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EARLY HISTORY OF VALLEY COUNTRY CLUBby John A. CaddellThe Valley Country Club of Decatur, Alabama officially came into being on July 5, 1923 with the purchase of land from Leah Lyle Woodard for $12,000.00 and the purchase of two and one half acres from J.V. Murphree. The documents sealing these purchases were signed by Charles Rountree, the club’s first President. This land was the home site of on o the Blackwell families. The home, which was converted into the main club house, was constructed in 1835 and survived the war between the States. The inside of the house was cleared for a large ballroom running from East to West with two large fireplaces at each end. On the Ease end and running South, a long wing provided a dining room and kitchen, cooking was done on a large cast iron wood burning stove. On the upper level, quarters were provided for the golf pro who was also the golf course superintendent. The Pro of the Birmingham Country Club, Charlie Hall, was employed to lay out this 9 hole golf course. Hall came to Decatur and completed his task in one day. In the fall of 1923 a traveling pro named Patrick O’Hara passing through Decatur gave lessons. Lessons were given in the ballroom of the Club using “coco” door mats to protect the floor. My first golf lesson was taken from Pat O’Hara. Golf in Decatur had started a couple of years earlier with the construction of a small 9 hole sand green course on what is now Delano Park between 6th. Avenue and 12th. Avenue. Eighth Avenue, at that time, was not open from Gordon Drive to Prospect Drive. After the birth of Valley Country Club this course was finally closed. Many interesting Decatur people became ardent golfers. Charles Rountree, W.W. Rahm (the first man to my knowledge to wear shorts on a golf course). J.W. Wyker, Sr. W.M. Voothies, Fred Hunt, Charles Eyster, A.C. Bailey, Mike Goidel, W.W. Fussell, W.B. Markstein, Henry Davis, J.K. Hughes, Harry Carpenter, Bob Banks, L.R. Nash, J.B. Bradford, Marvin Rankin, Dr. Windell Baugh, Joe Broadus, Joe Lduncan, Maurice Shipper, Dave Martin (Courtland), Dr. Carraway (Moulton), Dr. Bledsoe, Bill Griffin, Carol Thompson, Cat Leath, Hartwell Speegle, (all from Cullman), Shine Peebles, Pick Dozier, Fred Wilcox (a cotton buyer from England), Frank Delaney, Red Bowers, Leslie and Dell Corbett, Bill Hickingsmith, Fred Bloodworth, Tom Bowles, Sr., Tom Bowles, Jr., Charlie Young, Van Gilbert (Athens), W.M. McLeod, Sidney Patterson, Joe Baugh, Earl Cook (Hartselle), Mack McCrary, J.W. Wyker, Jr., and Roland Gray. Ladies were also represented. The first ladies tournament was played for the Hughes Trophy, given by Mr. J.K. Hughes, manager of the Hotel Lyons. Low Medalist trophy, a sterling silver cup was given by James A. Nelson Jeweler, Ruth Banks won the first Hughes Trophy. Ella Wyker won the Nelson Trophy as low medalist. Men played from 1928 to 1932 for the Carpenter Cup, given by Mr. Harry Carpenter. This was a handicap tournament, match play. 1928 was won by W.B. Markstein, Bill Wyker was runner up. 1929 was won by W.W. Fussell, Bill Wyker was runner up. 1930-32 was won by A.C. Bailey.
Decatur Country Club - late 1920's Our first pro was George Curtis, from Denver, Colorado. George was with us from 1927 to 1932. In 1932 Bill Curtis, the brother of George, became pro as George moved to Jackson, Tennessee. These were lean years. The club was operated more as a municipal course than a private club.A.C. Bailey and Bill Wyker paid the Alabama Golf Association dues so that members could play in state private club tournaments. Fairways were cut with a small three gang mower pulled by a Model “T” tractor, soon worn out, a second hand car purchased from A.E. Bailey for $25.00 replaced the tractor. Greens were cut with two hand pushed mowers, usually only one in operation. Roughs were cut by Lon & Judy Monk who cut the roughs for the hay. Lost balls were an ever present problem. Water on the fairways and greens were nonexistent. I have no recollection of who was President during these years from 1924-1934. In 1936, Valley Country Club was bankrupt. Norman Harris was named Trustee. At this time, TVA was acquiring land to be flooded by Wheeler Dam. Thurman Murphree, a local farmer, had been paid a large sum of money for land to be flooded. Murphree entered into a contract with the Tennessee Valley Bank to purchase the Club property for the balance due on a mortgage for the balance of $8,325.00. It appeared we had lost our club and golf course. In a last ditch effort to save the Club property, a small group formed a corporation called Crescent Heights, Inc. to make this effort. The members of the corporation were W.J. Duncan, Jr., President, A.C. Bailey, Vice-President, Bill Wyker, Secretary-Treasurer, Mike Goidel, Charles Eyster, C.A. Ballentine, Dr. John Bragg, R. H. Gray, Ben Martin, Mrs. L.R. Nash, $5,000.00 was raised. J.W. Wyker, Sr., a friend of Murphree, paid him $500.00 to withdraw his offer and let us have the property. Mike Goidel loaned Crescent Heights the balance and the Club was saved. Crescent Heights operated the clubhouse and golf course from 1936 to 1946, same officers, same old equipment. Initially golf dues were $3.00 per month with 20-25 members. Green fees were $.75 for 18 holes.
