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West Palm
Beach Country Club:
The Course of History and Great Golfing!
HISTORY OF The WEST PALM
BEACH MUNICIPAL AL GOLF
COURSE
"THE WEST PALM BEACH COUNTRY
CLUB”
and the CITY Or WEST PALM
BEACH GOLF COMMISSION
by C. R. Philips,
Secretary-Treasurer
The original "West Palm
Beach Country Club" was a 9
hole golf course located in
the western part of what is
now Palm Beach Air Force
Base and also a part of the
town of Golfview. It was
built by a group of West
Palm Beach business and
professional men in 1921 and
operated as a private club.
Shortly after it was built,
the course was increased to
18 holes; and it prospered
as a private club until the
collapse of the "Florida
Boom" in 1926, with the
subsequent closing of banks.
However, it succeeded in
reopening but was not very
successful and the 1928
hurricane badly wrecked it.
After remaining closed for a
couple of months, the late
R. Phil Bryan, acting for
the stockholders, reopened
it for the 1929 Winter
Season, but it was in very
poor condition.
In the Spring of 1929, Mr.
Nathan D. Bill, a
Massachusetts philanthropist
who wintered in Palm Beach,
along with his golf playing
companions Bernard Kroger,
of the Kroger grocery chain
in the middle West, and John
Shepherd, who was Mayor of
Palm Beach at the time, got
the idea to purchase the
assets of the practically
defunct "West Palm Beach
Country Club" and donate it
to the City of West Palm
Beach,to make "the playing
of Golf" possible for the
average residents and
tourists of this area. They
succeeded in interesting
Col. E. R. Bradley and Wiley
R. Reynolds, Sr., the
founder of the First
National Bank in Palm Beach,
to join with them in this
venture and arranged with
the late Frank Wideman, a
West Palm Beach Attorney, to
act as their agent in
acquiring the property (Mr.
Wideman later became
Assistant Attorney General
of the U.S. during the first
term of President Franklin
D. Rosevelt, and later
opened a law office in
Washington).
In deeding the property to
the City of West Palm Beach,
the Donors stipulated that
it must forever be operated
as a municipal golf coarse
by an independent golf
commission of five West Palm
Beach business and
professional. residents, all
of whom must be appointed
for life. The Golf
Commission was charged with
the handling of all
finances, making their own
budgets, hiring and
discharging their own
employee and operate
independent of the City of
West Palm beach except for
making periodical reports as
desired by the City Manager.
Further, the property could
not be pledged for debt, and
if any of the provisions of
the agreement, which was
made a part, of the original
deed, were violated, the
property would go to the
Good Samaritan Hospital. The
Donors stressed definitely
that they desired that the
property be kept out of
politics.
The original Golf Commission
appointed by the City
Commission, on
recommendation of the
Donors, were Frank Wideman,
who also was named Trustee
for the Donors, A. E.
Parker, who was also City
Manager, W, H. Dacamara,
President of the Palm Beach
Mercantile Co. - "The Big
Store" - , Charles H.
Warwick, Jr., an attorney
and father of present Golf
Commissioner Bud Warwick,
and R. J..Carlberg, of the
land development firm of
Gruber-Carlberg,
In order to get started, the
first Secty.-Treas. of the
Golf Commission was D.
Bradford, who was also
"'City Treasurer. The first
meeting of the Golf
Commission was held July 3,
1929, but the presentation
of the deed to the City did
not take place until January
3, 1930.
Mr. D. Thatcher,
brother-in-law of Mr. Hill,
was named Manager and Mary
Lewis was named
professional. The operation
got off to a bad start, and
despite a fair Season In
1929-30, by March, finances
were at a low ebb due to the
high operation and
maintenance cost. This made
the Golf Commission realize
something bad to be done
quickly to correct the
situation. On recommendation
of the undersigned, Clyde
Usina, Sr., professional of
the St. Augustine Country
Club, was offered the
position of Pro-Manager to
take full charge of the
operation and maintenance of
the golf course and Mr.
Usina accepted the offer
effective April 1, 1930.
A short time later, W. A.
Hall, a local accountant,
was named
Secretary-Treasurer, to
succeed W. D.
