Final Round

FINAL ROUND Celebrating 75 years of Scovill Golf Course memories

REMEMBERING SCOVILL Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017

2 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | Sunday, August 13, 2017

Decatur Herald & Review

Change takes community jewel D

ECATUR – In two months, the sights and sounds that have made Scovill Golf Course a special place for 75 years will go still and silent.

For the last time, pins will be pulled, greens will cease to be mowed and flags will no longer flap in the wind.

When the deer gather on putting surfaces, no one will wonder what kind of divots will await players the next day.

They’ll roll the carts away, lock the doors, turn out the clubhouse lights and hang a sad sign on the front door: Out of business.

MARK It’s going to be a somewhat painful TUPPER moment as the community contemplates the closure of a golf course 75 years in the making. For many it already is.

In this section, which aims to celebrate decades of memories, thrills, changes and growth, you’ll see that this breathtaking piece of property on Decatur’s west end has had a major impact on the women and men who have enjoyed it and grown up with it.

Will golf carry on in Decatur?

Of course. But our inventory of public golf holes has been reduced to 36. Hickory Point and Red Tail Run will remain following the closure in recent years of Faries Park, Nelson Park, Wildwood and now, Scovill.

A shrinking and aging population has left Decatur with fewer folks willing to invest the time to tackle a very difficult game. Junior golf participation is down, meaning there is not a healthy next wave of participants in the pipeline. That follows a national trend that has forced communities from coast to coast to shutter courses, consolidate layouts and change the way the game is played and marketed.

What seems to make the closing of Scovill so emotional is that the stark beauty of the property stands out as so unique. Where else in Decatur can you find this combination of steep rolling hills and towering mature trees? Roll in the menacing presence of a winding creek, enough wildlife to start a zoo and a thoughtful, old-world course design by legendary Tom Bendelow (he designed the famous Medinah Country Club near Chicago) and you have something worth preserving.

But the Decatur Park District needs golf to make sense from a financial standpoint. Whereas the Decatur public courses handled 190,000 rounds of golf at its peak in the 1990s, last season golfers played a bit more than 60,000 rounds.

People have found other sources of recreation.

While there is still a core of people who love the game and cherish the chance to play it on a course like Scovill, many have drifted toward other sports, other interests and some of them may not even no-

tice when Scovill is no more.

Countless golf courses have been designed and re-designed to intimidate with their length. Layouts that stretch 7,500 yards beg the long-knockers to air it out.

Scovill never did that. And if extraordinary length is all you brought to the party, Scovill could quickly bring you to your knees.

Scovill intimidated with trees and turns and sidehill lies. It terrorized golfers with tight fairways and uncertain landing spots.

Scovill made you think. It made you have a plan and it challenged you to stick to that plan.

“If you start spraying it everywhere with your big tee shot, those big trees will eat you up,” said Kurt Rogers, the park district’s director of golf and a respectful student of this course. “Eventually you’ll make an eight or nine somewhere.”

I’ve never been a golfer whose game did anything more than limp along. But Scovill always made me smile.

Nearly without exception, golf courses are stunning pieces of real estate. Scovill, accurately called “a shot maker’s course,’’ stood as something special.

Difficult to play. Easy to admire. Beautiful to behold. mtupper@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7983

Decatur - Rich in History

Soy Capital Bank and Trust, J.L. Hubbard Insurance and Bonds and Scovill Golf Club Serving the Community and Sharing Memories for 60 Plus Years!

455 N. Main St., Decatur, IL

217-428-7781

1090 S. Rt. 51, Forsyth, IL

217-877-3344

Sunday, August 13, 2017 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | 3

Decatur Herald & Review

GoatHill Farewell Scramble Saturday, September 23, 2017 Tee Time: NOON-sharp At Scovill Golf Course GoatHill History In the late 70’s and in to the 80’s, most Friday nights at Scovill Golf Course were alive with 30-40 guys that played in the popular Goathill event. Teams were chosen quickly and play began in a scramble format around 5:30pm.

Everyone had a great time at this 9 hole event and the group usually moved to the Stonewolf or Lock, Stock and Barrel to continue a night of fun. Over the years,

hundreds of local golfers played in these weekly events until it was decided that an-end-of-the year tournament might be a good idea…and it definitely WAS. On a Saturday in September, Scovill Golf Course was full of “Goathiller” teams chosen the week before by a group of high level captains. A Calcutta auction, various side bets and trash talking preceded the main event. The

tournament was highly competitive, but friendly, with the winning score almost always in the lower 50’s. The tournament culminated in a party somewhere close where winners were announced, the gloating commenced and the side bets were settled. The team with the lowest score was the King of the Goathill for 12 months, but we were all winners.

The NEW GoatHill…reunion style.

The 2017 version of the GoatHill tournament will be a bit different from the old days format. Bring you team of 4, no matter what your skill level is. You’ll have a chance to win 1 of the 3 flights with 1st and 2nd place prizes given out to each flight. Mulligans and a giant skins

game will be available and all excess proceeds will go to “Veterans & Friends”.

