Photos Courtesy of Genesee County Historical Society
The original clubhouse, 1919. Image from The Flint Golf Club: Celebrating 80 Years of Golfing Excellence
Flint Golf Club’s driving force, J. Dallas Dort, passed away while playing a round on the course in 1925.
So many of the Flint area’s most venerable venues share common ancestors. From the old churches to the early factories, parks, schools, street names and even city streets, you see many of the same names again and again. Some may not even be familiar, but they usually have some local significance: Raskob, Dupont, Chevrolet, Buick, Durant, Mott, Longway and of course, Dort.
That is certainly true of local civic and philanthropic organizations and clubs, including local golf clubs. But none have a background more steeped in tradition and history than the Flint Golf Club. On September 17, 1910 the State of Michigan granted a charter to the Flint Country Club. Behind this charter stood J. Dallas Dort – the first, genuine “Mr. Flint.”
In 1886, Dort’s partnership with William C. ‘Billy” Durant had created the Flint Road Cart Company, which then morphed into the Durant Dort Carriage Company. Later, the Durant Dort company, and both Durant and Dort themselves personally, would be the prime movers and shakers behind moving Buick to Flint, reimagining and reinventing the company, leveraging it in to General Motors, and subsequently creating Chevrolet, among many other subsidiaries large and small – like AC Spark Plug and Frigidaire.
While Durant was making moves in New York and manipulating markets and money, Dort stayed home in Flint managing affairs behind the scenes. However, everyone locally knew that if you needed something done right and done quickly – and with some authority behind it – Dallas Dort was the man you looked for.
Dort was behind so much civic good that it’s not possible to even touch on it in this story; however, suffice to say when it came time for fun, he was as strong as he was when it came to business.
The Flint Country Club in Atlas
So it was that in 1910, Dort headed out to the Medbury farm near Atlas to lay out nine holes for the first Flint Country Club course. If you had a car in 1910, you could access it (via rough roads), or take the Flint and Detroit Interurban trolley system directly to the Club. By 1915, those nine holes had been snapped into a first-rate golf course, complete with bunkers created by none other than the Golf and Greens Club Chairman, J. Dallas Dort.
A beautiful course, it was funded by 39 original founders with $500 each, a considerable sum in 1910. Among those founders was Dort, E.W. Atwood, James Whiting, William Patterson, Charles Bonbright (sales manager at Durant Dort and later with Buick/GM), William Ballenger, A.G. Bishop and John Carton, Durant’s and later Buick/GM’s corporate attorney.
The current course was designed by Scotsman Willie Park, Jr., considered in his day to be the greatest putter of all time. Photo Courtesy of Genesee County Historical Society
The Flint Golf Club 1 and The Flint Country Club
Despite the splendor of the Atlas course, it was a pain to get to. Eventually, Dort was tasked with finding a more suitable location for the Club, one that would accommodate an 18-hole course instead of just nine. A great spot was found in Flint near Thread Lake, and the new Flint Golf Club was incorporated in August of 1918.
The venture’s incorporators, directors and members were not just local luminaries, but literally a “Who’s Who” of American automobile manufacturing royalty. This was evidenced at the opening gala held on July 1, 1919 known at the time as “Decoration Day”, when Chicago architect Robert Seyfarth finished construction of the clubhouse.
World Class Course Designer
In addition to famous members, the course itself had a famous designer. Willie Park, Jr. was an author, instructor, course architect and great player in his own right. He won the British Open in 1887 at Prestwick, and in 1889 at Musselburgh. He was second to Harry Vardon in 1898. In his day, Park was considered the greatest putter of all time and in 1929, authored a book titled The Art of Putting.
The Original Clubhouse Architect: Robert Seyfarth
Robert Seyfarth (1878-1950), was one of the foremost architects of the Chicago area, during that time.
Predominantly a residential designer, his style has impeccable proportions and scale. His early works reflected the Prairie Style, but he is most known for his utilization of Colonial Revival, Continental Provincial and Tudor, as his career matured. Often exhibiting long and low profiles, as did his design for the Flint Country Club’s original clubhouse, the rooms are flooded by light, often with floor to ceiling windows, never imposing or overwhelming, and comfortably welcoming. Another hallmark of his work is the incorporation of classical styling and attention to detail, particularly his front door entries. Prolific along the North Shore of Chicago, over 70 of his exquisitely charming homes can be found in Highland Park, often acknowledged with historic landmarks. While his contemporaries and mentors designed for the elite of the city, Seyfarth worked with merchants and prominent businessmen.
Seyfarth’s work was featured in: House Beautiful; the influential art & crafts magazine, The Craftsman; and Architectural Review, among many others. Many of his blueprints now reside in the Art Institute of Chicago.
Today’s Clubhouse
The current clubhouse design was a collaborative effort of local architects Sulho Alexander Nurmi and Ralph Knuth, who were both Club members. Nurmi also designed the mid-century modern Flint Public Library, completed in 1958.
Famous Presidents
Flint Golf Club’s first president, Albert Champion
The Club has had a number of well-known leaders. The first was Albert Champion in 1918, founder of AC Spark Plug and once the fastest cyclist on the planet. Others included Harry Bassett, President of Buick in 1919; E.G. Eddy; A.M. Davison, retail store magnate; Charles Bonbright, carriage and auto executive; F.D. Buckingham, retail store magnate; Neal J. Berston, entrepreneur and founder of Berston Field House;
Ferdinand A. Bower, GM/Buick Chief Designer/Bower Theater namesake; James Burroughs, Businessman, Burroughs House; Charles Cumings; and Arthur Sarvis, Flint Journal reporter, and an early auto industry scribe.
Loss at The Club
On January 8, 1958 a fire leveled the original clubhouse, destroying most of the original records along with the structure. There was a party going on with 106 members in attendance. Although the Flint Fire Department was called immediately, the water lines were frozen and nothing could be done to save it. A new structure was built at a cost of $700,000.
But the greatest loss on the course occurred in May of 1925. The Club’s driving force, J. Dallas Dort, was playing in a foursome that included Carl Bonbright, Tom Mossop and Robert Perry, when he collapsed climbing to the top of the 18th hill opposite the original trap. Dort’s heart attack was immediately fatal.
A bronze memorial plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole on the club’s front lawn. Over time, it was lost to foliage, forgotten and since found.
The history of the Flint Golf Club in many ways mirrors the history of the city from young start-up, to towering giant, and back to a smaller version of itself. Yet, through 115 years, it has persevered, and remains today a resilient figure still alive, still kicking, with a strong background and venerable tradition … just like the city that has hosted it for over a century.
Sources:
The Flint Golf Club – Celebrating 70 Years of Golfing Excellence, 1989
The Flint Golf Club – Celebrating 80 Years of Golfing Excellence, 1999
RobertSeyfarthArchitect.com
