Whether it’s for a round of 18 holes, a rousing game of Mahjongg, lunch, dinner, a big community or family event, an intimate meeting or an afternoon swim, members, guests and the public have had plenty of reasons to gather at the former Timothy Gee farm since 1921.

“We’re proud of our long history and still thrilled about being part of the community and looking forward to our next 100 years,” SGC General Manager Rick Evans said.

The Centennial fun begins at 1 p.m. today with a golf tournament for all levels of experience, men, women and junior golfers, followed by a cookout outside at 6 p.m. and fireworks starting after dark between 9:30 and 10 p.m. Prior to the fireworks, Mike Newman will sing the Star-Spangled Banner National Anthem and Salem Boy Scout Troop 3 will present the colors. DJ Johnny will play music and run kids games.

“We’re really excited for our Centennial celebration. Pretty neat. We enjoy our club,’ SGC member Mary Melhorn of Hanoverton said.

This recently restored handpainted silk Gracie wallpaper adorns the walls of what’s now been renamed the Centennial Room, formerly the Formal Dining Room on the first floor of the Salem Golf Club.

“We love our club,” fellow Mahjongg player and SGC member Lana Grubbs of Leetonia chimed in.

They were part of a foursome gathered recently in the formal lounge on the first floor of the SGC clubhouse, along with Laurie McClester of Lisbon and Ronnie Lippiatt of Salem, to play the tile-based game. About a dozen ladies meet every Thursday morning to play. Ladies day for golf is Tuesday morning. A lot of them have used the club for family events, such as weddings, anniversaries and graduation parties.

“The club promotes a lot of easy friendships through what we do,” McClester said.

The property holds a lot of history, both public and personal, for the community, the members and the employees. Take for example Jim Hippely, member and retired head groundskeeper who still assists in the care of the course in his 80s. The Salem High School Class of 1957 graduate started caddying at the 9-hole course at the age of 10 in 1949, then got the opportunity to work in the pro shop. After high school, he started working on the course itself, leaving briefly for four years for the city parks & recreation department. He came back to work at SGC in 1968 when the back nine holes were added, creating a premier 18-hole golf course.

“I think it’s great we’re still here. Best club in my opinion,” he said.

The swimming pool at the Salem Golf Club beckons on a warm summer day.

Another longtime employee can be found behind the bar. Patsy Hardy has been pouring drinks in the lounge for 41 years. The staff includes 16 full-time and 30 part-time employees working in the clubhouse, the swimming pool, keeping the grounds or managing the golf course. Tobin Lane is the golf course superintendent and Glenn Huston is the head chef.

Golf Pro Tom Atchison, who’s been there seven years, said it’s a great facility with a great course layout. He said the members make the facility.

“Not many clubs in the United States can say they’re celebrating 100 years,” he commented on the milestone, adding “it’s a hidden gem.”

Evans, who joined the staff three years ago, has worked in Columbus and California, but grew up just outside Mansfield. SGC boasts 300-plus members, including families with four generations represented. Jean McCulloch is the oldest member at a young 96.

A press release prepared by Evans recounting the highlights of the past 100 years explained that founders of the club included Harold Brian, Charles Brooks, Ralph Campbell, G. Ramsden Deming, William H. Dunn, Charles Gibson, C. D. Harris, W. D. McKeefrey, William Mullins and Fred Pow.

U.S. President Warren G. Harding once played the Salem Golf Club course, with a tribute to the Ohio native hanging on the wall of the Upper Tea Room which includes his putter, circa 1921.

“These gentlemen researched numerous potential sites for their new venture, including Salem Country Club and the old Polo Field on North Ellsworth before settling on what was known as the ‘Timothy Gee’ farm south of Salem on state Route 45. The Hawkins family agreed to sell approximately 100 acres with natural springs, a creek and a pond set among hills. This location was deemed to be worth $100,000 by noted early golf professional, Bertie Way,” the press release said.

Work on the course, overseen by RW McCallum, began in November 1921, with the original nine holes laid out and ready for play in summer 1922. The first official tournament took place over Memorial Day 1922, with 60 players taking part and prizes for both men and women. G.R. Deming, age 106, was the winner.

