»RELATED: Hidden golf course once home to golf club manufacturing giant
When John relayed the conversation to me, I told him there is no 9-hole course in Troy.
It’s true that there is no 9-hole course in Troy, but I have discovered that there WAS one in the 1930s and 1940s. Seven of the course’s nine holes occupied the land along the Miami River between N. Market and Adams streets where Troy’s Memorial Stadium sits today. The other two holes (Nos. 7 and 8) were west of Adams Street in or near Community Park.
Although he was 10 years old when he lived here, Babcock remembers the location well.
“This would have been probably the years 1943-44 when I was 10-12 years old,” Babcock recalled in an email to John. “We all just played, no lessons or anything. To get to the course you went right through the main street of town and crossed the Miami River and it was immediately on your left.”
WATCH: This is what a dead golf course looks like before its ressurection
Babcock thought there were two holes right along the river, but a drawing produced by the Troy historical department indicates that only one (No. 9) was right along the river (inside the levee) where it might have been flooded occasionally.
“The other hole that was memorable to me was a par 3 that my mother loved,” Babcock said. “She called it the ‘Sweetheart Hole’ because the green was shaped exactly as a heart.”
With the help of Sue Knight, clerk of council in Troy, I learned that the city of Troy built the course, which was called Miami Shores, in 1931 and it opened in 1932. Eddie Hetzel, the golf professional at Troy Country Club, assisted in the design.
The 9-hole course was closed in 1949, just 17 years after its opening. I’m told that the Hobart Corporation arranged a deal with the city of Troy under which it paid for the construction of Troy Memorial Stadium and an 18-hole golf course up the river (the present Miami Shores) in exchange for the land on which Hobart Arena was constructed.
The only landmark remaining from the golf course is the entrance section of the Senior Citizen Center on Market Street. It served as the golf course office.
The renowned architect, Donald Ross, was hired to design the new Miami Shores course. At that time Ross was ill and generally staying close to his office in Pinehurst, N.C., and it is not clear whether he visited the property, but his company produced the plans.
Ross died on April 26, 1948, and Miami Shores opened in 1949.
Inter-Club playoffs begin
The Miami Valley Golf Association Inter-club matches for the year have been completed and four teams – Dayton Country Club, Miami Valley Golf Club, Springfield Country Club and Walnut Grove have been eliminated.
The top four teams now will have a playoff. Top-seeded Piqua hosts fourth-seeded Sycamore Creek and second-seeded Sugar Valley hosts third-seeded NCR in matches to be completed by Aug. 5.
The final match will be at Moraine Country Club on Aug. 15.
Chip Shots
Thursday is the last day to enter the Senior Match Play Championship July 12-15 at Community Golf Course.
Austin Wells of Oakwood, a recent graduate of Otterbein University, has been named to the PING All-America Division III third team selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Wells finished third among 217 participants at the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C. He was 2-under par and one stroke behind the medalist. The Otterbein team finished 13th.
Walking scorers are needed for the U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier July 12 at Walnut Grove Country Club. Interested parties should contact the Miami Valley Golf Association at mvgolf.org.
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