The Wausau Country Club was organized on July 15, 1899, with a charter membership of 30 men. L. A. Pradt and John D. Ross have been credited with bringing the sport to the Wausau area, although Neal Brown is listed as the first president and F. E. Bump as the first secretary of the Club. The grounds were the commons, then lying northeast of the city. The original 9 hole course was laid out north of McIndoe Street and east of Seventh Avenue, where Wausau East High School now stands. The golf course was spread over 60 acres. The game was played on these grounds for several years. The growth of the City of Wausau and the subsequent addition of these commons caused the club to languish. For one year, golfers like Mortinson, Pradt, Ross, and Winton played the game on a pasture lot located south of the tannery on the west side of town.
It was in September 1908 when the Wausau Country Club was organized and incorporated with 40 members. A site of over 60 acres, just four miles south of the City of Wausau, was purchased from the Marathon Paper Mill Company. To fund the building project, bonds were sold to the members. The work on the course started the following spring. The nine holes measured 3250 yards and played to a par 37. The clubhouse was built in 1910 and furnished at a cost of $8,000.00. The clubhouse architect was J. Waterman of Chicago and the builder was E. Waiderlich of Wausau. Officers of the Club in 1910 were L. A. Pradt, President, J. S. Alexander, Vice-President, M.B. Rosenberry, Secretary and Philip V.O. Van Vechten, Treasurer. These men were in charge of the opening party of the club, limited to members and their guests. Over 100 persons were in attendance and the party was deemed a gala success. The club was limited to 200 active resident members and 25 non-resident members. The membership then totaled 100 members, the initiation fee was $30.00 and dues were scheduled at $20.00 per year. The club was open only from April 10th to November 10th.
Written documents about the development and operation of the Wausau Country Club for the next several years are sketchy. A newspaper article stated that the course record had been established by a man named Bob Gardner. In August 1921, he scored 34 on the first nine and 37 on the second nine, for a record 71. Another newspaper article from July 1929 indicated a special match was to be played on the Wausau Country Club course between two men from Scotland…George Duncan and Abe Mitchell…with thoughts that perhaps the record would be broken. Results of that exhibition are unknown.
From the mid-1940’s on, it became apparent that the ownership of the Club should be modified. Many of the original stockholders of the Wausau Country Club were showing limited interest in the Club. In some cases, when a stockholder died, the stock he held was not inventoried as an asset in his estate, on the theory it had no value. There was a rising need for funds to further develop the property, and this need eventually led to the birth of the Wausau Golf Club, Inc. The Wausau Country Club was a Wisconsin corporation organized for profit. Now a new corporation…the Wausau Golf Club, Inc… was organized. A trust was created of which the Wisconsin Valley Trust Company was named the trustee to receive and hold the stock of the Wausau Country Club for certain residual charitable purposes. A majority of the stockholders did donate their stock to the newly created trust as a community gesture. The trust then leased the property to the Wausau Golf Club, Inc. at a nominal rental fee, with caveats as to the payment of taxes, maintenance and other specifics. With this new structure in place, it became easier for the club to expand.
In 1949, with Harold Skinner as the president, the club started publishing a monthly newsletter. Number 1, Volume 1 dated May, 1949, gave a profile of the golf pro, Bud Werring. He had been in Wausau previously, joined the Armed Forces in 1941 and remained in service until 1945. After pro duties for two years at Oak Ridge Country Club in Minneapolis during the summer and Lakewood Country Club in St. Petersburg, Florida during the winter, he returned as head pro at the Wausau Country Club. Lessons were $2.00 per half-hour, plus a caddie fee for shagging balls. Club cleaning was $6.50 for the entire season. Listed as the greens keepers that year were the twin bothers Walter and Willie Stepanik. In later years Willie became the head pro, while Walt remained head greens keeper until he retired in the late 1980’s. The Club had hired Chick Wasserman as manager of the bar and his wife, Sue Wasserman as dining room hostess. Their previous experience had been at the Wedgewood Inn in St. Petersburg, Florida and an exclusive resort in Northern Michigan during the summer. For the month of June 1949 they were offering a Sunday Night Smorgesbord Special…$1.25 per adult and $.75 for children.
