the most outstanding event ever held at our club.” It featured a week-long series of attractions. But Greenstreet pointed to the day an exhibition round was played as the highlight.

The golfers invited to play Washtenaw’s rolling course included Al Watrous, Sam Byrd, Margaret Russell and Shirley Spork.

Watrous was the well-known veteran professional from Oakland Hills Country Club. He played on two Ryder Cup teams, won the Canadian Open, was runner up to Bobby Jones in the British Open and won six Michigan Opens and nine state PGA titles, as well as the senior PGA title three times. The colorful Sam Byrd had succeeded Babe Ruth as an outfielder for the New York Yankees. An outstanding golfer, he became professional at Plum Hollow.

Margaret Russell was the leading golfers of the Women’s Detroit District and club champion at Oakland Hills. Shirley Spork was a budding golfer attending Eastern Michigan University.

A huge gallery followed the foursome as Watrous recorded a 67, Byrd, 73, Russell an 81, and the young Shirley Spork, a ladies course record 74. Spork later played on the pro tour.

[editor’s note: Shirley Spork not only later played on the pro tour, she was in fact one of the legendary thirteen Founders of the LPGA. She was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1968, the Eastern Michgian Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981, the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame in 2000, the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2019, and the LPGA TOUR Hall of Fame in 2022. It is a crime that not all of the thirteen founders are in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In a conversation I had with her, she said she regularly played at Washtenaw, as they let her play there for free. She is probably the most famous person to play at Washtenaw]

General chairman for the anniversay celebration was Bill Nelson (Bill Nelson’s son, Jim Nelson, co-chaired the centennial celebration).

The Flying Fifties and Sixties

By the 1950s, Washtenaw had truly become a mecca for golf enthusiasts. While the fairways were not yet fitted with an automatic watering system, the greens were excellend and the course hailed by dedicated golfers.

The water source for the greens came from an underground river in a most unconventional manner. According to a newspaper clipping, a well-drilling company was hired to find a water source. Using the latest scientific drilling equipment, the company drilled down to 225 feet, but to no avail.

Decaring a state of emergency, greens committee chairman Jon Montonye asked his wife for help. Mrs. Montonye was a woman of hidden talents who had learned “well witching” from a friend and had already proven her talents by finding her family well.

With forked stick in hand, Mrs. Montonye made here way among the golfers on the course. Her divining rod held parallel to the ground, she waited for the downward pull. According to the newspaper account, when the pull came, it almost pulled the stick out of her hands. The strength of the pull indicated that the water was not too far from the surface and that there wa a lot of it. Drilling was started at the designated spot. At 100 feet, the drillers struck an underground river, which provided a well that flowed at the rate fo 50 gallons of water per minute.

Skep tics came away with a much more open mind about Mrs. Montanye and her divining rod. In 1951 Betty Jane Courtright (Wil­son) won the Michigan Womens Ama­te ur championship , becoming the first Washtenaw member to hold a state title.

And in recognition of the course’s great playability, Washtenw was awarded the 1955 Michigan Open tournament.

Greenstreet played in the first two rounds of the open and remembered one of his playing partners was Horton Smith. Renowned as the lead­ing putter of his day, Smith won the first Mas­ters’ championship held at Augusta . “He was a fine gentleman and he never missed a putt under 10 feet during our two rounds. From 40 feet he stuck them stiff to the cup,” recalled an admiring Greenstreet.

Walter Burkemo won the 1955 Open title . He also captured a national PGA championship. Low amateur for the Open was Chuck Koscis, a longtime golfing great and a college classmate of Greenstreet.

[editor’s note: Horton Smith was just one of three Major Champions at the 1955 Michigan Open at Washtenaw. The others were Chick Harbert (1954 PGA) and Wally Burkemo (1953 PGA)]

In the early ’50s more emphasis was placed on making Washtenaw a “family club.” A swimming pool was con­structed just west of the present first tee . It became a popular center for young and old alike . Competitive swimming events for youngsters drew enthusiastic, cheering parents.

Because the Washtenaw Golf Com­pany had no assessment powers, each member was asked to make a mini­mum loan of $100 for the swimming pool project. The loans were to be redeemed at the rate of 10 percent per year in credit over a 10-year period. Many members chose not to seek repayment.
Two fires, only four months apart , caused approximately $7,000 damage to the clubhouse in late 1951 and early ’52. Both blazes were blamed on chimney defects

In 1957 a driving range was built which included a practice sand trap and chipping green.

Century Notes: It was 1968 when a small pond in front of the 16th hole was expanded. Not much more than a puddle, it was broadened to its present size so that it covers the entrance to the hole and a 60-yard area in front of the 15th tee.

Rebirth of Washtenaw Country Club

In that same year, work began to dissolve the Washtenaw Golf Company and restore Washtenaw Country Club. The process was workable thanks to the action in the ’40s.

Members were asked to trade their 100 shares of stock in the golf company for one membership in the new Washtenaw Countr y Club . Members holding more than 100 shares were paid in cash for excess shares. Non-members holding shares in the golf company were also paid in cash for their shares .

So Washtenaw Country Club was reborn once again as a bona fide private country club. Farewell to “company management.” Greenstreet remembers one member of the board served 24 years, another 21 years. Others , like Greenstreet, went off and on the board as needed, serving multiple terms of three years each.

“We need younger faces , fresh blood, bold minds and new ideas,” wrote Greenstreet in his conclusion of the club’s early history.

And , perhaps , more members like Clark M. Greenstreet.