History of Flint Golf Club
Remembering our Past while looking forward to the future
Flint Golf Club is steeped in tradition, and we are very proud of its rich and historic past. What started as a social club in 1910 has developed into a premier golf and country club offering extraordinary personal service, complemented by new multi million dollar renovations to its excellent facilities. In looking to the future, it is always important to remember the past.
The Flint Country Club was originally built on the Medbury farm near Goodrich (Atlas). With 39 original members paying $500 each, the farm was purchased for $13,200 and the balance of the money was used for the “golf links and other club accessories."
J. Dallas Dort, one of America’s most prominent automotive pioneers, was the club’s prime mover and shaker. He was the golf and greens chairman, and he single handedly designed the first nine hole course creating a first-class layout with sand bunkers by 1915. The course was reached by the Detroit Inter-Urban Railway which had stops in both Flint and Atlas. Some of the remains of the railway banks can still be seen by looking west from the 8th green or 9th fairway on the Atlas Valley CC course. In the beginning you could also drive to the golf course if you had car in 1910–1915 and could manage the dirt roads. This difficult access problem soon became apparent to the members and Mr. Dort started looking in Flint.
We are not sure but it appears that the Flint Country Club was a social club that leased the property both in Atlas and Flint. It does not appear that in the beginning the members of the Flint Country Club actually owned the property but the Flint County Club property was actually owned by the 39 original members of the Flint Golf Club Corporation that essentially was a real estate partnership that leased the property to the many members of the Flint County Club and acted as the landlord to the Flint Country Club.
Finding a New Home
By 1916 Mr. Dort had been appointed trustee to acquire suitable property nearer Flint for an 18 hole golf course that could be reached more conveniently. The deeds from many landowners went to "J. Dallas Dort, Trustee" and were recorded in the fall of 1916, covering the present property and the adjacent area, which was to be sub-divided. Many others were active in developing and assisting Mr. Dort, including but not limited to Harry Bassett, John Carton, Charles Bonbright, and Albert Champion.
In 1918 the Flint Country Club Corporation was started as a separate entity to the Flint Golf Club Corporation. We believe the original intent was to separate the golf course from the lot owners and to later dissolve the land company know as the Flint Country Club Corporation after all the lots were sold. To be a member of the Flint Country Club Corporation you had to be elected to the Flint Country Club Social Organization and also buy a lot from the new Flint Country Club Corporation, which had sub-divided and perfected this plat on August 15, 1918. The original area involved approximately 150 lots surrounding the area of the 127 acre golf course property.
Financing was the next step in the process. The future of Flint Golf Club was shaped with the help of the “Golf Gods”, and this certainly was one of the most powerful groups of people in the whole United States. It was estimated to cost $225,000 to buy the golf course and the surrounding lots. The following helped to raise the money to make it happen: Walter P. Chrysler, William S. Ballenger, Edwin Atwood, Arthur M. Davidson, Charles S. Mott, Fred A. Aldrich, Charles M. Begole, William W. Mountain, Harry Basset, Charles Bonbright, Arthur G. Bishop were the original incorporators of the Flint Country Club Corporation in addition to J. Dallas Dort.
The original Board of Directors was enormously impressive, consisting of: A. G. Bishop, C. M. Begole, Colonel B. Burr, C. S. Mott, W. A. Smith, W.C. Durant, K. T. Keller and John J. Raskob. Many of these men were at the forefront of the Modern Industrial Revolution of the Automotive Industry and were known around the world at that time in our history.
On September 13, 1918, the Chicago architect Robert Seyfert was hired to design and supervise the construction of a clubhouse at "not to exceed $50,000." It was determined later that the golf course and clubhouse would cost approximately $300,000 to complete, so there must have been some more financing in addition to the $225,000 that the “Golf Gods” raised to start the project.
The golf course was designed by world class architect Willie Park, Jr. He was a former winner of the British Open and he designed over 100 courses in the U.S. and was known as the pioneer of modern golf course construction. The clubhouse was not complete but the course opened for play on May 18, 1919.
By May of 1919 the Flint Country Club had over 200 Class A members and 21 Class B (Ladies and Juniors). When the construction was completed, the Albert Pick Co. furnished the clubhouse, and the Grand Opening Party was held on June 1, 1919 and it was a stag only affair.
The attendees included: Dallas Dort, Albert Champion, Walter Chrysler, Billy Durant, Charles Mott, Harlow Curtis, Charles Nash, Harry Bassett, Ed Atwood, W. Clark, Bill Bird, J. Beckwith, F. Eddy, K. Keller, Charles Bonbright, Fred Aldrich, Arthur Bishop to name a few. One can only imagine what kind of conversations took place that night with the founders of GM, AC Sparkplug, Chrysler Corp., Nash Corporation, (American Motors), all in the same room together. Flint Golf Club indeed has an illustrious history of which we can all be proud.
Original Clubhouse Destroyed by Fire
A fire destroyed the clubhouse and all of our records on January 8, 1958. It was on that day that 106 club members were attending the last award stag of the season. The Fire Department was called but due to frozen water lines, no water could be pumped so the members and Fire Department watched helplessly as the wooden clubhouse burned to the ground.
It was estimated to cost $700,000 to rebuild the new facilities or approximately $16.83 per square foot. The club used a novel approach to finance the construction. They borrowed $400,000 from the members at no interest. They also received $500,000 from insurance. The rationale was simple, if each member lent the club $800 the club would not have to take out a mortgage for $400,000 and have a payment of $6400 per month at 5 ½ % interest. The members share if the mortgage were taken out would be $1182 with a mortgage so in effect this was easier on the membership.
The dues remained the same and the clubhouse opened for business again on June 29, 1959. The design was so successful that over 32 groups inspected out clubhouse for the unique layout that was designed by Sulho Nurmi and Ralph Knuth who both were members at the time.
Looking to the Future
After over 40 years since the fire, Flint Golf Club was able to undertake a $2.5 million dollar renovation to our facilities in 2002. We completely upgraded our 47,000 square foot club house facilities to better serve members and reflect the clubs dedication to quality and tradition.
Our Clubhouse facilities including all of our Dining and Banquet facilities are first class and are among the finest in Mid Michigan. Our General Manager and his staff will do everything possible to make your sponsored event or your membership activity a most enjoyable experience and one that has a great value to you or your organization for the cost of the event or your membership.
Our new Pro Shop under the direction of our PGA professional Patrick Markley is also one of the finest in the state with an excellent staff to meet all of your golfing needs. Our golf course is one of the most enjoyable layouts in the state and it is one that challenges all levels of golfers, but it also unique and one of a kind in the area that you are sure to enjoy.
Our swimming and tennis facilities are enjoyed by many during the summer season, and we are proud of what we have to offer in terms of instruction and competition for our members and families.
Our dining and banquet facilities are among the finest in the State of Michigan, and our members and staff make this club one of the most enjoyable places to dine and meet with family, friends and business associates.
As we look to the future of Flint Golf Club we want to maintain traditions, but at the same time we understand that the people and organizations that founded our great club have changed over the years and we must also. We are dedicated to providing a great family or single experience whether dining or participating in golf, tennis, swimming activities or the many social activities. We want to make sure that individual and group activities are enjoyable and affordable for all of our members.
We believe we have the best member group around, a professional staff to meet all of your club needs, excellent facilities that are second to none, and an atmosphere that needs to be experienced to really understand what the Flint Golf Club has to offer.
As we go further into 21st century, after almost 100 years as an organization, we look forward to another 100 years for the Flint Golf Club. If you are a member we thank you for your membership, and if you are reading this for the first time as a guest, we urge you to talk with us about membership opportunities.