The following pages are being devoted to the rich history of Golf in Winter Park and more specifically, The Winter Park Country Club. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress. What I mean by this is items will be added to the site as they become available to me. I would like to thank some of the wonderful people that have helped me in my research of this very interesting topic. Mr. Dean Padgett, who is the Archivist at the Winter Park Public Library, Mrs. Marianne Popkins and they rest of the staff at the Winter Park Historical Association, and Mrs.Trudy Laframboise who is one of the Archivist at the Library at Rollins College. They all were very helpful in my search for ghost's of golf in Winter Park. If anyone has any interesting stories, information, or even pictures of a historical nature of golf's early days in Winter Park, please e-mail me at belliott@cityofwinterpark.org. I would love to speak with you! Please enjoy as you read and view the History of Winter Park Golf!

Pictures from the Past(coming soon)

A TIMELINE OF WINTER PARK'S GOLF HISTORY
By Marianne Popkins, Winter Park Historical Association
1900 The Winter Park Golf Club held its first annual meeting.
1900 C.H. Morse hires John Dunn of Scotland to design a 9-hole course at Interlachen, Lyman, & New York Ave.
1905 The Winter Park Golf Club voted to build a clubhouse.
1910 (See 1900 entry!) Charles H. Morse built a nine hole golf course with clay tees and greens, beginning at the present Woman's Club property. It extended west to the ACL Railroad and south to Lake Virginia, running through part of Rollins campus. Dow George was the Professional.
1910 The course was closed (?) then a new one was laid out, 25 acres, with Dow George as the Professional, once again.
1913 When the congregation of the First Baptist Church of WP became too large, they met in the golf club building on the opposite corner.
1914 An 18 hole gold course was opened at the Country Club, with a short nine hole course inside as well. A permit was granted for the erection of a golf clubhouse to cost approximately $3,500.00.
1916 Charles H. Morse was elected President of the WP Country Club, which open its first full season. The Summer Country Club had over seventy year round members. FW Shepherd was President. Douglass Street & Mrs. HW Barnum won cups in the Summer Golf Club Tournament.
1917 The Winter Park Country Club turned its links into pasture for 250 sheep and 150 goats, to relieve the shortage in the meat supply.
1918 Grass greens replaced the old clay greens on the 18 hole Country Club course.
1921 The Womans club building opened in March. The lot on which the building stood had once been the first tee of the first course in Winter Park. Dow George broke the scoring record at the Orlando Country Club when he finished with a 72.
1924 Ray Trovillion won a silver cup donated by the Hamilton Hotel in a Golf Tournament; Arthur Schultz was the runner-up.
1925 Winter Park Golf Estates Inc. bought 360 acres of land in east Winter Park to be developed into an 18-hole golf course. RF Hotard, President; HW Caldwell, VP; HA Ward, VP; HW Barnum, Secy-Treas. The Aloma Country Club opened and the Winter Park Country Club closed.
1926 The estate of Charles H. Morse was sold to the city. The property was under lease to the Winter Park Country Club, used as a golf course, for $50,000.00, with the understanding that it shall be used and maintained forever as a public park to be known as Charles H. Morse Memorial Park. The city issued certificates of indebtedness to cover the initial $10,000.00 payment, balance to be paid $5,000.00 a year for eight years
1926 Five miles of winding of winding boulevards were paved in the Aloma section and work was begun on dredging Aloma Creek through the center of the golf development. The name Oviedo Ave. was changed to Aloma Ave.
1926 The Aloma Country Club Clubhouse was built. Jock Kennedy was Professional at Aloma
1926 The Baptist Business Men's Bible Class passed a unanimous resolution against playing golf on Sundays.
1927 The Aloma Country Club opened with a New Year's Eve. party, John J. Hennesy and Oscar Storck managing. The club had a 6,180 yard 18-hole course and a $45,000.00 clubhouse. It was owned and backed by Winter Park business men. R.F. Hotard was President of the Winter Park Golf Estates.
1929 In a special referendum election, Sunday baseball, golf, tennis and movies were legalized by a vote of 339 to 304.
1929 The Aloma Golf Course formally opened on December 14th. Dow George was the Professional
1931 The Rollins College Golf Team entered the intercollegiate schedule for the first time.
1932 The "Little Country Club" was organized, a 3-hole course and 18 hole putting green in Morse Park. Irving Bacheller was President; HM Sinclair, Secy; HA Ward, Treas; and Clayton H. Fralick was the Manager.
1936 The Aloma Country Club was closed due to lack of funds.
1937 The Winter Park Country Club opened up a 9-hole golf course. In April the city deeded its interests in the Aloma subdivision to the Winter Park Golf Estates...provided that satisfactory arrangements would be made to assure an 18-hole golf course. A committee was appointed by the Chamber of Commerce to look into the re-establishment of a golf course in Winter Park. Irving Bacheller was appointed chairman. Grounds were acquired from the City and the Charles H. Morse Estate by lease. The committee voted to organize a golf club under the charter of the old Winter Park Country Club, which had been inactive since 1925. Homer Gard was elected Pres; Edger C. Leonard, VP; Frederick H. Ward, Secy-Treas; and Irving Bacheller & FW Sheperd, Directors. A fund of $6,248.00 was raised by public subscription and a 9-hole course was completed and opened for play on Thanksgiving Day. Dow George was Professional, and Mrs. George was in charge of the starter's house.
1939 The City deeded to Rollins the building and three acres of ground formerly belonging to the Aloma Country Club, to provide new quarters for a Natural History Museum. It was estimated that it would take $20,000.0 to put the project into practical working condition.
1941 Part of the fairways of 1,2,3,4 & 18 in the Aloma Section were deeded to the Orange County Park & Recreation Association.
1948 The City bought the Aloma property from Orange County Park & Recreation Association, approximately 60 acres, for $5,875.78. The Aloma Club property was leased to Megargel Golf Inc. for a Pitch & Putt Golf Club. The City was to receive 5% of the gross income.
 

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