Long drive and closest to the pin holes for both men and women, fun games on a few holes and of course beer to stay refreshed. Immediately following golf, the Scovill Banquet room will be ready for us

with a full buffet, beer, soda and water… all included in your tournament fee. We will announce the winners of the games and tournament flights and music from the 70’s and 80’s will play throughout the evening. The last GoatHill Tournament will be an event to remember.

Please make checks payable to “Decatur Area CVB” For more information, contact: Teri Hammel at (217) 433-4168 or Chris Galka at (217) 519-3741 202 East North Street, Decatur, Il 62523

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| REMEMBERING SCOVILL | SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017

DECATUR HERALD & REVIEW

The one constant thing is change A

s the old adage goes, “Nothing stays the same.”

Our community changes. Our population size and demographics change. How we fill our leisure time changes, and some of that hinges on technology, which is constantly evolving.

Thirty years ago, we didn’t have a 10-mile network of trails. Now we acknowledge it is a wonderful part of our community, a recreational opportunity that is used by bikers, walkers, runners and nature lovers that has enhanced our quality of life.

We didn’t have dog parks, but Fido BILL CLEVENGER Fields and the Nelson Park Dog Park have given us a unique space to exercise – and socialize – our favorite canine family members.

We didn’t have an indoor sports center in partnership with Millikin University, but the DISC has given individuals of all ages (from toddlers to college students to seniors) a place to work out, climb the rock wall, dance, run the track, play basketball and soccer, perfect their golf game in the winter months, and so much more. It’s a place where serious athletes can hone their skills and the less serious can remain engaged and active.

Years ago, the area surrounding Stephen Decatur Middle School was open space and farm land. Now it’s one of the premier soccer facilities in the state, serving more than 1,000 MidState Soccer players each year.

Similarly, the land along U.S. 51, just north of Grove Road, was filled with corn and soybeans. Now it’s a heavily used softball complex called Rotary Park.

We also didn’t have Overlook Adventure Park, featuring a 25 foot high ropes course with zipline or a state-of-the-art, zoo themed, water-filled mini golf course. We don’t have an aquatics facility with a competitive lap pool and stunning water park, but we soon will. We don’t have an amazing lakefront amphitheater that allows us to attract visitors to our community and see our lakefront in a whole new way, but in 2018, we’ll have that, too.

We didn’t know our population would shrink as it has, nor did we know that young people who once migrated naturally toward golf, would find other outlets for exercise and entertainment. So we have adjusted, as we must to meet the needs of the community we serve.

In golf, we’ve made across-the-board reductions to try to maintain our three public courses: inventory of golf holes, chemical costs, pro shop merchandise, and staff through attrition. We’ve maintained the quality of play golfers tell us is important and tried unique

options to build the game: hack golf, fling golf, footgolf, Nine after 5, and a $150 season pass for juniors.

I don’t want to see Scovill Golf Course close. It’s a breathtaking piece of property, among the most beautiful Decatur has to offer. My sons grew up on the course, and my wife and I played in the couples’ league for years. Scovill holds a special place in my heart.

Unfortunately, however, tee times remain unfilled (53 percent on average), so we must adapt, respond to our community’s new and different desires, and work within the fiscal constraints of the park district budget. It simply isn’t feasible to maintain three public courses any longer at the quality our golfers have come to expect.

What does the future hold for our golf system and for Scovill?

Most importantly, the board and staff envision two outstanding public courses for our residents and visitors.

For Scovill, we’re encouraging ideas, seeking input, and considering any and all recreational alternatives.

The key is to look to the future. We’re grateful Scovill served the community as a golf course for 75 years and trust that whatever comes next will do the same.

Bill Clevenger is executive director of the Decatur Park District.

Skeff Distributing Congratulates Scovill Golf Course on 75 Years! th 1967 2017

Sunday, August 13, 2017 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | 5

Decatur Herald & Review

HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO‌S

The old Sunnyside clubhouse, right before it was torn down in 1956.

It started with a land donation Golf course one of many gifts from Guy Scovill MARK TUPPER Herald & Review‌

‌The man whose generosity gave Decatur a chance to enjoy Scovill Golf Course was a lover of Chinese art, finely manicured gardens and an entrepreneur who liked to collect property.

He liked to display a five-carat diamond on his finger and one of his friends, speaking to the Herald & Review in an article that appeared 22 years after his death in 1950, said he always made certain to keep $1 million cash on hand.

“He had it in safety deposit boxes in three banks in Decatur and one in St. Louis,” the friend said. “If he had the opportunity to buy property, he did, because he always had the cash.”

Guy Scovill, who took over his father’s furniture business and lucratively expanded it to multiple stores, is remembered for many gestures of generosity toward the Decatur community.

He gave money and artifacts to hospitals, churches and Millikin University. And he gave the Decatur Park District an opportunity to acquire the land along West Main

Street, now known as Scovill Golf Course.

