Located at: 1036 Sunny Knoll Drive, Galesburg, IL 61401
Contacts: Business Office - (309) 342-4431 : Fax - (309) 342-3829 : Golf Shop - (309) 343-5915 : Restaurant - (309) 343-5912 Swimming Pool - (309) 342-2413 Grounds - (309) 342-4341 E-mail Us
Contacts: Business Office - (309) 342-4431 : Fax - (309) 342-3829 : Golf Shop - (309) 343-5915 : Restaurant - (309) 343-5912 Swimming Pool - (309) 342-2413 Grounds - (309) 342-4341 E-mail Us
A new swimming pool and modern bath house were completed on July 4, 1978, at a cost of $214,719 plus. A new well is being drilled to furnish water for the pool. No longer will the "old swimming hole" be used. It has served us well over fifty years of pure enjoyment.
Two tennis courts were built in the early Seventies under the supervision of Fred Norris. Snowmobiling is a newer sport enjoyed by scores of people, adding additional facilities for the membership. The Club has cleared snowmobile trails through miles of wooded area on the South and West sides of the Lake. In the summer, these trails are used for hiking and horse trails.
New satellite neighborhoods have sprung up around our Club in recent years, as evidence that Bracken is an attractive place for lovely homes. Paradise Acres, Hickory Knolls, and Bracken Acres contain attractive, modem homes. There are 145 original home sites on Lake Bracken, some having been built in the Twenties. The Charles Fach home, built in 1924, is a log cabin gracefully enhancing Northwood Drive. There is "Pride of Ownership" in our Club community, and homes are being enlarged and kept in excellent condition.
A special chapter will be written on the history of our 18-hole golf course, which developed slowly from a 9-hole sand greens facility to our challenging 18-holer with large grass greens.
Another portion of this history will deal with the purchase of Club property from the Railroad in 1974.
And finally, there will be a bit of nostalgia of those years when we had to limit our membership to 1,000, with waiting lists, a sharp contrast to our situation today.
Your Historian is indebted to Kenneth Johnson, staff writer for the Galesburg Register-Mail, for his comprehensive history of our golf course in 1970. He takes us from those early days of the 1930's to 1970. He writes as follows:
"Galesburg's third golf course, Lake Bracken, came about through hard work and dedication of many Club members and the vision of two men, D. C. Bunker and Al Kuhl. Bunker, the designer and builder of Bunker Links, was hired by Lake Bracken to lay out the first nine holes in 1929. On May 7, 1929, a golf committee consisting of J. W. Hoover, J. S. Dopp, and C. R. Bradshaw selected Bert Bunker to chart the new course at Bracken. Bunker, with the aid of many members, began clearing the land.
Lake Bracken was densely wooded, and hazelbrush grew wild and thick. Soil was thin timber soil and not conductive to growing grass. It took careful nursing and feeding to establish a satisfactory turf. In 1930, a 9-hole course was ready for play. The greens were sand greens which were smoothed by dragging a rough door mat over the surface. Glain Lofgren, a former pro, helped lay out additional holes in 1936-1937. Lofgren served two years, followed by Charles McCann in 1938, who built grass greens replacing the sand greens. Harvey Kalin and others helped build the project. McCann retired in 1946. Ray Duball succeeded for a few months. In 1947 Jack Pico, who holds a record of seven city championships, was appointed Club professional.
He left in 1960 and was followed by Clarence Trotter of Monmouth and Zimbo Wysowski of Kewanee. Pico returned to the club in 1969.
In 1949, AI Kuhl, Walt Zimmer and many others began the task of a second nine holes. It required heavy earthmoving equipment, which was supplied free through the courtesy of the Midland Electric Coal Company. Kuhl was the skillful operator of this equipment and gave generously of his time and skills. Clearing the back nine was harder than working on the Old Nine. Members put in long days as they struggled to complete the course before 1950. Tragedy struck on December 4, 1949, when Kuhl died unexpectedly on the golf course from heart failure. During the Club's 28th Annual meeting in 1949, Club members voted to name the new addition the "Al Kuhl Nine." Permanent greens and new bridges were finished in early 1950. Pontoon bridges were constructed to span the 150-yard water hazard on the 17th hole as well as a 135-yard water hazard on the 12th. At the time of the new addition, the Club had a membership of over 800, with close to 200 golfers.
The back nine has been changed five times since it was opened in 1951. Probably the biggest change came when Larry Hovind, greenskeeper today, put in the "Monster" hole.
It combined two holes and is 665 yards long. It is a real toughie for anyone who has trouble keeping his ball straight and staying out of the water and timber."
In 1951, a new pro shop was built and is in use today. It houses locker rooms and shower facilities and a pro shop, plus a bar and lunch counter. Our new pro is Greg Stone.
Bob Coe. Jr. holds the record low score on the new nine after the "Monster" hole was added with a six under par sixty-five. The 18-hole scenic 6,230 yard par seventy-one layout is set in many places against a background of the Lake and bordered by beautiful and stately oak and hickory trees. One big additional change came in 1966, when two new holes were added to the course, number 4 and 5. They were cut out of a beautiful virgin timber of white and red oaks. These two new holes were not necessary in the opinion of many golfers. They have proven hard to maintain due to erosion and impoverished soil. After eight years of care, they do not have a good grass cover and are poorly drained. Heavy erosion has filled the lake with sediment, making many boat dock areas inaccessible. Great care should be exercised in cutting additional timber for any new golfing areas. A welcome improvement is the laying of new asphalt paths for the many motorized golf carts, which cuts down on the erosion of our fairways when scores of golfers travel the course daily from early Spring to late Fall.
