Bowling Green Country Club is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and a look at its history is
evidence of its place in the community.
The April 5, 1924 edition of the Sentinel-Tribune announced that "Ye ancient and honorable game of
golf" was due to arrive in Bowling Green in that spring.
The 73-acre fairgrounds were leased to the club, and additional land was leased in 1930. The article goes
on to describe the line of play, noting that some of the holes were in the infield of the race track.
The race track and grandstand are gone now, but much of the original layout is still evident on the
present golf course.
Throughout its history, the country club has been closely involved with the BG community. In the 1930s,
the high school football stadium was on the club grounds, and during most summers the J.J. Heinz Company
had rights to drain water from the quarry for use during tomato-processing season.
For many years, the course welcomed families as spectators for the July 4 fireworks, until they were
moved to the present location on Bowling Green State University’s campus.
For 20 years, the country club and the Sentinel hosted the Wood County Open, a two-day tournament for a
field of 100 golfers. Although the course is small, it can be arranged in a challenging manner, as
evidenced by the fact that no winner broke par during the last 18 years of the event.
Perhaps the most famous of the club’s line of golf professionals is A.J. Bonar, hired in 1972. He went on
to become head golf coach at BGSU and then moved to California, where he authors golf books and is rated
among the top-100 golf instructors in the country.
The first clubhouse on the property was built in 1937 and destroyed in a fire in 1970. The present
clubhouse was built the next year on the same site. Cost was just over $150,000, and financing involved
the cooperation of, at the time, all four Bowling Green financial institutions, and all aspects of
construction employed local contractors.
By using combinations of different tee locations, the present course can be played as either nine or 18
holes, and while relatively short, it can be deceptively challenging. At the same time, it can be quite
friendly to new or less-skilled golfers, and the atmosphere is unique with the close presence of the
city pool, softball field and hockey rink.
The club’s tradition of community involvement continues, according to current golf pro Tom Garcia. The
Fairway Grill is open to the public for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and the Golferettes, a Tuesday
morning women’s golf group, hosts an outing in August for women throughout Northwest Ohio, with benefits
going toward the club and other activities. The group also sponsors a golf clinic, and the Bowling Green
High School girls’ golf team now has varsity and junior varsity teams that practice and play at the
country club.
The course hosts a yearly golf scramble in support of the BGSU women’s basketball team, an all-day event
attended by many former players. BGCC also hosts golf outings to benefit organizations such as the
National Alliance on Mental Illness, BGSU’s management and leadership society, the Greater Toledo
Corvette Club, Fire Lake Camp, and other groups aiming to raise money.