This October, 75 years after it opened as a golfing facility called Sunnyside Golf Club, Scovill will cease being a golf course.

When the property was deeded to the Park District in 1942, the Sunnyside clubhouse was a showpiece, located near the current No. 5 hole.

“It was more than a clubhouse,” noted Dick Dechert. “When I was at Millikin, that’s where people had their formal dances.

It was beautiful.”

Dechert, now 84, remembers the Sunnyside layout clearly. “The front nine went around the perimeter of the course and the back nine was in the middle of the course,” he said, describing a layout created by course architect Tom Bendelow, the Scottish-American golf course designer often called, “The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf.”

Bendelow designed some 600 courses over a 35-year span, including Nelson Park and the Country Club of Decatur. He also designed the three layouts at the Medinah Country Club near Chicago, including the No. 3 course, which has played host to several major championships.

Sunnyside had its formal opening in May of 1924. The club membership of 300 was nearly full with a membership fee of $250.

Eventually, the clubhouse was deemed unfit for renovation and that prompted the course to undergo major changes that were completed in 1957.

The clubhouse was relocated along West Main, basically where it is today, and rebuilt to include the Redwood Restaurant.

Holes were renumbered so that No. 1 and No. 18 could be near the new clubhouse and the layout was reduced in length from 6,252 yards to 5,662 yards.

A major change came on the new No. 1 hole, which was shortened from 566 yards to 424 yards.

The course underwent another transformation in 1991 when golf course architect Dick Nugent was hired to tweak the layout and improve the “playability” of the course.

In the deed that passed ownership to the park district, it spells out Guy and Rose Scovill’s intentions for the property: “This conveyance is made to the Grantee on condition that the property conveyed be used in perpetuity for the benefit of the public for park and recreation purposes as a memorial to the Scovill Family, and shall bear the name “Scovill Golf Course” or “Scovill Field” or “Scovill Recreation Center” or other similar name bearing the name “Scovill,” so as to clearly indicate that it was given by the Grantors as a memorial to the

The generosity of Guy and Rose Scovill allowed Decatur to enjoy Scovill Golf Course.

Scovill Family.”

It also says, “The Grantee shall have the right to sell or convey the premises hereby conveyed upon condition, and only upon the condition that the proceeds thereof be immediately used by the Grantee to acquire other lands for park and recreation facilities for the use of the public in replacement of the lands herein conveyed; such lands so acquired in replacement to be held in perpetuity and to be similarly named and continuously known as hereinbefore required of the tract herby conveyed.”

The document is dated March 20, 1942. mtupper@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7983

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| REMEMBERING SCOVILL | SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017

DECATUR HERALD & REVIEW

The gallery was huge back in 1932, when Scovill Golf Course was operating as Sunnyside Golf Club.

HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO

Readers share Scovill Golf Course memories Miraculous, indeed It was a Sunday afternoon in 1989 and our course at South Side Country Club had closed because of so much rain that weekend. My sons still wanted to play golf so we called Scovill and it was open.

On the old par-3 5th hole (then 162 yards), my son Ryan (a senior on the MacArthur golf team) hit an 8 iron over the flag to the back of the green. I, too, hit an 8 iron and it was right on line with the cup.”

Ryan said, “That’s short.”

I said, “Short of miraculous.”

The ball, in fact, had landed just short of the green and rolled into the cup. A hole-in-one while playing with my sons still seems like a dream. The high fives came with such enthusiasm that I had bruise spots on my arm for two weeks.

Thanks, Scovill, for the memory.

—Dick Cain

Scovill loves the ladies Decatur will soon be losing another great landmark, Scovill Golf Course.

Have you actually seen Scovill?

The view from the No. 2 green is awesome.

Rolling hills, tree-lined fairways and meandering creeks (in which many of my golf balls

are laid to rest).

It has been said that Scovill is a “woman friendly” golf course. Not being a long-ball hitter, Scovill has been my saving “face.” While I struggle on the longer-play courses, I have been able to play a respectable round at Scovill.

Occasionally my friends and I would take on the challenging back nine. My goal was to make the creeks without a lay-up shot. On hole No. 14, my ball took flight and sailed over the creek only to be slightly off the flight path heading right – straight for a tree. A direct hit sent the ball ricocheting backward into the creek. After my friends and I stopped laughing, we continued on our way. Maybe next time.

The staff at Scovill is the friendliest group of workers around. The jewel is Joe Hammel, who will bend over backward to make sure the ladies have a pleasurable golfing experience.

If we dream it, he will do it. He has patiently listened to our many tales of golfing gone badly and offered comforting words of encouragement.

We will not abandon Scovill in its final hours and will continue to show up until we see that big sign that reads: “COURSE CLOSED.” — Kathy Weseloh, president, Scovill Ladies 9-hole League HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO Please see Page 7

Golfers gather around to learn the game from former Scovill pro Ralph Cripe.

