I saved scorecards from time to time when I was younger. Sometimes I’d save a good round or a card from course that I played for the first time. I probably thought I would eventually have quite an impressive collection if I kept at it, but it was pretty random and not really an archive of any kind. This morning I stumbled on an envelope containing of couple of dozen of these scorecards in a box of old maps. A few of the cards had scores and dates, some just scores, and most were blank, such as the one from Gross Golf Course. By the looks of it, I think it might be from the 1970s — possibly even the early ‘70s. I didn’t play Gross much in those days, but it was in a clump of cards from that era.
One of the nostalgia triggers on the card is the sketch of the previous clubhouse. I always liked its understated, unpretentious look, and I’ve never really been in love with the design of the present one. I didn’t play Gross a lot during the ‘70s -‘90s, but I always appreciate its character, history, and charm. I always thought of it as the best Minneapolis course. I still do.
Here are scans of the other parts of the scorecard. It’s interesting how the yardage measurements on just about every hole are slightly different than the middle tees on our new card. You’ll also notice that there is only one set of tees on the old card. Was there only one set of tees? Finally, they they must have had a problem in those days of golfers showing up and paying green fees but only having two or three clubs and no bag. (U of M players possibly?) Gotta keep the riff-raff out, right?
Do you have any thoughts about the scorecard or memories of the previous clubhouse? Do you have any photos of the old clubhouse?
And while my rememberer is hot, whatever happened to the Gross Invitational tournament? That was a big deal for quite a while, I think.
