About Us
History
Golf came to Butler in 1904 when the Butler Golf Club, a predecessor of the Butler Country Club, was organized. A portion of the Frank X. Kohler farm along Lewis Avenue in Lyndora was leased as a temporary location. Work was started on the greens and tees early in 1905 and six holes were laid out. The greens were sand, an arrangement that proved to be less than satisfactory since it was a simple matter to ensure a putt by making a neat track from ball to cup. This pioneer organization created so much interest in golf that it was soon apparent that larger accommodations were necessary. On September 27, 1905, a group of interested and far-sighted men made a trip in a "spring" wagon to Penn Township and purchased the George Huselton farm of seventy acres for $4,500.00. In 1906 work was started on greens and fairways. Even before the Clubhouse was built, lack of shelter did not deter the members who held family picnics in the grove between the twelfth and thirteenth (then the fourth and fifth) fairways, where there was a spring of pure water. The course location was strategically placed along the Three Degree Road on the projected inter-urban electric line of the Pittsburgh and Butler Railway Company. Commuting to this remote location by horse and buggy in those days proved less than convenient, therefore the new "Short Line" with a station located near the present #10 green, proved to be a boon and an encouragement to the growing number of golfers in the area.
In 1908, The Butler Country Club was incorporated by nine charter members. As time went by, tournaments became popular day long events on the new nine-hole course. Family groups of all sizes came by rail with picnic baskets to socialize and see the play. The original stone Clubhouse was built by Louis Solari, an artistic Italian stone mason who used stones found on the farm or taken from the foundations of the old buildings on the property to construct the Clubhouse. The native stone fireplace and wall in the present dining room are reminders of those very early years, for they were a part of the first Clubhouse.
The Pittsburgh-Butler Plank Road had deteriorated by 1913 to such an extent that local citizens purchased the road from private owners and gave it to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in an effort to see it improved. A replacement cement highway, now known as Old Route 8, was completed in 1920; and with the advent of better automobiles served to further increase participation in club activities.
The wise selection of site for this facility by the incorporators of the Butler Country Club and the consistent effort on the part of many members to improve the layout has resulted in our altogether lovely eighteen-hole golf course, which is a delight to contemplate as well as to play. In those early days of commuting with picnic baskets on the old "Short Line" the membership was noted for being a friendly lot, and proud of "The Club" -- and so it is to this very day.