Sunday, August 13, 2017 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | 7

Decatur Herald & Review

Winter wonderland‌ My memories of Scovill are somewhat different. I’m not a golfer, but I did hit a few at the course – the mini course that was there at one time. I also hit a few balls at the batting cages (by the driving range). And I remember that they sold Slo Poke all-day suckers at the little stand.

But my favorite memories involve sledding.

We moved to Wyckles Corner in the mid50s, so the walk to Scovill was short. The main attraction, as everyone knows, was the Gallopin’ Goose. It was the tall hill, close to the parking lot, and that’s where people went to sled.

I enjoyed it, especially if you were adventurous enough to try to cross the bridge by steering off to the right. If you made it that far, trying to get between the rails of the bridge and across was a real challenge. Parafin on the sled runners would help you get that far, but the only time I did I ended up going into the creek.

So much for challenges.

But the Goose was usually crowded. So a few of my buddies and I would venture back along the creek in search of less traffic. Nobody went back there because the snow got deeper and it was work just to get there. But we didn’t seem to care.

There was this one hill, maybe not as tall as the Goose, but it dropped almost straight down — at least it seemed to. And at the bottom there was very little room between it and the creek. You had to roll off quickly at the bottom or end up in the water. Then you usually ended up fishing your sled out of the creek anyway.

There were several other good hills in the back 40, but that was the fastest due to how steep it was. It was probably really stupid, too, but we were young and didn’t realize it was stupid at the time.

Anyway, I’m sure the golfing was great at Scovill. But the unique thing was that it afforded good memories for both golfers and non-golfers alike.”

— Kent Atwood

HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO‌

Scovill Golf Course has provided winter recreation, too. holes, No. 3, on June 14 during Wednesday league play. My foursome on that day included Tammy Davis, Jane Norfleet and Barb Olson.

It was a thrill to be up high on the tee and see the ball hit the green on the fly and watch it roll in. I will so miss playing at Scovill.

—Jan Devore

Goathill greatness‌ They used to hold an annual golf tournament at Scovill called the Goathill.

My team one year consisted of Mark Unruh, Randy Boyles and Dave Penn. That year my team was absolutely on fire. We made it to the 18th tee and were already 14-under-par.

We knew as a team that a birdie on No. 18 would probably lock up a tie at the worst, but it was probably going to be good for a win. Mark Unruh was our “A” player that year and we already had one ball on the green.

Mark teed off with a 4-wood and hit the ball toward the left side of the green. It took one bounce and then hit the mound on the left side and shot directly toward the pin that was on the back left side of the green. It rolled right in the hole for a double-eagle hole-in-one.

That shot wrapped up the victory and was absolutely the most exciting moment I have ever experienced on a golf course.

Never in your life have you seen four grown men get that excited.

We could probably be heard from miles away and made sure every other team on the course knew we had just won the tournament.

—Kevin Miller

Where love of golf began‌

SUBMITTED PHOTO‌

Jan Devore is thrilled to have scored a hole-in-one during Scovill’s final season.

A fond farewell‌ I have always loved Scovill as a woman-friendly golf course. I have generally considered it my home course. I won my first tournament ever, the Decatur Senior Women’s Tournament, which finished at Scovill in 2004.

And now, in this final year of the course, I had a hole-in-one on one of my favorite

Scovill Golf Course has been such a big part of my golfing life. Here are some of my memories: The earliest memories are from around 1960 when my dad played in a Borg-Warner league there. Sometimes he could come home from work and take me with him. I was about 6 and still remember climbing the hills. I remember them playing until it was too dark to see and the guys would hold cigarette lighters on the tee so they could see. My favorite part, though, was after the round; if I had behaved, there was a pop machine outside by the pro shop and I would get a grape soda.

Flash forward about eight years and my next memories are from the Stephen Decatur golf team. Coach Jack Kenny was kind enough not to cut the beginning freshmen golfers and I was allowed to play after school every day from the first of March until the end of the school year. We had our clubs in

lockers at the pro shop which, at that time, was run by Richie Hammel. The bus would pick us up after school, drive by MacArthur to pick up their golfers, and drop us all off at the course. It was quite a mob as each team had about 25 golfers. This is where I developed a love for the game and I’m grateful for Coach Kenny for keeping me on the team.

At about the same time, I attended Philmont scout ranch in New Mexico and ate dehydrated food for eight straight days.

We dreamed of real food the entire trip and vowed to make a trip to the Redwood Restaurant (at Scovill) when we returned home. It may have been the only smorgasbord in town at the time and I still recall that meal as one of the best ever in my life.

As far as favorite holes, there were too many. Least favorite holes were No. 14 when I was in high school, where the creek always seemed to catch my tee shot. And No. 10 after the remodel, because the drive was so demanding if you wanted to make par.

I have been playing at South Side Country Club the past three years and haven’t been out to Scovill in quite a while. But my wife and I plan to play a round there in the near future to say goodbye.

Sadly, I still remember my farewell rounds at Faries and Nelson.