Two tennis courts were built in the early Seventies under the supervision of Fred Norris. Snowmobiling is a newer sport enjoyed by scores of people, adding additional facilities for the membership. The Club has cleared snowmobile trails through miles of wooded area on the South and West sides of the Lake. In the summer, these trails are used for hiking and horse trails.
New satellite neighborhoods have sprung up around our Club in recent years, as evidence that Bracken is an attractive place for lovely homes. Paradise Acres, Hickory Knolls, and Bracken Acres contain attractive, modem homes. There are 145 original home sites on Lake Bracken, some having been built in the Twenties. The Charles Fach home, built in 1924, is a log cabin gracefully enhancing Northwood Drive. There is "Pride of Ownership" in our Club community, and homes are being enlarged and kept in excellent condition.
A special chapter will be written on the history of our 18-hole golf course, which developed slowly from a 9-hole sand greens facility to our challenging 18-holer with large grass greens.
Another portion of this history will deal with the purchase of Club property from the Railroad in 1974.
And finally, there will be a bit of nostalgia of those years when we had to limit our membership to 1,000, with waiting lists, a sharp contrast to our situation today.
Your Historian is indebted to Kenneth Johnson, staff writer for the Galesburg Register-Mail, for his comprehensive history of our golf course in 1970. He takes us from those early days of the 1930's to 1970. He writes as follows:
"Galesburg's third golf course, Lake Bracken, came about through hard work and dedication of many Club members and the vision of two men, D. C. Bunker and Al Kuhl. Bunker, the designer and builder of Bunker Links, was hired by Lake Bracken to lay out the first nine holes in 1929. On May 7, 1929, a golf committee consisting of J. W. Hoover, J. S. Dopp, and C. R. Bradshaw selected Bert Bunker to chart the new course at Bracken. Bunker, with the aid of many members, began clearing the land.
Lake Bracken was densely wooded, and hazelbrush grew wild and thick. Soil was thin timber soil and not conductive to growing grass. It took careful nursing and feeding to establish a satisfactory turf. In 1930, a 9-hole course was ready for play. The greens were sand greens which were smoothed by dragging a rough door mat over the surface. Glain Lofgren, a former pro, helped lay out additional holes in 1936-1937. Lofgren served two years, followed by Charles McCann in 1938, who built grass greens replacing the sand greens. Harvey Kalin and others helped build the project. McCann retired in 1946. Ray Duball succeeded for a few months. In 1947 Jack Pico, who holds a record of seven city championships, was appointed Club professional.
He left in 1960 and was followed by Clarence Trotter of Monmouth and Zimbo Wysowski of Kewanee. Pico returned to the club in 1969.
In 1949, AI Kuhl, Walt Zimmer and many others began the task of a second nine holes. It required heavy earthmoving equipment, which was supplied free through the courtesy of the Midland Electric Coal Company. Kuhl was the skillful operator of this equipment and gave generously of his time and skills. Clearing the back nine was harder than working on the Old Nine. Members put in long days as they struggled to complete the course before 1950. Tragedy struck on December 4, 1949, when Kuhl died unexpectedly on the golf course from heart failure. During the Club's 28th Annual meeting in 1949, Club members voted to name the new addition the "Al Kuhl Nine." Permanent greens and new bridges were finished in early 1950. Pontoon bridges were constructed to span the 150-yard water hazard on the 17th hole as well as a 135-yard water hazard on the 12th. At the time of the new addition, the Club had a membership of over 800, with close to 200 golfers.
The back nine has been changed five times since it was opened in 1951. Probably the biggest change came when Larry Hovind, greenskeeper today, put in the "Monster" hole.
It combined two holes and is 665 yards long. It is a real toughie for anyone who has trouble keeping his ball straight and staying out of the water and timber."
In 1951, a new pro shop was built and is in use today. It houses locker rooms and shower facilities and a pro shop, plus a bar and lunch counter. Our new pro is Greg Stone.
Bob Coe. Jr. holds the record low score on the new nine after the "Monster" hole was added with a six under par sixty-five. The 18-hole scenic 6,230 yard par seventy-one layout is set in many places against a background of the Lake and bordered by beautiful and stately oak and hickory trees. One big additional change came in 1966, when two new holes were added to the course, number 4 and 5. They were cut out of a beautiful virgin timber of white and red oaks. These two new holes were not necessary in the opinion of many golfers. They have proven hard to maintain due to erosion and impoverished soil. After eight years of care, they do not have a good grass cover and are poorly drained. Heavy erosion has filled the lake with sediment, making many boat dock areas inaccessible. Great care should be exercised in cutting additional timber for any new golfing areas. A welcome improvement is the laying of new asphalt paths for the many motorized golf carts, which cuts down on the erosion of our fairways when scores of golfers travel the course daily from early Spring to late Fall.
