Effingham Sturges was founding father of local golf
After placing the ball on the tee, I focused upon the middle of the fairway and then, looking down, yelled “eight” before blasting away, sending my golf ball spiraling into a thicket to the right of the course. A gentleman playing behind me, who no doubt was trying to be helpful, said, “Son, you should yell 'fore,' not 'eight.'”
I replied, “You're not familiar with my golfing abilities. I'm being overly optimistic at eight shots for this hole.”
There are and have been very good players in this city. Organized golf in Zanesville began with the efforts of Effingham Sturges. There is an Effingham Mackenzie Sturges buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. Perhaps this is our founding father of golf. Sadly, he died at the age of 31 on Aug. 12, 1903. Sturges was first introduced to the sport in Europe and later played frequently in Chicago. After getting married he came to Zanesville, only to discover there was no golf course here.
In 1898 (another source says 1899), Effingham, with help from his new friends and golf buddies, made a four-hole course inside the racetrack at the fairgrounds. This was only the 13th golf course laid out in this country.
Some of the onlookers had little respect for either the players or the game. Local historian Norris F. Schneider, in a Times Recorder article dated May 24, 1964, stated: “Loafers at the Fairgrounds in 1898 gazed in disbelief at the goings on. They saw men wearing knickers and big soft caps pull slender bats out of a case and swing at little white balls.
“The loafers jeered at these apparently meaningless antics. They even threw some mud at the players. The men in knickers had to whip the loafers before they could concentrate on the new game of golf.” That's what I call a tough gallery.
After just a year at the fairgrounds, the local golfers moved to the east side of Blue Avenue at a place called Moorehead Meadows. According to a TR article from March 16, 1935, this land was “...owned by the Van Horne estate and...covered the section now including St. Louis and Fairmont avenues and adjacent thoroughfares west of Maple Avenue.” By then many of the participants were females - the first of whom were girlfriends and wives of the male players. Approximately 30 golfers were using the new six-hole course.
In 1918, the group had to move across Blue Avenue to Griffiths Meadows when Moorehead Meadows was sold. A greens keeper was hired to take care of the nine-hole course and a tennis court was added. The aforementioned TR article stated this was located in the “Joe's Run Valley.” This course was used until 1934.
In 1931, the Tannehill farmland along Military Road was leased by the club. In just two years a challenging and lovely 18-hole course designed by Charles "Chick" Evans was completed. In 1946, a new organization in the Zanesville Country Club was established. The club then bought the land of the old Tannehill farm.
A Times Recorder article from March19, 1935 said: “The course, designed by Chick Evans & Associates of Chicago, combines the newest developments in landscape architecture and the natural beauty of rolling terrain for which this section is noted. Evans, internationally famous as an amateur golfer, utilized his vast store of knowledge and experience in designing the layout, providing an interesting and different test of golf on each hole. The course is well trapped but stray shots (which most of mine are) are not too severely punished to detract from the enjoyment of the game.”
The newspaper writer continued: “Experienced golfers from various parts of the country have marveled at the natural beauty of the course and have likewise branded it a particularly stiff test even for the more talented shot-makers. Practically all sorts of natural hazards dot the fairways. Wooded lands border the course, providing welcome shade along the route.”
On March 22, 1935, the Times Recorder described each hole. The number one hole was “a sloping fairway, 400 yards in length. (The) green is situated in the midst of woods and is guarded at the approach by sizable traps. A stiff par four." Hole number 16 sounded even more challenging: “A hole to write home about. The longest on the course - 540 yards-and what a test! The fairway is slightly humped and a patch of rough completely divides the smooth grass 140 yards from the green. A trap to the left of the approach and all around the rear is open to faulty pitches.”
News about the clubhouse was featured in the March 26, 1935, edition of the Times Recorder: “A superb, championship-length golf course is not the only attraction available for the pleasure of members of the Zanesville Golf Club. It is, of course, the paramount issue, but another valuable asset is the clubhouse. It provides a delightful rendezvous for those who enjoy a session at the '19th' hole.
“The clubhouse is suitably furnished and decorated. It houses locker and shower compartments, a dining room, a small kitchen, and reception rooms. A spacious porch almost completely encircles the house, providing a place for bridge parties and the like. To the rear of the clubhouse ...is the caddy house, which at the present time is being painted and decorated.”
We are fortunate to have a top-notch country club in such a small city. Effingham Sturges and his golfing buddies would be proud.
Lewis LeMaster is a retired teacher of the Zanesville area.