Bradford. A
membership campaign was put
on and the club commenced to
prosper and continued to do
so until the "great
depression", when it ran
into hard times until 1934
when all business started to
improve and it prospered
after that.
On September 15, 1938, W. A.
Hall resigned as
Secretary-Treasurer to the
Golf Commission to accept
the position of Cashier of
the First National Bank in
Palm Beach, and the
undersigned was employed to
succeed him.
A number of changes took
place in the Golf
Commission between 1930 and
1942. Frank Wideman left
for Washington and his law
partner, J. Field Wardlaw,
was appointed to succeed
him. Mrs Wideman remained
Trustee for the Donors,
however, Next Mr. DaCemara
passed away and the late
Jack R. Butler was appointed
in his place. Then Mr.
Carlberg joined and J. R.
Tanner, who was Assistant
Superintendant of the Water
Co, was Appointed to succeed
him. Later A. E. Parker
passed away and the
undersigned was appointed to
succeed him. This Golf
Commission remained intact
until 1937 when the
undersigned, on account of
illness, resigned and the
late John Jessup was
appointed to succeed him.
In the Fall of 1942, the U.
S. Government took
possession of the West Palm
Beach Country Club property,
under the War Powers Act, in
order to enlarge the air
base, and the City
Commission, through the
efforts of Charles H.
Warwick, Jr., who was then
Chairman of the Golf
Commission, decided to lease
the Belvedere Country Club,
(now Morrison Homes
subdivision) an 18 hole golf
course owned by Col. M. D.
Carmichael, effective
October is, 1942, for the
sum of $3,000. per year, in
order to keep golf alive in
West Palm Beach during the
war and also as a
recreational facility for
the air force personnel
stationed at Palm Beach Air
Force Base, than known as
Morrison Field. The
Belvedere Country Club was
operated by the Golf
Commission an West Palm
Beach's municipal golf
course until July 1, 1947
when our present magnificent
golf course was completed
and officially opened.
With the conclusion of the
war, both the City
Commission and the Golf
Commission commenced to work
towards getting the golf
course property restored to
its former condition, as had
been agreed to with the U.
S. Government in 1942.
Further, the Golf Commission
recommended that Jack
Faircloth be appointed to
fill the vacancy caused by
the resignation of J. R.
Tanner, who had moved out of
the State, and that J. J.
Cater be appointed to fill
the vacancy caused by the
death of John Jessup, both
of which were unanimously
approved by the City
Commission.
After considerable
negotiations, the Federal
Government offered the City
$140,000. in full settlement
for the golf course
property, rather than go to
the heavy expense of
restoring it to its previous
condition. On
recommendation of the Golf
Commission, the City refused
to accept this offer, and
the case was taken into the
Federal Court at Miami in
condemnation proceedings,
with the result a jury
awarded the City $237,900.
including interest in full
settlement for the golf
course property.
Ear]y in 1946, the Golf
Commission recommended to
the city Commission that
they purchase the Palm Beach
Winter Club and Club House,
north of Lake Park, (now the
North Palm Beach Country
Club) for the sum of
$250,000. from Walter
Foskett, an attorney who
represented Sir Kerry Cakes
of Nassau, to be used as the
West Palm Beach municipal
golf course. However the
City Commission desired to
have a municipal golf course
closer to the City. After
considering a number of
sites, they selected the
present property as which to
build a golf course which
the Golf Commission agreed
to, provided "they would
guarantee to build a
Championship Course" on the
property, which the City
Commission agreed to. After
considering several designs,
the plan prepared by Dick
Wilson, golf architect of
Delray Beach, was selected
and Mr. Wilson was employed
to supervise the,
construction of the golf
course which was started in
April 1946. Before the new
course was finished, the
City used up all of the
$237,900. and in order'to
complete it, they had to add
$140,000 addltional from
their "Post War Improvement
Fund" which was made up from
the collection of delinquent
taxes.
Then came the matter of a
club house. The City
Commission employed Clark
and Nevins, architects, to
prepare plans for a club
house Which were submitted
to the Golf Commission, who
fearing no club house at all
Would be built, gave their
approval to the plan,
despite the fact they did
pot feel that it was
entirely suitable for a
municipal golf course.