— Brad Crookshank Please see Page 8

8 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | Sunday, August 13, 2017

Decatur Herald & Review

Father-son memory‌

The summer of 1964 was special. At a mere 14 years of age, I had never seen a woman, or anyone else for that matter, hit a golf ball as long and straight as Marilyn. Her putting was excellent, too. I merely pulled the pin and kept quiet.

As we approached each hole on Scovill, Marilyn would simply follow with another long shot down the fairway and I made sure there were no lost golf balls.

It was really hot that summer but that didn’t stop Marilyn from shooting an excellent round on the very tricky Scovill course as she won over her annual nemesis, Mrs. Doane, to claim another city title. Marilyn and Mrs. Doane dominated women’s golf tournaments in Decatur for nearly three decades and beyond, if you count Marilyn’s success in senior play.

At the turn we had checked on the big national news of the day. Ken Venturi, having to play 36 holes on the final day of the U.S. Open due to the tradition of the era, was suffering from heat stroke due to extremely high temperatures at Congressional. Taking on large amounts of fluid, Ken recovered enough from the heat to win by four strokes over Tommy Jacobs.

I had seen two champions that day – one in person (Marilyn at Scovill) and another on television (Ken Venturi at Congressional). For a long teenager, it was a day to enjoy and remember for a lifetime!

— Dan Morrison, now of Bristol, Tenn.

The Scovill course was the venue for one of my most memorable father-son experiences.

It was the summer of 2002 and the last day of the Decatur Men’s City Amateur Golf Championship. My son, Nicholson, had led the tourney wire-to-wire and I caddied for him that day and was caught up in the tugof-war for the lead.

He lost the lead with a bogey on No. 15. One down, Nick made a charge with a birdie on No. 16 to tie for the lead and a birdie on No. 17 to take back the lead.

I think No. 18 is a tantalizing finishing hole with the temptation to drive it at the risk of the hazard. Nick had honors on the tee and played safely so he could reach the green in regulation. He held his ground to become the youngest city champion in the history of the tournament.

I’m sorry to see Scovill go, but I’m sure I am just one of many who have warm and exciting memories there.”

—Stephen Chadwick

Recalling Frosty‌ I can’t drive by the Scovill Golf Course without thinking about the old gentleman who ran the driving range back in the 1970s.

I knew him because he was a friend of my father.

His name was Forrest “Frosty” Peters, and he had a storied athletic career. In 1924, while playing for Montana State College, back when the football was a rounder shape than it is today, he converted 17 drop kick field goals in one game. He then transferred to the University of Illinois where he lettered three years in football and helped lead the Illini track team to the outdoor national championship in 1927.

He went on to play professional football for four different teams, including the Chicago Cardinals. He also played professional baseball in the 1930s.

I doubt that most of the golfers using the driving range in those days had any idea who was handing them their practices balls.

Frosty died in Decatur in 1980 and is buried in Graceland Cemetary. His simple marker describes him as a U.S. Army veteran.”

—Bart Cole

Oh, so very close‌ I’m saddened, even living three hours away, to learn the gem called Scovill Golf Course will be closing this year.

I lived in Decatur, writing for the Herald & Review from January of 1986 to September of 1990. I often played Nelson for a quick 18, and Hickory Point as well. But more often than not, when I wanted to play golf, I’d play Scovill.

The course has a certain undeniable charm.

Whenever I played Scovill, often solo, I’d think of the thousands of rounds played there through the years. And I often played in about three hours. Perfect before watching a Chicago Bears game on TV. I must have played Scovill 100 times in my five years in Decatur. When you’re a duffer like me, with a handicap on the wrong side of 30, your main goal is to break 100.

But in all those days, I never could break 100

Great shots, memories‌ HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO‌

Former Scovill pro Gary Schlosser assists 5-year-old Mike Brewer, circa 1984. on that old demon. I recall my 99th shot rimming out of the cup on 18, and watching many a sub-100 round fade on the back nine. You could name that forest along the 4th fairway after me. I was there so often. And I loved to hate the 10th hole, where I’d suddenly develop a hook.

Finally, I was in Decatur for a fantasy football draft on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend in 2012. I had my golf clubs in the car trunk and after the draft I returned to the place that provided so much joy and even more frustration. Pulse racing, I stood over the ball on the first tee and proceeded to drive it down the middle to the top of the hill. I got the par.

Second hole, no slicing into the woods. A bogey. Then I parred the 3rd hole. “Hmmm,” I thought. “This is interesting.”

The round went on. No blow-up holes. No penalties. I felt good. As is my custom, I didn’t total my front-nine score until I walked off the 9th green. Holy cow, a 45. “I’m not just breaking 100,” I thought, “I’m breaking 90!”

Emotions in check, I approached my old nemesis, the 10th hole, where double-bogey was the norm. I pushed my drive to the right, then hit the 6-iron of my life, landing softly at the back of the green. Two putts for par. On the 11th hole, a par putt stopped inches short, but I happily took the bogey.

