It is a common perception that the history of golf on the Highlands Plateau begins and ends with Bobby Jones. While inarguably one of the greatest golfers of all time and a definite influence on the growth of golf in the Highlands area, Jones was not the first golfer to strike a ball in these mountains. Golfers and golf courses existed here long before Jones discovered the joy of playing golf in this perfect mountain setting.
By 1905, George Inglesby, with help from some college boys and mountaineers, constructed a three hole golf course on the corner of First and Main Streets. He built a second nine hole course in the pasture next to the Pierson Inn, then known as Muddy Hollow. Today, it is the site of the Highlands School. The course remained in use until 1920.
Around 1920, Tudor and Meta Hall constructed another nine hole course at their Hall House property which stretched from near the corner of 5th and Main Streets to the corner of 6th and Chestnut Streets. The course was laid out along a small lake on the property and many golfers simply skipped the last hole which forced them to play across the lake to a small green. It seems that golf balls didn’t come cheap in the 1920’s.
It wasn’t until 1927 that golf, like it currently exists in Highlands, became a reality. Scott Hudson, of the Atlanta Athletic Club, and world-famous golf architect, Donald Ross, joined together to design and construct Highlands Estates south of town. The club, now known as Highlands Country Club, included a 42 bedroom clubhouse with a nine hole course which was expanded by Ross and Hudson in 1930 to the current eighteen hole course of today. The course was constructed by local laborers and it took over 125 workers, five teams of horses and three large tractors to tame what had been a thick forest into an immaculate golf course with emerald fairways and greens, surrounded by flowing creeks and a lake.
One of the club’s initial directors was Colonel Robert Jones, Sr., whose son, Bobby, was the most famous golfer of the day. He was the first golfer to play the original nine hole course and promptly set the course record which stood for years. The course became his summer practice grounds in 1930 as he went on to complete the Grand Slam – winning the British and U.S. Open titles and Amateur titles in the same year. To this day, he is the only golfer to ever do so.
Golf exploded in the Highlands area in the years that followed. In order to cater to the summer vacationers and the general public, a Tom Thumb course was built on Main Street providing miniature golf to people of all ages. Another miniature golf course was built at Helen’s Barn in 1959, so children would be occupied as their parents danced the night away inside the Barn.
Two new country clubs were formed in the early 1960’s in what had been the primeval forest stretching northeast of town towards Whiteside Mountain. Sky Lake Golf Course, now known as Highlands Falls Golf Club, and Wildcat Cliffs Golf Course were built as community golf clubs with vibrant memberships. Both clubs offered members golf, tennis, croquet, swimming, and dining that rivaled any clubs in the east. The mountain beauty of each course was, and remains today, unparalleled.
In 1987, a fourth club was opened – the Cullasaja Club – which featured an eighteen hole course designed by Arnold Palmer. The course is centered around the Cullasaja River and its source and includes over 600 acres surrounding Ravenel Lake. The newest golf community in the area was built just across the Jackson County line on 435 acres as a semi-private course known originally as Highlands Cove. Now owned by the Old Edwards Hospitality Group, the course is known as the Old Edwards Club and plays host to members and guests of the Old Edwards Inn.
Golf has been a major influence on the growth of Highlands through the years. Whether a scratch golfer of world renown or a duffer whose only glory was a hole-in-one on a miniature golf course, memories were made and people returned to the mountain air that can only be found on this mountain oasis of the southeast. It is a paradise for golfers and duffers alike.
Come learn more about the history of golfing in the Highlands and other pastimes on the Plateau at the Highlands Historical Village. The Village is open Thursdays thru Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. Admission is free. Visit highlandshistory.com for more information.
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