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Discover the History of Golf in Philipsburg Pennsylvania
Your destination for timeless golf traditions and community connections in Central Pennsylvania.
For over 100 years, the Philipsburg Elks Lodge Country Club has been a cherished part of Pennsylvania’s golf history. From its early days as a dream in the 1910s to its role today as a premier destination for golfers in Central Pennsylvania, the Club has been a place for recreation, connection, and lasting memories.
Philipsburg Country Club “The Early Years”
According to Catherine Wrye, the first idea for a golf course was in The Daily Journal on July 3, 1914. After a public meeting, a group was formed to “investigate every detail.” Eight years later, in 1922, after World War I, another meeting was held. Alex H. Findley, from the golf department at the John Wanamaker store, spoke. He was known as the “Father of Golf in America” and brought the game to the U.S. 35 years earlier.
At a meeting on April 8, 1922, half the money needed for the course and clubhouse was raised. On July 3, 1922, the Philipsburg Country Club officially started. It was set up as a non-profit group. The goal was “to create and maintain a clubhouse, golf course, and other activities for fun, exercise, and socializing.” At first, no alcohol was allowed on the property, but this rule was changed in 1939.
The Club bought 44.43 acres of land on July 10, 1922, from Carrie Munson Lee and Thomas J. Lee. Another acre was added on January 20, 1923, bought from Isaac B. Siegfried. Before the course was done, A. B. Curtis made a two-hole practice course with a putting green in Curtis Park. Golfers could learn and practice there.
A man named Angelo Guenteo helped build the course. He used teams of horses for the hard work. It’s unclear when the course was finished. On August 19, 1924, the first championship was held. Harry Naylor, the club’s golf pro, won against the Huntington club pro. Many golfers competed, including Rowland, Emery, Barnes, Palm, and others.
By Labor Day 1923, the course must have been ready because A. G. Spaulding & Brothers delivered golf supplies to the Club. Over time, the Club had money problems. In 1931, it borrowed $14,500, guaranteed by 11 members. Even with tough times, the Club survived. It provided members with golf, tennis, and other activities well into the future.
Did You Know?
During the years prior to 1946, there was a power line across the golf course. It started from the left of #1 rough, crossed the fairways of #1, #6, and #5 to the vicinity of #4 tee. From there, it crossed over #3 fairway through the woods to a small settlement of company houses then known as Home’s Heights. This power line included four utility poles—two of which came into play; one in the rough between #1 and #6 fairways and one on the right center of #5 fairway after you make the bend. The local rule allowed the player whose shot hit either the power line or a utility pole to replay the shot from the same spot without a penalty.
Back in the early Twenties, when the golf course was finished and opened for play, the majority of the holes contained a mound in the middle of the putting green. Based on only memories, the best description of these mounds would be similar to a bushel basket turned upside down. Why these hazards were ever part of the putting surface in the first place has never been explained, but they were finally removed in 1947 by Ted Demchak, then the greenskeeper.
During approximately the same lifespan as the above-mentioned mounds, another obstacle to sinking a putt was the “Stymie” Rule. During any “match play” event, if your opponent’s ball was in the line between your ball and the hole, it could not be lifted. Since you were “stymied,” the only alternatives were to try to somehow putt around your opponent’s ball or chip over his ball with a lofted iron. Finally, this questionable rule was canceled and is no longer part of the game of golf.
Although now-a-days, a golfer’s clubs are usually identified as #2 iron, #3 wood, etc., during the earlier days, they were commonly referred to as the mid-iron or the spoon. Since it is often a topic of discussion among our members as to which old club name belonged to the current club number, the following list may be of some interest:
As with the golf clubs, the golf balls have evolved from a meager four balls to the current multitude of fancy names, each claiming magnificent feats of performance. During the early years, the four common golf balls were as follows:
Fairway (best)
Kroflite (good)
Nobby (poor)
Po-Do (worst)
Finally, as some of the members must be aware, the course was built over a coal mine which has caused (and probably will continue to cause) a subsidence problem. The areas most affected run from #6 tee, between #2 green and #6 green, along the woods to the left of #3 rough, follows the ditch across #3 fairway, past #4 tee and across #5, #7, and #8 fairways. There have been two major surface breaks in the past: one to the left of #3 fairway and one just in front of the ladies’ tee on #5 fairway. Both breaks revealed a depth of 10–15 feet which required considerable work and fill to restore their stability.