I practically floated to the 12th tee. A few raindrops fell. No problem. I’ve played in the rain plenty of times.

I hit a bad tee shot, pushing the ball to the left. One bad shot in 12 holes? Not bad. Besides, I had a clear space for a full swing on my

next shot. Then, God decided to bring Niagara Falls to Scovill. I’ve never been so wet so quickly on a golf course. Drenched to the bone, the downpour stopped after about 10 minutes.

Great, I can finish.

But as I stood over the ball, ready to hit my rescue club, the ranger rode up and announced the course was closing for the day.

“What, are you kidding? The rain stopped,” I said.

“Sorry, the course can’t handle this much water. There’s standing water everywhere. We have to close,” he said.

I begged him and even thought about slipping him a $20 bill, but he could not be convinced.

I felt like crying. My chance to break 100 on Scovill was gone. To their credit, the fellas in the clubhouse gave me a voucher for a free back nine. I still have it and hope to use it this year.

I tossed my clubs into the car trunk, climbed behind the wheel and muttered a few choice words. But I couldn’t help but smile as I drove away, knowing that old son of a gun had once again found a way to beat me.

—Steve Metsch, LaGrange, Ill.

A day of champions‌ Long before playing my initial round of golf at Scovill Golf Course with my father, I had the privilege to caddy for Marilyn Dechert during two Women’s City Amateur Tournaments in Decatur. Since Marilyn was a friend of my mother, I wanted to do an excellent job.

Sad to see Scovill closing later this year but I understand the reality of the situation.

Unfortunately, many kids would rather play video games than go out and participate in learning to play golf or any other sports activity.

I have some memories involving myself, my sons and friends.

I played golf in Wisconsin growing up, but the closest course was 15 miles away. It was basically a 9-hole cow pasture.

When I moved to Decatur for a job in 1979, I loved the fact that I had a choice of four places to play golf, all within a mile or two.

Before the course was remodeled I was playing with a couple of friends and I was hitting my second shot to the No. 7 green.

We called it the ‘pregnant green’ because of the huge hump in the middle of the green at the time. We couldn’t see the green because it was so elevated but I hit a shot that looked pretty good and a friend said it looked to be, “right at it.”

“I fully expected my ball to be on the green, but when we got up there, no golf ball. We looked around, thinking it must have hit the hump and kicked over the green. Finally, someone said, “you don’t suppose,” and sure enough, we looked in the hole and there it was.

Another time I was playing with a good golf buddy, John Golden. He hit his tee shot on No. 9 and a couple guys on the clubhouse deck started going nuts. So we thought John must have hit a pretty good shot. Sure enough, it was a hole-in-one.

In each case, they were great shots we never got to see go in the hole.

We really cut our teeth playing golf at Scovill and we’ll miss it.

—Tom Harm

Sunday, August 13, 2017 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | 9

Decatur Herald & Review

Through the eyes of the pros MARK TUPPER Herald & Review‌

‌DECATUR – There’s no way to calculate how many lives a string of club professionals at Scovill Golf Course have touched over the years. But if given a number and asked to choose “over or under,” go with the over.

After its days as Sunnyside Golf Club, and since the name change to Scovill Golf Course in the 1940s, club pros have included Ralph Cripe, Richie Hammel, John Barge, Tom Guipe, Gary Schlosser, Rick Anderson, Pam Rothermund, Jay Dexter, Chuck Weigel and Joe Hammel.

Many, many Central Illinois golfers have learned the game from those pros, spending time practicing on the Scovill driving range.

Rick Anderson, who was the long-time director of golf for the Decatur Park District, not only taught some of the top golfers in Decatur, he learned from one of them.

“My first good memory out Hammel there was with Richie Hammel, who was doing a little clinic next to the first tee,” said Anderson, who has since retired and is now giving golf lessons and working in the pro shop at Rontonda West, Fla. “Richie was teaching us kids how to hit a hook, a slice, a fade and that’s how I got hooked on the whole golf thing, watching Richie give us lessons. That was easily 50 years ago.”

Anderson himself became a patient teacher who taught an effective, but uncomplicated, golf swing.

“My kids were all taught at Scovill by Rick,” said Bill Clevenger, executive director of the park district. “They all still have a Rick Anderson golf swing, which is a swing you can grow old with.”

Current pro Joe Hammel, Richie’s brother, has an affection for Scovill that goes back to before he was born.

“It’s a unique course and what makes it unique, in my opinion, is that it was designed

by Tom Bendelow,” Hammel said. “I remember caddying for Richie at Olympia Fields in Chicago and Richie was playing with an older guy who started asking about Scovill.

“He said, ‘That course is a Bendelow course,’” Hammel recalled. “I didn’t know what that meant. Now I do. He was a respected course designer and he did a heck of a job with this layout.”

Jay Dexter, who was the pro at Scovill from 1994 to 2001, remembers Scovill as the home to a thriving Decatur golf community in the 1970s.

