From Fields to Fairways: Classic Golf Clubs of Minnesota

by Rick Shefchik

Overview

From retreats for the middle class to playgrounds for the rich, golf clubs have been sources of recreation, fellowship, and business for Minnesotans for more than a century. Minnesota’s courses have hosted some of the sport's most dramatic tournaments and legendary players—including Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods—and its clubs have been deeply involved in the development and popularizing of golf throughout North America.

From Fields to Fairways is the first book to thoroughly explore the history, architecture, and joie de vivre of Minnesota golf clubs, bringing to life the personalities who founded and shaped the clubs and courses, including forgotten details of how the greatest courses were built. Rick Shefchik highlights the best-known golf architects and the clubs they designed, such as Donald Ross (Woodhill, Interlachen, Northland), A. W. Tillinghast (Golden Valley, Rochester), William Watson (Minikahda, White Bear Yacht Club), and Seth Raynor (Somerset, Midland Hills, Minnesota Valley). He also traces the evolution of the state’s public courses, which provided affordable playing grounds for the middle class as well as African Americans, who were not allowed to join private clubs. Another chapter focuses on the creation of private clubs by Jewish golfers, who were likewise once excluded from Minnesota’s elite golf clubs.

Featuring more than two hundred photos from newspapers, clubs, museums, and private collections—many of which have never before been seen by the public—From Fields to Fairways will be the book of record on Minnesota’s illustrious golf history for fans and players of all handicaps.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816677320
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	03/19/2012
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,064,384
Product dimensions:	11.40(w) x 10.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Rick Shefchik spent twenty-six years as a reporter and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is the author of four novels: Amen Corner, Green Monster, Frozen Tundra, and Rather See You Dead. He has played golf in Minnesota since the 1960s.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Farms to Fairways

1. The Wellspring
The Town & Country Club (1893)

2. Cradle of Championships
The Minikahda Club (1898)
The Godfather: C. T. Jaffray (1865-1956)

3. Lake Superior Gem
Northland Country Club (1899)

4. Crossroads of History
Interlachen Country Club (1911)

5. Sailors and Golfers
White Bear Yacht Club (1912)
The Unsung Hero: Tom Vardon
Minnesota’s Bobby Jones: Harrison R. “Jimmy” Johnston

6. Ross Shows His Stuff
Woodhill Country Club (1915)

7. The Players’ Club
Minneapolis Golf Club (1916)

8. Rising from the Ashes
Golden Valley Golf and Country Club (1916)

9. Tillie’s Gift
Rochester Golf & Country Club (1915)

10. Raynor Comes to Minnesota
Somerset Country Club (1920)

11. The Professors’ Legacy
Midland Hills Country Club (1921)
University of Minnesota Golf Course (1916)

12. No Longer a Rich Man’s Game
Municipal Golf (1916-34)
The Mayor of Bronzeville: Jimmie Slemmons

13. Jewish Golf
Oak Ridge Country Club (1920)
Hillcrest Country Club (1921)

14. Bring the Family
Edina Country Club (1923)

15 Spreading the Game
Southview Country Club (1921)
Stillwater Country Club (1925)
Minnesota Valley Country Club (1925)
Mendakota Country Club (1926)

16. The PGA Arrives
Keller Golf Course (1929)

17. James J. Hill’s Retreat
North Oaks Golf Club (1951)

18. Golf’s World Stage
Hazeltine National Golf Club (1962)

Afterword. The Modern Classics: Golf’s Last Building Boom

National Tournaments in Minnesota

Illustration Credits

Index

Editorial Reviews

"A great addition to the written history of golf in Minnesota and one that every true golfer will want in the library." —Reed K. Mackenzie, former president of the United States Golf Association

"Rick Shefchik brings to life the visionaries, architects, and personalities that built our classic courses and forever shaped the game we love. Minnesota is known nationally for the quality of our golf courses and this is a must for anyone who loves the history and traditions of Minnesota golf." —Tom Ryan, Executive Director COO, Minnesota Golf Association

From the Publisher