Many thanks for all of the above to two Caddies Emeritus: Mike Czap, Sr. and Joe Demchak.
“The 40’s, 50’s and Early 60’s”
Some records from this time are missing. There are no Board Minutes from 1948–1949 or again until 1956. In January 1948, beer cost twenty cents, and the Club sold punch boards. The Club had a Tennis and Badminton Committee and Saturday night bingo. Every Christmas, there was a carol sing, which was popular through the 1950s.
During this time, the Club had trouble keeping staff, like the golf pro, steward, or greenskeeper. There were also problems with the kitchen. The kitchen was run by someone with no oversight from the Board.
Water was a big issue in 1948. The Club used water from Cold Stream Creek, which was known to be dirty, with a sump pump. Later, they connected to public water, but the pipes leaked, and the connection crossed other people’s property without permission.
The Club started trying to get a liquor license in 1948. At first, people brought their own bottles and paid $1 for a “corkage” fee and a set-up fee for each drink. They got their beer license in 1948 and finally got a catering license in 1964.
At the end of 1948, there were 81 male golf members, 19 female golf members, 85 male house members, and 122 female house members. Family memberships didn’t start until 1958. In 1948, the Club introduced its first initiation fee of $10. That year was hard because of a lack of rain and money. The Club was broke. Slot machines brought in 70% of their income, but this could disappear if they were raided.
Things got better in 1950. Rain, lime, and fertilizer helped improve the course, and income from slot machines increased. Lou Fabian was the pro, and Walter Swoope won the championship in 1937–1942, 1949, and 1956. Other winners included T.J. Lee (1943–1945), Robert Shuffstall (1946), and H.S. Sweitzer (1947).
The Tyrone golf course closed after the war, and its players came to Philipsburg until Sinking Valley was built. In 1949, the caddies formed a group and asked the Board for changes. In 1950, the Club got its first TV.
In 1950, Turk Jones donated 100 trees, planted on both sides of Hole #7. That same year, the Club held its first Women’s Championship in 15 years.
By 1956, the Club had 132 golf members, 215 house members, and 37 junior members. In 1957, family memberships were introduced, and dues went up. This caused 68 people to quit. The Club worked to get new members, especially from the Curtis Wright facility. Also in 1957, the road in front of the Club was closed, and the tennis area was repurposed for parking.
In 1964, the Men’s Twilight League started, which was a big event for the Club.
Every year during this time, the Club struggled with money and keeping staff. However, at the annual meeting, the year was usually called “pretty good,” with many improvements. At these meetings, members were often asked, “What do you want us to do to get you involved?”
Did You Know Part 2!?
In 1948, greens fees were as follows:
Weekdays, guest of member: $1.00
Sat., Sun., & Holidays: $2.00
Weekdays non-guest: $1.50
Sat., Sun., & Holidays: $3.00
Weekly rate guest of member: $3.50
Until 1969, the entrance road from Route 322 ran between #8 green and #9 men’s tee, which resulted in the golfers teeing off #9 being actually “out of bounds.” In the fall of 1969, the #9 men’s tee was moved to the right, behind #8 green, and the new road was moved to the left so that the road would run straight from Route 322 to the parking lot. At the same time, the road was widened to its current width, amesite applied, and both sides of the approach to 322 were cut back to allow a better and safer view of 322 traffic.