“One of my most vivid memories was helping coach Bob Mathieson, the MacArthur (High School) coach,” Dexter said.

“There were so many good young golfers

HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO‌

Rick Anderson, Paul Earle and Wayne Brown during the 1991 renovation of Scovill Golf Course. then.”

Dexter produced an entry sheet for the high school district meet held there in 1974. Among the names are a number of future club pros and tournament champions.

The list includes Ron Beck, Dexter Robin Weger, Ray Goodman, Lon Lugten, Les Taylor, Brit Williams, Jeff Deemer, Rick Tate, Don Brozio, Chris Galka, Rod Karasch, Larry Osborne, Scott Shelton, Terry Lowe, Bob Binder, Scott Duncan, Darrel Coon, Jim Bailey, Dave Buxton, Doug Dechert, Tim Ruwe, Bob Smith, Ron Tapscott, Mark Burgener, Bob Roth, Frank Starbody and Tom Eades.

“The way I remember it, Ray Goodman shot 63 in that high school regional,” Dexter said.

When golfers would ask Dexter to describe hilly, tree-filled Scovill course with its winding creek, he would throw them a curveball.

“I’d say, ‘it’s a short, flat course with no water and no trees.’ Then I’d say, ‘I lie, I lie, I lie.’”

As for picking holes of note, each pro has his favorites.

“When No. 14 was a par-4, that hole was really hard,” Anderson said. “Now, No. 10 is easily the hardest par-4 in town. I like what we did with that when Dick Nugent did the redesign (in 1991).”

Hammel is tempted to pick No. 9, but only because he has aced the hole twice. But he just loves the short par-4 finishing hole, No. 18.

“It’s always the most fun to play,” he said.

“It’s a great risk-reward hole. It begs you to get into trouble.

“Back when I was a kid there were a lot of good golfers in town and a lot of wagers were won and lost there.

“I saw my brother, Richie, playing on a cold day with some guys and they were playing for money. He was beating this one guy and on the 18th tee he wanted to go double or nothing on that hole.

“Richie said that was fine, then stepped up and knocked it in the hole for a hole-in-one.”

Dexter shares Anderson’s view.

“No. 14 has a narrow driving area up-hill

to a hidden green that is 30 percent covered by a tree. The best you can do is get it to the right quarter of the green. When they re-did it, it’s so deceiving. It looks all up-hill. Then in the back, it slopes down and you don’t know where the ball is going to go.

“But No. 10, from the back tees, is very tough and less forgiving.”

Sandy Fisher, who has worked the pro shop counter for 25 years, said No. 11 is her favorite. “That’s because I had a hole-in-one there during the spring fling a few years ago.”

For Hammel, the current pro, he knows it will be a difficult day when the course closes on Oct. 29.

He’s seen spectacular sunsets, rainbows and lightning storms. He’s seen whole flocks of wild turkey, 30 deer standing on the fifth green, big snakes, eagles, foxes, coyotes, ducks and the bain of every golf course, geese.

He said he’ll miss them all.

“It’s going to be very sad,” he said. “I can’t even imagine it, really.” mtupper@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7983

10 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | Sunday, August 13, 2017

Decatur Herald & Review

Scovill plays host to the rich, famous MARK TUPPER Herald & Review‌

‌DECATUR – Over the years, some of the biggest names in golf found their way to Decatur.

But it was usually South Side Country Club that played host to clinics and exhibitions by superstars like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Sam Snead, Tony Jacklin, Lee Trevino and women’s pro Carol Mann.

That said, Scovill Golf Course shared its acreage with some famous folks, including the time current pro Joe Hammel arrived at the parking lot and saw a strange assortment of vehicles.

“One day I came out here and there were some official looking state cars in the parking lot and a bus parked on the other side.

“I went into the pro shop and asked, ‘What’s going on?’

“Turns out Willie Nelson and Gov. Jim Thompson were playing golf.”

Nelson was staying at the old Decatur Holiday Inn, preparing to play a concert at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. He apparently called the governor and invited him to join the country star for a round of golf and they met at the course just a couple blocks from Nelson’s hotel room.

A regular at Scovill was famous saxophone player Boots Randolph, who lived in Decatur

for a time.

“When I was a kid, Boots Randolph played at Scovill all the time,” Hammel said. “He lived in my aunt’s house on Morgan Street.

Boots was a pretty good golfer.”

Olympic speed skating gold medalist Bonnie Blair of Champaign played at Scovill, as did local politicians like Penny Severns and Duane Noland, who held fund-raising tournaments at the course.

And then there was Forrest “Frosty” Peters, who was a mainstay at Scovill. He ran the driving range for years and would hang out in the clubhouse, “swatting flies and chewing on a cigar,” said Hammel, who got to know him well.

“He was one of my mentors,” Hammel said.

