North Oaks Golf Club facts for kids
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Oaks, Minnesota |
| Established | 1950 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Tournaments hosted | MN Section PGA Championship in 1954 and 2000 |
| Website | northoaksgolfclub.com |
| Designed by | Stanley Thompson |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,700 yards (6,100 m) |
The North Oaks Golf Club (NOGC) is a special place for golf in North Oaks, Minnesota, United States. It has a championship golf course that was first designed by a famous architect named Stanley Thompson. He created the course in 1950.
This golf course is located inside the private community of North Oaks. Over the years, it has hosted many important golf events. These include several MGA Championships and two MN section PGA Championships, which took place in 1954 and 2000.
Contents
The Story of North Oaks Golf Club
How the Land Became a Golf Course
The story of North Oaks Golf Club begins a long time ago. In 1883, a man named James J. Hill bought a very large piece of land. He was known as "The Empire Builder" because he helped build railroads. He called this land the North Oaks Farm.
After James J. Hill passed away, his son, Louis W. Hill, inherited much of the land. The Hill family continued to own and care for the property for many years.
Building the Course
In 1950, more land was purchased, and plans for a golf course began. Stanley Thompson, a well-known golf course designer, started to create the course layout. The North Oaks Golf Club officially opened in the summer of 1951.
Just before it opened, a big storm hit the area. It caused some flooding on two of the golf holes. Despite this, the club soon became a private golf club in 1953.
A New Way to Start a Game
The North Oaks Golf Club is famous for something special. It was the first place to use a "shotgun start" in golf. This is a way to start a tournament where all groups of players begin at different holes at the same time. This helps everyone finish around the same time.
Even though another course was incorrectly given credit later, North Oaks Golf Club was truly the first.
Keeping the Course Great
Many years later, in 2007, the course got an update. A group called Lehman Design Group worked on it. They fixed some parts of the course. However, they made sure to keep most of Stanley Thompson's original design. This helped the course stay true to its history while also improving it.
