Week 10: Arizona's Original Grass Golf Course
Golf has long played an important role in Arizona’s economy. Historians believe that the first course in the state, the Phoenix Country Club, opened in 1889. Arizona’s first tournament was held there on February 22, 1900. Chandler’s golf history goes back more than a century, to 1913 and the opening of the San Marcos Hotel. The golf course was located across Arizona Avenue from the hotel near the railroad tracks at the intersection of present day Delaware Street and Commonwealth Avenue. The course, designed by Will H. Robinson and Harry Collis, sported a clubhouse a mere stone’s throw from the railroad depot.
Will Robinson was a prolific author who wrote short stories for magazines and published several novels. His wife, Grace, an important figure in her own right, was the first general manager of the hotel. Grace was hired away from her position as manager of Scottsdal’es Ingleside Inn to become the San Marcos’ first general manager. When she moved to Chandler in 1913 to start her new job, Will came with her bringing his considerable talents and energy. Will wrote all of the newspaper columns and advertisements promoting the San Marcos.
Robinson teamed with Harry Collis to design the 100 acre San Marcos course. The two met at the Ingleside Inn where both were golf pros. Collis was an expert at golf course design, having built some of the most famous courses in the country, most notably the Homewood Country Club in Flossmoor, Illinois. In addition, he was a masterful greenskeeper, patented a turf cutting machine, and developed the popular Flossmoor Bent putting green grass. Collis, one of the original snowbirds, spent his summers working at Homewood and wintered in Chandler.
The San Marcos course was laid out in August 1913. It sat on land that, according to Robinson, was ideally situated for a golf course. Robinson and Collis included cotton seed oil greens, sand traps, and even water hazards in their design.
By the fall of 1914, the second season of golf at the San Marcos teed off. Collis came back to the San Marcos as the course pro, and he brought with him noted golf club designer Emil Duwe. Collis and Duwe opened a pro shop in the San Marcos arcade where Duwe fabricated clubs. The store boasted “as complete a line of clubs as can be found in any similar establishment in the country.” The store supplied clubs to other courses in the Valley, including Phoenix Country Club and the Ingleside. Duwe also made a custom set of clubs for town founder and owner of the San Marcos, Dr. Alexander J. Chandler, a few of which reside at the Chandler Museum.
In addition to the shop, Collis and Robinson made a notable change by planting Bermuda grass on the golf course and installing irrigation, making the San Marcos the first grass golf course in the state. They had an innovative plan to keep the grass short: they employed a flock of sheep to eat it, ensuring that the grass would stay short and thick.
The golf course remained popular for thirteen years. By 1926, Chandler’s ostrich herd by the hotel was gone and the hotel was looking to expand. A new plan for downtown Chandler was laid out by Charles Chaney, and as part of the redesign the course was moved to its present location west of the hotel. Over the years the course has been enjoyed by thousands of golfers and has played host to countless tournaments. The course record is held by Johnny Quarty, the son of the hotel’s former owner.