“When I was in high school, in 1968 or 1969, in Warrensburg, I was in study hall and the kid sitting in front of me was looking at the Guinness Book of World Records. He was surprised to see there was a guy who had kicked 17 field goals in one game for Montana State College “I looked at the book and the guy’s name was Forrest I. Peters. That was the guy I knew as Frosty.”

Hammel borrowed the book and took it to the Scovill pro shop after school. There he confronted Peters.

“Is this you?” Hammel asked.

Peters studied the book for a moment.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

Hammel looked at him incredulously, having never heard a single tale of athletic prowess.

“When were you going to tell me all of this stuff?” he asked.

Peters just shrugged. “You never asked.”

Turns out Peters had done more than boot a bunch of drop kick field goals. He was recruited to Illinois by coach Robert Zuppke, who convinced him to transfer after his freshman year. When he arrived in Champaign he was touted as the next Red Grange.

He helped the Illini football team, led the Illinois track team to the NCAA outdoor national championship in 1927 and was an accomplished baseball player and golfer.

He played four years in the National Football League, played professional baseball and moved to Decatur after graduation, helping to design bridges for Warren & Van Praag.

After

retiring, he’d winter in Texas, then return to Decatur for the summer.

He also managed to return to his home state of Montana where he won the state senior golf championship two years in a row.

“I’ll never forget him,” Hammel said. “He’d buy a cigar and sit here in the pro shop and just chew it.”

All the while, never making a big deal out of the fact that he is still regarded as one of the most versatile athletes in University of Illinois history. mtupper@herald-review. com|(217) 421-7983

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Sunday, August 13, 2017 | REMEMBERING SCOVILL | 11

Decatur Herald & Review

Decherts have seen it all MARK TUPPER Herald & Review‌

‌DECATUR – Dick and Marilyn Dechert haven’t created or witnessed every great golfing moment that transpired at Scovill Golf Course over its 75 years.

It just seems like it.

So their affection to the sport, combined with their longevity around Decatur golf, gives them a unique perspective as Scovill moves closer to its closing date on Oct. 29.

The Decherts are each 84 years old. They remember the course when it opened as Sunnyside Golf Club. They remember the original layout, before the clubhouse was moved and the holes were renumbered.

In fact, Dick Dechert can recite the changes from memory.

“No. 1 now, that used to be No. 5,” he said, scribbling the holes on paper so he could keep track. “No. 2, that used to be No. 6.” And so on.

Marilyn Dechert has helped write some of the history made on the Scovill course. She listed Scovill as her home course when she won her first city women’s championship at age 17. And she continued to win women’s and women’s senior titles, always looking comfortable and at home on a course many golfers feel is friendly to the women’s game.

Marilyn scored her first hole-in-one at Scovill. She did it on July 20, 1969. Dick Dechert remembers because that’s the day Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.

Dick Dechert has twice aced the No. 9 hole at Scovill.

Their son, Doug Dechert, shot 59 at Scovill in 1987, one of the many stellar rounds shot by one of Decatur’s finest golfers at the time.

Doug Dechert now lives in Newman, Ga. Dick Dechert has a bottomless well of stories about Scovill. He was frequently in the gallery of interested fans who followed the leaders in both the men’s and women’s city tournaments.

He likes to tell about the day Father Kevin Vann hit a line drive at No. 8 that blasted into the retaining wall and somehow bounded high into the air and landed near the pin.

Dick swears he saw lightning and heard thunder, indicating there was some divine intervention when Father Vann made his unlikely shot.

To this day, Father Vann verifies every detail of the story but always spoils Dechert’s embellishment by saying, “It’s all true. Except the thunder and lightning.”

A more truthful story is one Dechert recalls when the top men in the Decatur would meet to decide the city championship.

At the time, no one was better than local

pro Bob Scherer. To the best of Dechert’s memory, this particular time Scherer was paired with Lloyd Maurer, Jim McKinney and Don Galka.

They were teeing off at No. 1 at Scovill, and at the time the hole was a much longer par-5.

“The other three golfers all knew Scherer was the guy to beat, so everyone wanted to get off to a good start,” Dechert said.

“Everyone hit a good drive but Scherer was longer than the others. He ended up being the only one to reach the green in two, but he was 50 feet away from the pin and faced a long, winding, downhill putt.”

The other golfers all chipped on in three and had reasonable birdie putts, Dechert said.

“Scherer putted first and that ball was a long, long ways from the hole. But Bob was a great putter and the ball traveled all the way across the green, down the hill and went straight into the hole for an eagle.”

Each of the others missed their birdie putts

HERALD & REVIEW FILE PHOTO‌

When Marilyn Dechert, left, was 17 years old, she won the women’s city title. Here Dechert, then Marilyn Trainer, receives congratulations from runner-up Shirley Lindsay. and Dechert said he’ll never forget the looks Dechert said. “It was already over.” on their faces as they left the first green alLater, Scherer told Dechert, “I always like ready two down to the overwhelming favor- to get ‘em early.” ite.

“They just looked at each other and knew,” mtupper@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7983

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Decatur Herald & Review

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