A Historical Tour of MGC

A Historical Tour of MGC

MGC is one of few Clubs in the country to host both a U.S. Amateur and a PGA Championship. The 1950 Amateur was the 50th anniversary of the Championship and for MGC to get awarded the event was a minor miracle considering where we were just five years before.

In this issue, we will take a brief look back in our history to examine the challenging, lean years leading up to hosting the U.S. Amateur.

The ten year period from the end of the depression (1935) to the end of WWII (1945) may have been our most trying. In 1943, a desperate financial reorganization called for reducing capital stock from 400 to 110 shares, raising $30,000 to pay off the mortgage and increasing dues to $150 per year from $100. Members could either pay $300 for one of the 110 shares or sell back their stock for $1 and become a non voting associate member. The plan was approved, but not before Membership had gone from 400 to 68 by 1944.

In order to generate revenue during the latter war years MGC allowed public play, and in fact in 1945 non-members spent more than members. The decorum and culture took a turn for the worse as was evident in this Board minute from August 1944: “the Board was made aware of a growing trend of men playing golf shirtless”. This resulted in signs being posted in the locker room discouraging such practice.

With the war years our course went with minimum turf maintenance. There was a serious labor shortage and chemicals and other resources were scarce. As a result, course conditions deteriorated to the point that for the 1944 season the Board declared that winter rules would be in effect to save the fairways and also to save balls. Even with these challenges, the club still hosted the 1944 state open!

But by September 1945 with the war over, things began to turn. Soldiers returned to civilian life and golf was once again a desired leisure activity. Private golf was becoming viable again. The September 18, 1945 Board minutes reflect the decision to put measures in place to restore MGC to its former standards of excellence, beginning with the announcement that the club was returning to its original private club model.

The minutes read: “…adopt a definite and permanent policy toward making MGC a strictly private club”. It is stated that 75% of the members loudly supported this strategy. The Board also passed a policy addressing the decorum issue from 1944. It read: “Any two piece athletic uniform (pants and shirts) would be allowed for play on the course and to omit either the shirt or pants would be against the rules and prohibited.” Thank goodness we still have that policy!

Now the hard work was to begin as the clubhouse and course had suffered significant deterioration. Membership was still low. Funding tight. But a handful of leaders found the money and the commitment to move MGC forward.

As a part of this commitment to returning to the private club model a dedicated effort was made to make women and families much more important to the Club’s social fabric.

A Planning Committee was formed in 1946 and in March 1947 they presented their vision along with the current financial state of the club, which by then was debt free.

Here is a flipbook link to that ‘47 presentation to the Club.

In May 1948, with the Club on firm footing, a solid strategic plan in place, and the course returning to its original gold standard, MGC extended an invitation to the USGA about hosting the 1950 Amateur. By September the invitation was accepted and the organizing efforts to host the event began in earnest. Board VP Bruce Reinecker chaired the event planning.

The membership enthusiastically responded by supporting the organizing efforts including owning the sale of tickets. Members also pitched in beginning in September 1949 with “the formation of committees for each of the 18 holes on the course to protect each hole from tee to green in respect to divots, trap raking, and filling holes in the green”.

The USGA worked closely with our superintendent, Herb Cohrs, in the summer leading up to the tourney. Dr. Grau, the head of USGA grounds and greens said, “in following your present procedure of aerating, feeding and hand watering your greens, you will have the finest championship greens comparable to any in the United States”.

And to think that 5 years earlier MGC was almost a forgotten entity, playing off of dirt and not wearing shirts! We all owe a great deal to the leadership of that period.

This historical content is an adaptation from Rick Shefchick’s 100 Year History of MGC edited and combined with additional notes and minutes of Board Meetings from 1943-50.