Union League Golf and Country Club facts for kids

The Union League Golf and Country Club was a special place built in 1929 in Millbrae, California. It opened in 1930. Today, it's known as Green Hills Country Club. This club was a big project for its time in Northern California. Important businessmen from San Francisco, mostly members of the Union League, planned it. They wanted the best and spent a lot of money on its design.

A famous golf course designer named Alister MacKenzie created the golf course. He thought it was one of the top three courses on the West Coast. However, a big economic problem called the Great Depression hit. This made the club run out of money. In 1933, it was renamed Millbrae Country Club. Later, in 1945, it became Green Hills Country Club.

Finding the Perfect Spot for the Club

In the 1920s, the Union League members started looking for a place to build a top-notch club. They spent years searching for land that was:

• Close to San Francisco.
• Good for building a championship golf course.
• Had its own natural water supply.
• Had weather that wasn't too foggy.

In 1927, they found the perfect spot in the hills above Millbrae. This land was very fertile. It had been used as a plant nursery for many years. Flowers and shrubs from this land were even used in the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition, a big World's Fair. The property had water all year from natural creeks. It also had rolling hills and beautiful views. Members could easily reach it from San Francisco by car, driving down El Camino Real.

Choosing the Best Design Team

After getting the land, the Union League picked a team to design a world-class golf course and a modern clubhouse. The members wanted the very best golf and building architects, and they were willing to pay for it.

They hired the famous golf course architect Alister MacKenzie to design the 18-hole golf course. MacKenzie got help from two golf champions: Henry Chandler Egan and Robert Hunter.

For the clubhouse, they chose the well-known design firm Willis Polk and Company. This firm had created many beautiful buildings in Northern California. Willis Polk, who was a master architect, had helped rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. He passed away in 1924, but his company continued his work. Angus McSweeney was the main architect for the club's building.

MacKenzie, with help from Hunter and Egan, used the natural shape of the land. They moved very little dirt to create an 18-hole course. Soon, people praised it as a world-class golf course. The course had some of the most wavy greens ever built. Its sand traps were as impressive as those at Cypress Point, another famous course. News reports said, "No expense has been spared to build the best."

The Grand Opening of the Club

The San Francisco newspapers wrote about the opening day on April 27, 1930. They gave great reviews to the golf course. They called it "happy valley" and said it was "the equal of anything in Northern California." One newspaper said that MacKenzie himself praised the land. He even called it "one of his best pieces of work."

Work on the Union League Golf and Country Club began on January 6, 1929. This was ten months before the Stock Market Crash. The golf course was ready to play in January 1930. However, members decided to wait until April. They wanted to make sure the greens wouldn't get damaged by early use. There was also a problem on the first fairway that needed a lot of drainage pipes before opening.

The golf course officially opened with much excitement on April 27, 1930. More than 200 golfers played on the new course. The press called it "one of the finest in California." Samuel Welfield, the club's vice president, hit the first ball from a silver tee. The club's president, William J. Bevan, was out of town.

The San Francisco Press reported that the course was 6,300 yards long from the middle tees. From the champion tees, it was 6,665 yards. They also noted that the land used to be a nursery. Some rough areas on the fairways were even fruit tree orchards. The entire 145-acre property was surrounded by cypress, pine, oak, and redwood trees. Over 100,000 young trees were being grown to make the land even more beautiful.

In 1930, a large sign was put up at El Camino Real and Ludeman Lane. It said, "Union League Golf and Country Club 1,800 ft West." This sign could be seen by anyone on El Camino Real. A picture of the sign was in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 10, 1930. The opening of the golf course was the main story on the front page.

Building the golf course, including MacKenzie's fee, cost $140,000. The land itself cost $250,000. The clubhouse and its furnishings cost another $150,000. This brought the total cost to about $540,000.

Charles T. Magill, a member of the Union League Club, was the contractor for the clubhouse. He even won the "opening day" golf tournament!

To join the Union League Club, the first fee was $1,250. Membership was limited to 300 people.

A big party and dinner dance were held on August 23, 1930. The San Mateo Times reported that over 300 members and their friends gathered. They enjoyed the fun entertainment in the new building. The newspaper called it "one of the finest country clubs in California."

The Times also reported that W.J. Bevan was the club's president. He was from Burlingame and was a vice-president at Wells Fargo Bank. He oversaw the building work. The new club was a great addition to the community. It had everything to make members comfortable and happy. The building had a charming design and all modern features.

The first head golf professional was Harry Kennett. Sam Smith was the first "starter" and assistant club manager. The first club manager was C.L. Westlake.

The Talented Design Team

Alister MacKenzie was known as one of the top three golf course architects of his time. He wrote a book called Golf Course Design about his ideas. He also wrote The Spirit of St. Andrews, a famous book found and published after he died in 1934.

Robert Hunter was a good golfer and well-connected. His connections helped bring attention to MacKenzie's projects. Hunter helped oversee the building of the course with MacKenzie. His friendly personality also helped get new members for the club. Hunter loved links-style golf courses. He wrote an important book on golf course design called Links.

H. Chandler Egan was a national golf champion. He won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1904 and 1905. He also won the Pacific Northwest championship many times. Egan was also a skilled architect. He designed several great courses in Oregon. He was praised for redesigning Pebble Beach Golf Links for a big tournament in 1929. He changed the greens and sand traps to look rough and natural, which was very dramatic. MacKenzie redesigned the eighth hole at Pebble Beach. It is now considered one of the best par fours in the world.

Changes Over Time

By 1933, the club faced financial problems. The Union League Golf and Country Club went bankrupt. The club was then reorganized as the Millbrae Golf and Country Club. It became a semi-private club. During World War II, many of the original MacKenzie sand traps were filled in. This was a way to save money, and it happened at golf courses all over America. In 1945, the Millbrae Golf and Country Club became the private Green Hills Country Club. It is still known by this name today.

In the 1990s, many of MacKenzie's original design features, including the sand traps, were brought back.