Golf for a Lifetime - the $100 Player Card

Portland Parks and Recreation recently unveiled a Player's card, entitling the holder to unlimited golf during specific days and times for one year, based of one of the most successful collaborations between the PPR and the patrons of public golf in the height of the great depression in 1937.  Let's trace a little bit of history in this blog article, with the hope we discover and understand more on our Journey.

The 1930's proved a challenging time for Portland, as any other city, as it wrestled with economic collapse following the bubble of the Roaring 1020's.  As I've mentioned earlier as early as 1932, Portland marketed it's golf courses, which grew to number as many as 40+ in Portland alone - with Eastmoreland as the estuary, up sprung Rose City and the West Hills Par 3 (site of the current Oregon Zoo), along with the private clubs of Alderwood, Columbia Edgewater, Riverside and Oregon Country Club the now defunct M.A.C. Golf Club.  Plus there was a new crop of privately owned public courses including Broadmoor, Colwood, Glendevere, Llyod Golf Course, and countless par-3's and driving ranges.  Portland was a golf town more than any other with access and availability to all it's citizens.

In the 1932 "Golf City, U.S.A." pamphlet sponsored by the City Council, you'll discover the secret to what makes Portland such a special place

"It is a wise city that cares for the recreation of its people, as well as the development of its industrial areas. Portland is a very beautiful city. Its gardens, lawns, flowers, shrubbery and roses are famous the world over, but it is also famous for the opportunities it has provided for recreation, especially for golf."
Golf City U.S.A marketing pamphlet published by Portland Chamber of Commerce in 1932

As described in the origin story, Paul J. Keyser, who was hired to manage the PPR municipal golf course project, saw the game as an essential part of his grand vision - to preserve open space for the enjoyment of the people and the beautification of the city.  The grand vision went far beyond golf, though these municipal courses were essential for two critical reasons

(1) it showed a municipal recreation project could be profitable, as Eastmoreland demonstrated with revenues exceeding annual costs in every year since it's founding and

(2) that he and PPR could muster public support to raise bond measure to fund construction of recreational facilities.  Eastmoreland was Superintendent's Keysers crucible in which he forged the iron will to inspire civic leaders and the public to invest in public land use for the utility of all. 

So fast forward a few years, and we see as the depression takes hold of the entire country, a similar "can-do" spirit arises in our Federal Government - with the WPA sponsoring some of the greatest land use construction projects rivaling any to the present day.  Without these public supported projects, much of what we know and love about Oregon would not exist today.  Take for example, the Bonneville Dams, Timberline Lodge (a project in which Frank Leithold's brother was indelibly involved), Schools, and over 100 significant buildings and Flood Management with Army Corp of Engineers.  Even Eastmoreland Golf Course received WPA money for the first drainage project commission in 1934.

Yet, the economic realities of the depression continued to stifle the entire economy.  While projects were vital to leveraging underemployed skilled labor towards investments in the public good, the fact remained the engine of growth is private enterprise and that remained seized and stalled out.

Bt 1936, the economic hardships began to impact the municipal golf program in earnest. As a reminder, the utility bonds issues in 1925 meant the golf program was to be managed by the PPR as a public utility with an Enterprise Fund dedicated to it's continued operation.  The municipal bonds were sufficient, not only to purchase the entire land of Eastmoreland from Ladd's Estate and some adjacent property owners, as well as the purchase of the "racetrack" land to build what is now Rose City Golf Course.  

Our research will hopefully uncover more details on the status of the Enterprise Fund.   9 hole rates were probably close to $0.25 from the initial opening some 20 years ago. Nevertheless, by 1936, a quarter could feed a family for a day which took higher priority for the many would be golfers. 

For reasons still to be discovered, the PPR floated a very special program, one which provided golf for "life" for the investment of $100 or 400 rounds of golf.  The program was hugely successful and managed to save the golf program until the economy was turned around with the advent of WWII war economy and new economic and golf boom in Portland.

Among golfers to this day, this card was considered the deal of the century and legends were born of the few who dug into their savings to invest in a lifetime of golf.  It's believed our very own Frank Leuthold our famed 88 yro Ace, who toiled for 40+ years in the Pendleton Wool Factory was a card holder, as as Policeman Vincent J. Cooney a longtime Sellwood/Eastmoreland resident whose family dates back to the 19th century.

Vincent J. Cooney Card to be shown at the golf course

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Recently the golf enterprise fund is facing a budget crisis, on account of the City's insistence that the Gof Program take on Colwood golf course into its public utility properties, for the benefit of open space habitat and to provide more golf opportunities for the people.  Thankfully, the golf program leaders looked into history and recognized that the greatest potential investment comes from the patrons of the course.  Now the new Player and Premiere cards are in no way the "deal of the century" and even the most avid golfers are often to pull out a calculator and spreadsheet to determine if they will come out even or ahead.  That said - many of the golfers, especially those of the men's and women's club, have come forward in support of the municipal courses to ensure they are maintained in such a way to help PPR honor its commitment to the city and the people.