However there were no funds
available for construction
of the club house, and after
a number of conferences, the
City Commission authorized a
loan to the Golf Commission
of $100,000. from the City
Cemetery Investment Fund at
3% interest, to finance the
construction and furnishings
of the club house. (Note:
Since that time, the Golf
Commission has paid back to
the City Cemetery investment
Fund, out of receipts from
the golf course and club
house, the sum of $88,000.
to reduce this loan plus
more than $23,000. interest,
all payments being made
ahead of schedule, ,and
there is now due on the loan
a balance of only $12,000.
payable in two installments
of $6,000. each, the next
payment being due May 1,
1963).
Early in 1947, with the
consent of Mr. Widean,
Trustee for the Donors, City
Ordinances #150 and #199
pertaining to the Golf
Commission were repealed,
and Ordinance #288 became
effective March 1, 1947, The
principle change brought
about by Ordinance #288 was
the method of selecting the
members of the Golf
Commission. Previously they
were appointed for life, but
Ordinance ;288 provided a
plan whereby two would be
appointed by the City
Commission for three year
terms, two would be elected
by the members of the golf
course for three year terms,
and the fifth member to be
appointed by
the other four commissioner
for a three year term, end
the terms of office were
staggered no that one member
would be appointed by the
City Commission and one
member elected by the golf
course members each year,
except, every three years
when the four members would
appoint the fifth. The first
Golf Commission under this
new set-up were Jack
Faircloth, Henry F.
Lilienthal, J. J. Cater, A.
Carlton, and Alf. R. Nielsen
The undersigned was
appointed
Secretary-Treasurer. Tire
present commission is
composed of John f. Wymer,
Jr., Chairman H. H. Hampton,
Vice-Chairman, Charles H.
Warwick, III, Joe Blank and
Alf R. Nielsen. Mr. Nielsen
has been on the commission
continuously Since 1947. The
Chairman and Vice-Chairman
are rotated each year.
After the new golf course
was turned over to the Golf
Commission on, July 1,1947,
it was a very finely
designed and great layout
but much development had to
be done to make it the
nationally famous golf
Course that it is today,
including improvement of the
"rough" by placing more than
4,004 yards of marl thereon
and grassing; greatly
extending the golf course
watering system;
landscaping; reconstruction
of #l hole to make it longer
and more attractive;
redesigning and rebuilding
many of the traps;
construction of nine ruin
shelters; extruding drinking
water to several locations
on the golf course;
providing four additions to
the club house to make it
more usable as a Bar,
Restaurant, Pro-shop and
office; purchase of 45 new
electric cars; resurfacing
of the entire parking area
and building an attractive
entrance to it; installing a
4" well with pump system to
provide fresh water for the
club house and golf course
and many other improvements
in all, we have expended
more than $200,000. for
Capital Improvements in
addition to principal and
interest payments on the
club house loon and,
further, paying for the
operation and maintenance
expenses, all out o£ the
golf course and club house
Income, without financial
help from the City.
The famous west Palm Beach
Open Golf Tournament, now
carrying a $20,000.
Pro-Purse, in addition to a
$2,500. Pro-Amateur hold in
conjunction with it, to
which the City Commission
has generously contributed
$10,000 each year towards
its expense for the past
several years, is credited
with bringing the City more
national and international
publicity from newspapers,
magazines, TV, radio and
newsreels than any other
single thing that they have
contributed to. In addition
to regular membership and
resident daily fee play,
each. year many thousands of
visitors to the Palm Beaches
enjoy playing the course,
and they all acclaim its
championship caliber and
wonderful condition. The
City of West Palm Beach is
very fortunate to have such
a wonderful asset, which has
cost them so little, and the
further fact that they do
not have to spend one dime
for its operation and
improvement. What this means
-in that West Palm Beach is
deriving enormous benefits
and publicity from the golf
course; local and tourist
golfers are enjoying one of
the finest courses in the
country at very low fees;
and the City in making money
from its Bond interest and
has for $140,000. invested
in a going enterprise whose
assets are multiplying each
year.
C. R. Philips, Secretary and
Treasurer, WEST PALM BEACH
GOLF COMMISSION and Manager
of the
WEST PALM BEACH COUNTRY CLUB
August 27, 1962
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