Previously published in The Union
By Phil Carville
On Saturday, July 18, the Nevada County Country Club will celebrate its 100th year of existence. Yes, it will be a Centennial Celebration—and the public is invited.
An old joke says, “Golf has been around for a billion years—don’t you remember?” That is, of course, an exaggeration; golfers are known to overstate things. In fact, golf traces its roots to 14th century Scotland, where King James II once banned it because he believed it distracted peasants from more useful work. Ironically, the sport later spread around the world after Scottish royals embraced it.
Why 18 holes?
The first iconic course is St. Andrews in Scotland in 1764 with 18 holes. Hence, 18 holes became the standard for all subsequent courses. It was just ‘St Andrews’ until British royalty played there and then christened it as the “Royal and Ancient Golf Club St. Andrews.”
As Scottish nobility travelled across Europe, they took their pastime, golf, with them. Mary, Queen of Scots, introduce the game to France during her studies there. King Charles I took golf to his realm, setting the stage for golf to spread throughout England. The first British Open (1860) set the expansion of the sport to everyday people—and the arise of legends.
Golf in America
Golf reached America in the 1800s where it moved from a pastime for elites to a sport for the people. The industrial revolution, easier travel, and the mass production of golf clubs and balls made the game more accessible, fueling golf’s popularity.
In the 1920s Bobby Jones became the amateur legend by winning 13 major championships. He later co-founded The Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA, which has become one of the four major championships in professional golf. The first “Master Tournament” (it wasn’t called that in the beginning) was held in 1934.
Everything expanded from there. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus became legends. Arnold’s popularity evolved into “Arnie’s Army.” Jack went on to win 18 majors and set a record that may never be broken. In 1997 a young kid named Tiger Woods broke on to the scene and won the Masters by 12 shots at the age of 21.
In the early 1900s golf professionals were looked down upon and were not allowed into the clubhouses of private golf clubs. Black players were not allowed to play at all. But there has been great progress since then. There are hundreds of great stories about golf and its evolution in America. I will tell some of those great, sad, funny and poignant stories in future articles.
Golf in Nevada County
In the early 1920s the Nevada County economy was a bit rocky. The gold mines were in decline, and local leaders were looking for a way to energize the economy. A group of four or five guys (yes, guys and we do not know all their names) met at the Bret Harte hotel (now Bret Harte Retirement Inn) in Grass Valley and came up with the idea of building a golf course to attract visitors.
In 1926 they contacted a Scottish golf course designer named Sam Whiting. Sam was in San Francisco designing and building the Olympic Club golf courses, which have become world famous. Somehow, they convinced Sam to come to Grass Valley and design a course on 50 acres on East Main Street. The Club recently named its driveway ‘Sam Whiting Way.’
So, the Nevada County Country Club is celebrating its centennial on Saturday, July 18 between 2 and 5 p.m. The public is invited to celebrate at 1040 East Main Street, Grass Valley. There will be hot dogs, face painting, lawn games, chip-putt-drive contests, and BBQ available for purchase. Y’all come.