The same crew was back at the Club to start the 1950 season. A fire in the clubhouse on June 6th, of undetermined origin, destroyed much of the bar and dining room and the second floor living quarters of the manager and his wife. The loss was covered by insurance, but the members were urged to make a voluntary contribution of $25.00 or $50.00 to help upgrade the repairs and reconditioning of the building. Eventually the Club was returned to a useable condition and the remainder of the season completed.
With the formation of the Wausau Golf Club, Inc. it became easier for the club to expand. There were approximately 200 golfing members in the early 1950’s. When a swimming pool was added in 1958, new Social and Swimming memberships were created. All golfing members were urged to support the new pool, but the approval was less than unanimous. Those that did support the effort were issued $200.00 notes, redeemable whenever they left the club. Some of these notes have been paid off while others are still outstanding.
In May of 1959, a special meeting of the membership was called by President Bill Morse, to explain a proposed program of expansion…specifically, actions needed to begin construction of a second nine holes. It was noted that if the Board of Directors voted to go ahead with the program, the membership could be playing on an 18 hole golf course by July 1960! Golf course architect Paul Coates of St. Paul, MN had been hired, along with E. L. Packard of La Grange, IL, to prepare the plans for the second nine holes. Brent Wadsworth of Downers Grove, IL was hired to do the actual construction work. The financing of the project was to be accomplished through the combination of a loan from a Wausau bank, an assessment of $200.00 per member payable over four years and the sale of fourteen pieces of property (running along Country Club Road and Edgewood Drive), for home sites that bordered the golf course. The budget for the expansion totaled $117,860.00. A financial statement from the Club in July 1960 showed an actual expenditure of $123,205.99.
Having successfully completed the expansion of the Club to an 18 hole facility, the men who followed as presidents of the club developed even greater ideas. Particularly active were John Slayton, Dale Heath and Ken Lawson, all presidents in the 1960-65 era. They envisioned a new and improved clubhouse and a reconstruction of the first nine holes. Golf architects and contractors (again Packard and Wadsworth) were hired to "reverse" the front nine. At the same time, a new clubhouse was designed by Peter Murray. On Labor Day, 1964, an auction was held and the furnishings of the old clubhouse were sold. Work was started on the golf course and on the new clubhouse at the same time, with plans for completion set for early summer 1965. The goals set were closely watched and the clubhouse was ready for use in early summer. Gene Riegel was hired to be the Club Manager.
The golf course officially opened on August 14, 1965 with Willie Stepanik, pro, Ken Lawson, Dale Heath and John Forester in the first foursome. The second notable foursome that day consisted of Charlie Brimmer, Roy Jaeger, Ben Kuechle and Bill Morse. A specially designed trophy commemorating this event stands in the trophy case in the Club today.
The retirement of golf professional Willie Stepanik in 1967 brought on more changes. A search team of golfing members discovered a young professional from the Stoughton, WI area named Tom Dunn. He was hired for the 1968-69 seasons and served the club well. However, a feeling of further improvement was felt by the Board of Directors and yet another Selection Committee to find a golf professional was appointed, with Dave Davies as Chairman. This group received applications and considered 26 individual pros before personally interviewing the best seven. From this group emerged Al Yates as the most qualified applicant. He was a Class A member of the PGA, had served as an assistant at both the Beverly Country Club and Barrington Hills Country Club in the Chicago, IL area as well as being head pro at the Furnace Creek Golf Club in Death Valley, CA during the 1968-69 seasons. He also had tour playing experience having participated in the Caribbean and Florida tours during the 1966-67 seasons. In January, 1970, Al Yates and his wife, Carol, came to Wausau and Al began a club professional career that lasted for the next 28 years.
