A Brief History of North Shore Golf Club
Sometime in the spring of 1928, two members of Riverview Country Club, while boating on Lake Winnebago, spied two farms along the shoreline in the Town of Harrison. They felt this would be a great location to build a new golf course and clubhouse for Riverview, as their current facility was a nine-hole layout and the membership desired an eighteen-hole golf course. The members of Riverview decided to purchase the 170-acre site and entered into an agreement to purchase the land for $22,758.80. Their plan was to build a new club that would be known as Winnebago Lake Club and subdivide the Riverview site as residential property. Riverview Country Club then hired Leonard Macomber to design and build a golf course at the new lake property on October 4, 1928, for a fee of $39,500.
Riverview Country Club soon found itself in financial despair with debts of more than $80,000. A small syndicate of Riverview members was formed who had an idea of a way out. They would purchase the lake site for what Riverview had invested and start a new club. At a meeting of the stockholders of Riverview Country Club held July 22, 1929, it was voted to sell the lake property to the syndicate for $56,000. Members of Riverview who withdrew to join the new club were paid $200 per share for male members and $100 per share for female members.
The syndicate would complete the grounds, build a clubhouse and organize a new club, which would be known as North Shore Golf Club. Chester Walcott, a Chicago architect, was hired to design the clubhouse at a cost of $63,990. When completed in July 1930, the cost of the clubhouse had risen to $90,718. Irene Sidley Antiques/Interiors of Chicago provided the club furnishings for a cost of $14,000.
The doors of North Shore Golf Club opened on July 4, 1930, for golf and a light lunch. At that time, the well was not yet in, and water had to be carried by hand. The formal opening of North Shore was held on July 19, 1930. The basic footprint of the clubhouse remains today, however, throughout the years, the membership has made visionary improvements as necessary.
The land was purchased, golf course designed and built and clubhouse constructed for approximately $200,000. Today it would cost over $50 million.
The first officers of your club were Mowry Smith (President), Ken Dickinson (Vice President), and William Nelson (Secretary/Treasurer). Directors were Carl Stansbury, D.W. Bergstrom, Jr., C.B. Clark, Ernst Mahler, F.J. Sensenbrenner and John R. Kimberly.
Since 1930, tens of thousands of rounds of golf have been played. In the fall of 2001 Bruce Hepner, Golf Course Architect of Renaissance Golf Designs was hired to work with NSGC Golf Course Superintendent, Scott Schaller to restore the golf course back to the original 1930 design of Leonard Macomber. Over the years the golf course had changed, but not dramatically. Mr. Hepner claimed North Shore Golf Club a hidden classical gem that just needed a little work to recreate the shot values that Leonard Macomber intended for its golfing members. As of today, the golf course restoration is complete and the golfing membership truly takes pride and enjoys their golf course.
Many memorable social events and family gatherings have taken place at North Shore. Over the years, North Shore has maintained a high standard of excellence and good taste in all of its operations. We have changed many things throughout the years and yet, nothing has changed – North Shore is still a special place with traditions and traditional values, great golf, and even greater friendships.
Club House (920) 739-2386 Pro Shop (920) 734-9631