John Caddell
Management by three people:
A.C. Bailey & Bill Wyker were "joint keepers of the money". We three had a pledge—”In no month would we spend more than we had in the Bank”. On February 25, 1946, Decatur Country Club Holding Company was formed. On February 27, 1946, Crescent Heights, Inc. deeded the property to Decatur Country Club Holding Company. In these 23 years of history of Decatur Country Club, I would be amiss if I failed to pay a special tribute to A.C. Bailey and Bill Curtis for their untiring effort and determination to keep this property and golf course alive and operating for the pleasure and enjoyment of all of us today. Bill and A.C. were my golfing companions for over 30 years and above all two loyal and dear friends. In the late summer of 1945 a group of interested citizens met and made plans to organize a new country club for Decatur so as to utilize the property of the Valley Country Club which had been saved from the revision to farm land by the organizers of Crescent Heights, Inc. Those people who are listed in Bill Wyker’s Early History of Valley Country Club, agreed to contribute the property to the new club for exactly the amount of their investment, which at the time was $16,000.00. The leaders of the group to recognize and form a new club were the stockholders of Crescent Heights, Inc. and numerous other interested citizens. Among these were T.J. Cottinham, James L. Rankin, Stanley Wyatt, Frank Stone and Rutledge Thomas. I was commissioned to investigate a corporate structure and prepare the proceedings to incorporate the new club. A prevailing method of country clubs in Alabama at that time was to have a nonprofit tax exempt operation corporation with a provision that any person to be a member of the operating company must own a share of stock in the holding company. Accordingly, we organized the Decatur Country Club Holding Company with the authorized capital stock of $60,000.00, divided into 240 shares of the par value of $250.00 each. In order to raise enough money to pay for the land and make the improvements, it was provided that no more than sixteen persons could own as many as four shares in the corporation and that persons owning four shares of stock in the corporation would be speculative since the club would need to borrow money and probably go through a reorganization in which the original stockholders would lose their investment. One hundred-fifty-six (156) shares of stock were sold. Thirteen (13) people bought four (4) shares each, one (1) bought two (2) shares and one hundred and two (102) people bought one (1) share. This gave the club one hundred sixteen (116) members to begin with. The directors of the holding company were: A.C. Bailey, John A. Caddell, T.J. Cottingham, W.J. Duncan, Jr. and James L. Rankin. The officers were A.C. Baily-President, John A. Caddell-Vice President, and J.S. Wyatt-Secretary-Treasurer. The declaration of incorporation of the operating company provided that the governing body of the club would be composed of a Board of Control of eleven Members and four officers. The first officers were: James L. Rankin-President, Frank J. Stone-Vice-President, Rutledge S. Thomas-Secretary-Treasurer. The other Board members were: A.C. Bailey, C.A. Ballentine, John A. Caddell, T.J. Cottingham, W.J. Duncan, Jr., R.T. Harris, John W. Pennell, J.S. Wyatt and John W. Wyker, Jr. (Bill). A substantial number of people other than those listed above were active and effective in the organization of the club. List of their names appear in the proceedings organizing the two corporations. The By-Laws of the club provide interesting reading. In an effort to raise capital and increase operating funds a number of associate membership provisions were incorporated. Business memberships could be purchased for $250.00 with the operator of the business designating the person to enjoy the privileges of membership. Single women and widows could become members on payment of an initiation fee of $25.00 and one-half of the amount of regular dues. Ministers could be admitted upon payment of an initiation fee of $10.00 and their dues were one-fourth of the regular dues. Junior membership could be issued to young men from the age of eighteen to twenty-five years upon payment of an initiation fee of $25.00 and their dues were one-half of the regular dues. Associate memberships could be issued for an initiation fee of $50.00 and the regular membership dues applied. By the fall of 1947, the membership was nearing 240 regular memberships and the authorized capital stock of the corporation was increased from $60,000.00 to $75,000.00 so as to have 60 additional available regular memberships. In March 1953, the authorized capital stock was again increased from $75,000.00 to $100,000.00 so as to have available 100 additional memberships. At that time, it was thought that the property could not accommodate more than 400 regular members. In January 1966, it was determined that the Decatur Country Club could no longer operate as a non-profit corporation and that it should be merged into the holding company. This was accomplished in a series of steps in which the name of the corporation was changed from Decatur Country Club Holding Company to Decatur Country Club. At that time, R.A. Sundback was President of the club. During these first twenty years of the existence of the present club, I think I was a member of the Board of Directors continuously. The financial difficulties were great and there were many problems, numerous but serious. One that I remember in particular was that while Fred Hunt was President of the club one year, we decided to have a sprinkler system installed. The contract was $8,000.00. When the work was completed, we did not have the money to pay the supplier. Pick Hunt wrote a series of letters to the creditor explaining the problems of the club. It is my recollection that Pick’s letters were so persuasive that the creditor finally apologized for pushing us on the debt. Many people have contributed much toward the building of the club no one more than Bill Wyker.
J.W. Wyker, Jr. |
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