The period from 1970 forward was a very positive one for the club. The membership list was capped at 300 members and there were usually 20 –30 names on the waiting list. During one stretch, the waiting list was right at the 100 mark! Some felt that the golfing membership numbers could and should be increased, but the Board ultimately decided that 325 would be the maximum allowed. There were improvements made to the swimming pool. Later new all-season tennis courts were also installed which brought in new tennis playing members. The members opted for yet another golf course change in the front nine holes. Holes #2, #3 and #4 were reconfigured and an island that was owned by the club, but never used, was brought into play. The #2 hole became a par 4, the #3 hole became a par 3 and the #4 hole became a par 4. This changed the course par from 72 to 71, not making the course easier but more challenging. These changes in the course came towards the end of the career of Walt Stepanik. He had been greens keeper since the mid-1940’s and had worked diligently to keep the course in playable condition for the members. After serving for forty some years, Walt decided to hang it up. The club was very fortunate to be able to secure the services of Randy Slavik as Walt’s replacement. Randy had experience in the Milwaukee area previously to coming to Wausau. His work and his crew have carried on the efforts to keep the Wausau Country Club one of the very finest golf courses in northern Wisconsin.
The Wausau Country Club has been in demand to host various golfing events over the years. In 1962 the locally owned WSAU-TV station inaugurated its "Channel 7" golf tournament. It remained in Wausau until the 1965 renovation of the course forced it to move to other area courses. It is now held every five years at the original sight. The Club has frequently hosted golfers playing the Northeast Wisconsin Golf Association (NEWGA) men’s and ladies competition. The Wisconsin State Amateur Golf Championship and the Wisconsin State Seniors Championships have also been held on the course.
The club has always had a warm spot in its heart for Jr. golfing programs. Each club pro and his assistants have held regular teaching sessions for the young members encouraging them to play the game properly. The Board of Directors has allowed each of the area high school golf teams to use the Wausau Country Club as their home course as well as the team from the U. of W. Marathon County.
The clubhouse also had some renovations. There was additional area added to the upstairs lounge and a bar/lounge area was added on the lower level, along with refinements in the ladies and men’s locker rooms. The club was feeling the effects of increased usage by its members as the facilities were being increasingly used for golf outings, club parties and private company parties throughout the year.
The club was fortunate during the 1970-90 period in having many young, informed, energetic and interested men and women in its membership. These people proved to be leaders and provided direction to the elected Board members when a change was suggested for the betterment of the organization. It was this sort of leadership that recognized early in the 1990’s that still further improvements were needed, especially to the clubhouse facilities. A long range planning group was formed to study how the improvements could best be accomplished and how they could best be financed. Some factions said that no changes were needed. Others said the cost would force them out of the club. None of this proved to be true. A program of dues increases over several years was instituted to start the financing program. Golf course architects were again called in to provide direction for the renovation of some of the holes, improvement of the sand traps, installation of cart paths and rebuilding of some greens. Clubhouse designers were also asked for suggestions on rebuilding the existing clubhouse. Was it in sound enough condition to be modified? Would it be more economical to tear down the building and start again from scratch? Could the present mechanical deficiencies be modified enough or should they be replaced with newer and more efficient equipment?
Several membership meetings were held over a period of three years and eventually the final decision was to scrap the present clubhouse and start from scratch. The dues had been increased periodically so some of the needed financing was already in place. No special assessments were received by the members. Designs were approved and contractors began work in September, 1998. By the spring of 1999, the building was completed enough to be put to use. The golf course officially opened on Memorial Day weekend….May 29, 1999, with the current clubhouse still in use today.
Stories/anecdotes about the Club gathered mostly from old newspaper articles:
"In the early 1900’s Messrs.Mortinson, Pradt, Ross and Winton, all golf fiends by this time, played for one season on the pasture lot south of the tannery on Wausau’s west side. The performance of these worthies were at first viewed with astonishment and suspicion, not to say alarm, by the adjacent residents. But when it was learned that these aimless lunatics would pay to have their bags of clubs carried for them, the boys in the neighborhood thronged about them like flies. One day a little chap about six years old approached them with the request, "Please, may I carry your hammers?".
(From Marathon County historian Judge Louis Marchetti…1913)
"All anticipations were outdone Friday evening in the realization of the pleasure that came to those who attended the opening party of the Wausau Country Club. The guests commenced arriving at 8:00 o’clock and were received by the officers of the Club and their wives. During the reception hour the Columbia orchestra rendered concert numbers to the great pleasure of all. It can be said that the Wausau Country Club’s opening party was one of the most successful society events in Wausau’s history. Inasmuch as the party was given to only the members of the club and visiting guests from out the city, the rooms were comfortably filled, over 100 being present."
