The
Minneapolis Golf Club, located at
2001 Flag Ave. So. at Cedar Lake Road, began in 1916 by five members of the
Minneapolis Athletic Club to meet the growing popularity of
golf in those days. There were only two golf clubs in
Minneapolis at that time - Interlachen and Minikahda. At
first the 9-hole course was located on what is now the
Golden Valley Golf and Country Club. Later that year
it was moved to St. Louis Park. 1916
was the same year the first PGA Championship was held. The
175-acre club was and remains a private course.
The golf course was designed by famous Scottish architect Willie Park Jr. (1864-1925) of Musselburgh.
An existing four-room farmhouse was converted to a
clubhouse. The club's first event at its new location, a
match play versus bogey, was held on May 19, 1917.
In 1920 Donald J.
Ross (1872-1948) of Dornoch Park produced a revised routing of
the course to
make way for a new clubhouse.
In 1950, trap shooting at the course was a popular sport.
Sher Meagher remembers: "In High School I lived across
Texas Ave facing the golf course. I think we looked down the
4th greenway. If someone sliced on the 3rd tee the ball
would go over the fence, bounce in the street and land in my
front yard. We had buckets of balls. I got 10 cents a ball
(in the mid 1964-66) as there was no way the golfers could
get past the fence to retrieve them. I would sell them back
through the fence. THEN is was off to Sol's or Mike Zoss
Drug. I think they paid the price and then got such a charge
out of watching the ball hit the road, bounce in the yard,
and me watching and waiting to sell it back. My sister took
over the business when I got to busy with high school and
swimming."
Dale Caldwell has been the greenskeeper since 1985.
This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.