In 1969, #6 green (the chipping green) was replaced by a new #6 green (present location). Prior to this, the players on #6 green were often in the line of “fire” of balls coming off #9 tee, and the players on #1 tee were subject to the same type of “barrage” of balls coming off #6 fairway. This change made #6 a par 4 rather than a par 5. Strangely enough, when the hole was a par 5, it seemed relatively simple to hit your second shot to the bottom of the hill. Now it seems damn hard to do that (just because it would be on the green).
Junior member dances were held for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, End of school, and Start of school. A band was hired, and snacks were provided by the Entertainment Committee of the Club.
Carl Lupton went to Hershey for the State Wrestling Tournament every year. The catch was that Carl actually got to the tournament possibly one time. Frank Fulton and the “Horses” were much more interesting!!
#4 green never had a “swale” in it till 1952. The initial slope was such that balls would not stay on the green. Following Labor Day, Mike Demchak worked with the crew to make it “playable.”
Our ballroom used to have a balcony. The center area in our ballroom had an area around the top with tables for dining, and people were able to look down on the dance floor.
The bar was the sunporch. Located there was the TV with channels 6 & 10. Also, a pool table was available. The caddies could come up on Monday nights and use the room as long as they took out the ashes.
Badminton tournaments were held on Sunday and Thursday nights at the Club. The “Unbeatables” were Rich and Ann Wilson (John’s parents).
Our original course watering system was installed with a field plow: open the ground, put in the pipe, and cover it. The course was “dry.” Driving #1 was not an unusual feat. Our present system was started in 1986–87 and has been added to steadily to the point of completion in the not-too-distant future.
“Caddie Shack” 1920s–1940s–1950s
While the country club members thought of themselves as exclusive, there was an even more exclusive group behind the pro shop: the caddies. The caddie group was mostly boys from North Philipsburg, known as “Northy.” Boys from other areas, like Mile Run, who tried to join were often teased or scared away.
The caddies were a big part of the club’s history. Many families had several members who worked as caddies. Here are some of them:
Demchak: 9 brothers
Brown: 9 brothers
Tekely: 8 members
George: 8 members
Myers: 12 members
Shuffran: 7 members
Zuna: 6 members
Squiers: 6 members
Quick: 4 members
Czap: 3 brothers
Banko: 2 brothers
Shimmel: 2 brothers
The Board of Governors set strict rules for the caddies. They were only allowed behind the pro shop and not near the clubhouse. When a caddie got a job, they had to grab the golf bag from the back window of the pro shop. After the round, they returned the bag through the same window.
On Monday mornings, caddies had to clean up around the parking lot, pro shop, clubhouse, and course. They also helped the greenskeeper with jobs like trimming grass around the greens. For their work, they were allowed to play golf that morning and finish by noon.
In the early years, a caddie earned 25 cents for a round. Five cents went to the caddymaster, leaving 20 cents for the caddie. Some clever caddies made extra money by tricking younger caddies into playing cards or borrowing golf balls during a round and selling them back later at a lower price. Over time, the caddie fee went up as caddies became more organized and demanded better pay. Sometimes, they even threatened to strike right before big tournaments or holiday weekends.
Many caddies became better golfers than they were caddies. During rounds, they spent more time practicing swings and chipping balls than paying attention to their jobs. By the 17th or 18th hole, they would focus again, hoping for a 10 or 15 cent tip.
On a serious note, the Club and the boys from “Northy” grew up together. The boys learned to love golf and spent their time in a positive way. The Club got hard-working young men who cared about the course.
The Philipsburg Country Club can be proud of its history. Over the years, it helped some caddies go to college, while others became golf pros. Many used their golf experience in their careers, social lives, and family time.
Join the Tradition
In 2008, the Philipsburg Country Club entered a new chapter by merging with the Philipsburg Elks Lodge to form the Philipsburg Elks Lodge & Country Club. This merger combined the rich golfing traditions of the Country Club with the community-focused mission of the Elks Lodge. Together, they created a unique destination where members can enjoy the timeless game of golf, social events, and a strong sense of community. Today, the Philipsburg Elks Lodge & Country Club continues to honor its history while looking forward to serving future generations of members and guests.