Evans said there’s talk about recreating that first tournament on Memorial Day weekend 2022, using the old-fashioned golf clubs of the era.

President Warren G. Harding golfed the course in the early 1920’s with his close personal friend, Salem News publisher Louis Brush, and Salem resident Joseph M. Kelley, presenting Kelley with his putter, which now hangs on the wall at the club

Emmet French, runner-up to Gene Sarazen in the 1922 PGA Championship, set the SGC first course record of 77 at an exhibition in August 1923. The runner-up, Joseph Wells, shot a 79 after just setting the course record at the Portage Country Club with a 67.

This dining area on the first floor of the Salem Golf Club is one of two original horse stalls left from the former Gee barn, now the clubhouse. Some of the original beams can also be seen in the Lower Tea Room.

Other history markers include the brick home of Glenn and Esther Hawkins, who sold the property to the SGC, serving as the first clubhouse until 1953, when the original Gee barn was converted into the new (present) clubhouse under the leadership of club presidents Joseph Kelley and Al Parker. The swimming pool was added in 1968 and the pool’s makers said it’s their longest operating pool still in existence.

The clubhouse saw a major addition in 1972, additional construction in 1976 and a major renovation and reconstruction in the late 1980s.

Through the years, adjacent property was purchased and now the club covers 197-plus acres. Work began on the second nine holes, designed by Robert Simmons, with play beginning in late 1968 although they weren’t officially ready until spring 1969.

Some of the original barn can still be seen, with two horse stalls used for seating and some of the original barn beams still in use in the upper and lower tea rooms on the first floor. The ballroom on the second floor had been the main hay loft. Handpainted silk Gracie wallpaper in the formal dining room on the first floor was recently restored and the room has been renamed the Centennial Room. There’s also the grill room, the pro shop, locker rooms and lots of history within the walls.

“This has an ambience that just isn’t available anywhere else for miles,” Evans said.

Jim Hippely, former head groundskeeper of the Salem Golf Club, poses near the entrance to the pool. He still helps care for the course on a part-time basis. His first job at SGC was caddying at the age of 10 in 1949.

Unable to host many events last year, with the exception of golf, due to the pandemic, he said the members stood by the club and “supported us the best they could.”

Golf rounds are up this year even higher than last year, which was a record year, and he’s grateful for that. Memberships are up and he said new members are always welcome, with a graduated fee schedule starting out. Sponsorship by two members is required to become a member.

Lots of events have come back, too, including weddings, parties and community gatherings, some hosted by local organizations.

“We’re thrilled we get to remain in the community,” he said, pointing to past and present members and having new younger members to carry on the traditions.

For information on memberships or renting facilities, contact SGC at 330-332-0624.

mgreier@salemnews.net

Standing in the formal lounge, Salem Golf Club General Manager Rick Evans holds up the club’s original articles of incorporation filed Nov. 8, 1921. The original barn on the former Timothy Gee farm was transformed into the existing club house in 1953 and with subsequent renovations. The main ballroom on the second floor had been the hay loft.

Longtime Salem Golf Club bartender Patsy Hardy pours a cold one. She’s been serving up drinks for 41 of the club’s 100 years.

Thursday morning ladies Mahjongg group members gather in the formal lounge at the Salem Golf Club for a round of the popular tile game. Pictured from left are Lana Grubbs of Leetonia, Mary Melhorn of Hanoverton, Ronnie Lippiatt of Salem and Laurie McClester of Lisbon. About a dozen meet for Mahjongg every week. Tuesday morning is ladies day for golf.

From left, Salem Golf Club members Maxine Sanor, Paula Lederle and Ruth Newman prepare a historical display for the 100th anniversary of the club’s founding while looking at images of Glenn and Esther Hawkins, who sold the property to the club in 1921. Also pictured is an image of the Hawkins children, Lela, Vernon and Harold. Sanor is past president of the SGC women’s association.

Tom Atchison takes a practice swing on the first hole at the Salem Golf Club, where he’s served as the golf pro the past seven years. The private club and course established in 1921 is celebrating its Centennial with a golf tournament today, followed by a cookout and fireworks.