GENESEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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The Flint Golf Club

PictureThe Flint Golf Club Crest
The Flint Golf Club, Incorporated September 17, 1910

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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 of the names 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 a charter was granted by the State of Michigan to the ‘Flint Country Club’. Behind this charter stood J. Dallas Dort, the first genuine “Mr. Flint’.
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​His partnership with William C. ‘Billy” Durant, had created the Flint Road Cart Company in 1886, which then morphed in to 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 if you needed something done right and 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.


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J. Dallas Dort
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 golf course. If you had a car you could access via rough roads in 1910, or take the Flint and Detroit Interurban trolley system, directly to the Club. By 1915 those nine holes had been snapped in to a first-rate golf course, complete with bunkers by none other than the Golf and Greens Club Chairman, J. Dallas Dort.
 
Today, the course is part of the Atlas Valley Country Club. If you’ve ever played there, you can see the remnants of the old Interurban railway banks by looking west from the 8th green or 9th fairway. It was a beautiful course, funded by 39 original founders at $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.
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The original clubhouse 1919; image courtesy of "The Flint Golf Club: Celebrating 80 Years of Golfing Excellence" booklet

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 9. A great spot was found in Flint near Thread Lake, and the new Flint Golf Club was incorporated on August 24, 1918.
 
The incorporators of this venture, directors and members were not just local luminaries, but literally a who’s who of American automobile manufacturing royalty. This was evidenced by 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 Preestwick, and in 1889 at Musselburgh. He was second to Harry Vardon in 1898. Park was considered the greatest putter of all time in his day and wrote a book “The Art of Putting” in 1929.

​Park was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.
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Scotsman, Willie Park, Jr., once called by a writer "the deadliest putter in the world"
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"The Game of Golf", by Willie Park, Jr., was the first book penned by a professional of the game (1896)
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Still available for purchase, this book was the go-to book for all golf enthusiasts who wanted to improve their putting skills (1920)

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.
 
Among his numerous significant works are:  Florentine Room in the Congress Hotel (1909); original Patten Gymnasium of Northwestern University (1909); Krueger Funeral Home (featured in the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers).

To learn more visit:
RobertSeyfarthArchitect.com
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Robert Seyfarth
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Florentine Room, Congress Hotel, Chicago, 1909
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The Mayfield House, Glencoe, Illinois
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The Stewart House, Highland Park, Illinois
Images courtesy of RobertSeyfarthArchitect.com
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Willie Park, Jr. designed course, aerial view, 1930-1940

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Today's Clubhouse

The current clubhouse was designed by architect Sulho Alexander Nurmi.  Ralph Knuth and his architectural firm worked on the specifications. Both men were members. 

Another of Nurmi's significant local designs was the mid-century modern Flint Public Library, completed in 1958.

Decoration Day:  The Opening Night Bash, July 1, 1919

​Among those attending the festivities that night were:
 
J. Dallas Dort:  Founder, Durant Dort, President Chevrolet, Founder Dort Motors
William C. ‘Billy’ Durant:  Founder, Durant Dort, General Motors, Chevrolet, Frigidaire, etc
Walter Chrysler:  President, Buick, Founder Chrysler Corporation
Albert Champion:  Founder AC Spark Plug
Harlow Curtis:  Future CEO of General Motors
Charles Nash:  President General Motors, Founder Nash Motors
Charles Stewart Mott:  Founder Weston-Mott, General Motors Director
K.T. Keller:  Executive, Buick, President Chrysler, Manhattan Project
John K. Raskob:  Executive Dupont, General Motors, Builder of the Empire State Building
Edward Atwood:  Flint Businessman
Arthur G. Bishop:  Vice President, General Motors; President First National Bank, & Genesee Savings Bank
Fred Aldrich:  Executive Durant Dort, Chevrolet, Dort Motors
Charles Bonbright:  Executive Durant Dort, General Motors
Harry H. Basset:  President, Buick
Charles Begole:  Executive, Flint Wagon Works, President Buick
John Carton:  Buick, Chevrolet, General Motors Attorney

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Flint Golf Club's first president, Albert Champion

Famous Presidents

​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 scribe of the auto industry.

Photo courtesy of Kerry Champion Williams

Loss at The Club

A fire on January 8, 1958 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.
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The old clubhouse
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The devastating 1958 fire

​But the greatest loss on the course was that of the driving force of the Club, J. Dallas Dort. Playing in a foursome that included Carl Bonbright, Tom Mossop, and Robert Perry, Dort collapsed climbing to the top of the 18th hill opposite the original trap. His heart attack was immediately fatal. 
 
A bronze plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole on the front lawn. Over time it was lost to foliage, forgotten, and since found.

​The history of the Flint Golf Club in many ways the history of the city from young start up, to towering giant, and back to a smaller version of itself. Yet through 103 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.
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Sources:
"The Flint Golf Club" Celebrateing 70 Years of Golfing Excellence" booklet, 1989
"The Flint Golf Club" Celebrateing 80 Years of Golfing Excellence" booklet, 1999
RobertSeyfarthArchitect.com

Image Attributions:

"The Flint Golf Club" Celebrateing 70 Years of Golfing Excellence" booklet, 1989
"The Flint Golf Club" Celebrateing 80 Years of Golfing Excellence" booklet, 1999
RobertSeyfarthArchitect.com
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Written by:  Gary L. Fisher

About Gary:  A man of many talents, Gary runs a wealth advisory office in downtown Flint, he is a Flint historian, the radio host of Fish & the Flint Chronicles, and Vice President Genesee County Historical Society.
Made possible with support from:
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And Our Members
Programs sponsored by the Greater Flint Arts Council Share Art Genesee County Program made possible by the Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Enrichment Millage funds.  Your tax dollars are at work!

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Genesee County Historical Society
​Durant-Dort Carriage Company Headquarters
316 W Water St
Flint, MI  48503
(810) 410-4605

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  • Home
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