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History

Of The PortTownsend Golf Course

On an early spring evening on the 4th of May 1904 The Collector of U.S. Customs for Puget Sound, Clarence W. Ide, and a group of golf enthusiasts met at his home in Port Townsend. The Collector of Customs played host to the first meeting of the Port Townsend Golf Club. The twenty people present elected Fort Worden Army officer Lieutenant A. B. Wyckoff president and Henry Blackwood, secretary treasurer. Located on the vacant flat lands between the Lincoln school and what was then a county road (San Juan Avenue) the homemade 9-hole links course opened for play in Port Townsend.

A Brief History of The Port Townsend Golf Course

Twenty-three years later, First National Bank president George Welch negotiated a property transaction between the county and city to safeguard the 40-acre tract for public recreational purposes. On June 17, 1927, the city and golf course trustees agreed to a 15-year lease for use as a municipal golf course. Welch and the club membership solicited $30 from 100 community members to raise $3,000 to hire noted golf course architect Francis (Frank) James. The highly acclaimed course layout on the original 1904 site gives the Port Townsend course the distinction as Washington State’s oldest 9-hole public golf course in its original location. 

 

Five years later in November 1932, the golf course boundaries were clearly outlined with the planting of 500 tall Lombardy poplar trees. The trees were obtained from the University of Washington forestry department to beautify the course and act as a windbreak. Part of the same consignment of trees was also turned over to the Rotary Club and planted along Sims Way. 

 

Following World War II, the golf course was very popular with the military. In 1945, the course received heavy play with many servicemen as well as civilians taking a keen interest in the game. William F. Hinton, a retired Army sergeant, became the club caretaker, residing at the clubhouse with his wife and daughter. 

In 1948, the golf course served as a landing strip for a Navy pilot, lost in a blinding snowstorm. Lieutenant Wayne Baumgartner, flying a two-seat Navy trainer, was unable to locate the airport and his repeated circling of town came to the attention of local resident Al Mosley, who alerted locals to drive their cars to the golf course. There they lined up on the eighth fairway with their headlights to illuminate a makeshift landing field and guided him in for a safe landing.

 

Through the 1950’s and 60’s, the Port Townsend Elks Lodge managed the golf course and in March 1967, made an offer to the city to purchase a portion of the golf course property. The City Council voted 4 to 3 against the sale. In 1977, Paul Hausmann, a young but veteran golfer of local origin became the new course manager. After nine years at the helm, the Hausmann family moved on and, after lengthy negotiations, on January 28, 1987, Mike Early became the city golf course’s new lessee. Per the agreement, Mike Early Golf Shops, Inc. would invest in a fairway and greens automatic irrigation system.

 

On June 15, 1996, a bronze sculpture by Dick Brown of S’Kallam tribal leader Chetzemoka was unveiled and dedicated where it stands on Sentinel Rock next to the 7th tee at the Port Townsend Golf Course. 

 

As the 21st century opened, the Port Townsend Golf Course weathered two golf course consultant studies. The first in 2004 conducted by National Golf Foundation director Richard Singer who announced, “Many cities would be envious of having a golf course with no debt for land or improvements.” The second study took place in 2022 with Ground Swell consultant David Hein stating, “Port Townsend has a very manageable golf course that could one day in the near future be a self-sufficient and valuable asset to the community.”

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