(From a newspaper article dated November 8, 1910)
"Books now stacked where golfers hacked"
Golf is no longer played on Wausau’s first golf course. Instead, students carry books down halls or sit on the lawn where the first tee stood. Basketball games are played on what might have been the first fairway. A nine hole course was laid out north of McIndoe Street and east of Seventh Street, where Wausau East High School now stands. The early course spread over 60 acres. Although the oldest portion of the high school was built in 1898, it wasn’t until further expansion and the addition of houses in the area that the course was abandoned a few years later.
(From a newspaper article about 1960)
It was 1960 when the Wausau Golf Club, Inc. joined the Western Golf Association (WGA). It already belonged to the Northeast Wisconsin Golf Association (NEWGA). The club then initiated the annual collection of $5.00 per bag from each member to be donated to the Western Golf Ass’n. in support of the Evans Scholars Foundation.
(From a letter to Herb Terwilliger of WCC from WGA…1960)
"State Golfers Defy USGA"
State amateur golf officials voted unanimously against an extra penalty stroke in 1961 for a ball hit out of bounds, for a lost ball and for a ball in an unplayable lie. State golf heads, in an annual meeting at the Milwaukee Country Club agreed that "if the USGA does not rescind its extra penalty action at its annual meeting, Wisconsin golfers will continue the 1960 rule. Wisconsin thus becomes the first state to repudiate the proposed changes, subject to final decisions of the state group at their spring meeting.
(From a newspaper article in the Milwaukee Journal…Nov. 27, 1960)
WAUSAU WOMEN’S GOLF STORIES:
From the end of World War II to the mid-1950’s there was a strong contingent of female golfers in the club. The names most usually heard were Ruth Weaver, Mary Pesonen, Norma McKahan, Grace Schneider, Hazel Stevens and Anne Altman. In those days it was common that players from surrounding clubs (Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Antigo, Rhinelander, Merrill, Tomahawk and Waupaca) be asked to play in an annual "Invitational Day". Luncheon was served and entertainment provided for ladies not caring to play golf.
It was 1955 when Lu Post won her first Women’s Golf Championship at the WCC. She then continued on a streak for 20 consecutive years as women’s champion, retiring from competitive golf in 1975. The closest match came against Mary Sturgeon, where it was decided on the final hole. She was the winner of the Wausau Women’s City Golf Tournament from 1957-61, and also won the Channel 7 Ladies Golf tournament at Bass Lake GC in 1965.
(Information about Lu Post from an article by Jay Lillge…Wausau Daily Herald)
WAUSAU MEN’S GOLF STORIES:
Many of the golf stories from the early days are hard to document, like the fact that the course record was set by a Bob Gardner in 1921. He scored 34 on the first nine and 37 on the second nine for a gross 71.
From the June 1950 issue of "Off the Green" (the club newsletter of that time), it was reported that on Sunday June 4, 1950 John Forester pared every hole of the nine holes. A lot of the "old timers" couldn’t remember it ever happening before!
On Labor Day, September, 1960 a foursome consisting of Al Stolen, Bill Morse, Dr. Jerry Michna and John Forester teed off to officially open the second nine. It made the Wausau Country Club the only 18 hole course within a 75 mile radius of the city.
Also in that same month, Dave Raab defeated Harlan "Fuzzy" Hunger in match play to win the Wausau Country Club Championship. The following year Leo Kordus defeated Don Tesch to win the championship. It was reported that the flag on #7 green had been stolen during the noon hour and was replaced by something resembling a growing bush. Neither player minded, both paring the hole.
Then in 1962 Don Tesch defeated Harlan Hunger to become champion for the first time. In 1963, the format was changed from match play to medal play and was won again by Leo Kordus shooting an even par 144 for the two rounds, just one stroke ahead of Hunger.
In 1965 the "new" front nine was opened. The course had been reversed from its original layout. It still played to a par 36. Then in the mid-70’s, changes were again made to holes #2, #3 and #4 and the par was reduced to 35. Finally in 1998, a course renovation again took place. Traps were added, greens were changed and fairways altered, but the par remained the same. A terrible windstorm struck the course a devastating blow in July, 1999 and some 275 trees were destroyed or severely damaged.
(Information from club newsletters and from newspaper articles over the years that are preserved in the Wausau Country Club scrapbooks).
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