HISTORY OF THE LEAVENWORTH GOLF CLUB
The Leavenworth Golf Club is one of the oldest golf courses in the Northwest, established in 1927. The original course was designed on what was the old Chelan County fair ground property, and to this day evidence remains of the old race track on our first hole. The original course was nine holes, and featured sand greens. The nine hole course was the site of the Northwest sand greens championship in the 1940's. Over the years, the membership purchased additional lands and continued to develop the course. In 1967 the Club purchased the land that is today's back nine. An extensive underground sprinkler system was installed, and in 1968 the 18 hole all grass course was opened. Also in 1968, the Club quit claim deeded their property to the City of Leavenworth in exchange for a long term lease.
The Club started with early members planting grass on fairways from pickup trucks, and has grown to be one of the busiest and most popular courses. Our standards are high, and we invite you to be a part of our proud history, and to experience the tranquil setting that is the Leavenworth Golf Club.
"KUCH'S ALLEY"
The following article was published in the Wenatchee World October 21, 1988 and is reprinted here with their permission.
Round of golf is right up Ted Kuch's alley
By Mary Jo Milne, World special writer
LEAVENWORTH – Everybody at the Leavenworth Golf Course knows Ted Kuch. He's been there since day one. He turned 89 in June. "Guess that makes me almost 90, right?" he said as we began our visit. He still golfs every day – nine holes every Monday through Friday.
We met in the clubhouse for an interview after one of his games. It was one of October's most beautiful sunny afternoons. "Guess I'm the only charter member still alive," Kuch said, looking around to see if anyone in the room would disagree. None did.
There were several golfers lunching or just killing time until their afternoon tee time.
The rest of his nine-hole foursome includes John Emig, Joe Rinke and Jack Unbewest. "We're all getting old and once in awhile when one of us doesn't show up we rely on Dorothy Stemm to fill in for us," he said.
He hikes around pretty good with a cane but admits he'd never make it to the second hole – which, by the way, was named for him, "Kuch Alley".
"I found a used cart that gets me there and back. It's electric and runs on six batteries. They only need changing every four years," he said.
After serving the club for 26 years as secretary, Kuch said he was "turned out to pasture" with a life membership.
He gazed out the window over the fairway, just below the clubhouse. "Sure has been a change through the years," he said. "That used to be all raw land and I remember when they had horse races in that very spot. They used to call it Recreation Park". Later they held carnivals there and for three years it was the site of the Chelan County Fair.
Kuch grabbed his cane and motioned me over to the entrance wall where he pointed to a framed black and white picture. "There's me playing in the band and in the background is a carnival – right out there where the fairway is now".
He explained that he had gone to school in Peshastin until his family moved to Leavenworth. "That was in 1917. I went to the 10thgrade at Peshastin and then graduated from high school here. I went to Pullman (Washington State University) for two years and then started work here on Oct. 1, 1921, as a postal clerk. I worked ever since and retired in 1961 – almost 40 years."
When the 15 or 20 young men of the area became interested in golf they put together enough land at Recreation Park to play three holes. That was in 1926.
A copy of the club history tells us that the small group of men "first astonished and then annoyed the other local sportsmen by batting golf balls around the race track and audaciously laying out a three hole course which they soon enlarged to eight holes."
A short time later, the Leavenworth club was organized with H.G. Krollpfeiffer as president and Henry Woldtvet as secretary. There was a membership of 30 and the annual dues we $12.50. Membership now totals 400 and the dues are $150 a year.
In 1929 the original, haphazard eight holes were reworked into a compact six. According to the record book, "The smooth greens were composed of a mixture of dirt, oil and sand which was a considerable improvement over the original cinder greens, the principal drawback being the necessity to recondition the greens with mops after each use." In 1937 and 1938 three more holes were added.
Under the leadership of Mrs. Joe Guiberson, in 1947, the women's division of the club secured a used construction office building, 20 by 20 feet. It was moved to a location near the first tee and equipped with donated furnishings. It became the first official clubhouse.
Improvements have followed at a steady pace. "In 1967 we bought 20 acres of land from R.B. Fields and brought it up to 18 holes," Kuch said.
The aging golfer is proud of his part in the course that has attracted attention from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond. "I've heard tell that we have a bigger membership now than any course in the area – maybe even the state", he said.
When asked if he ever enjoyed playing golf with his wife, Kuch stifled and ornery grin. "She never really took to the game. She tried it once, then she gave the club a toss and walked away – never to return," he said.
Kuch and his wife, the former Vera Pershall, were married in 1925. They enjoy traveling together in their travel trailer now and she does the driving. "I can't drive anymore and I miss getting up into the hills where I used to hunt and fish. I even went horseback up those steep hills you see beyond the Icicle."
The Kuches live up the Icicle now, in a comfortable mobile home. Their son, Ned, and his family live next door. "We have a daughter, Dorothy Squier, in Leavenworth and another son, David, who lives in Seattle. There are nine grandchildren and five great-grands, I think," he said with a laugh. "There's one on the way," he added.
As long as he has his cane, his electric golf cart and friends to drive him back and forth to the course each day, Kuch doesn't really care if he lives forever.
Golden Era Members If you joined after 1987, please contact the club to be placed on the Golden Era Plaque
CHUCK BERGEMAN – 1948
RALPH & LEOLA STEELE – 1949
GEORGE & HAZEL SAUNDERS – 1953
DARLINE KINGMAN – 1957
TOM & ALMEDA MONTOYA – 1960
DAVID NIERMAN – 1963
JOHN PFLUGRATH – 1963
JIM & REYMA WEAVER – 1963
BOB ELLER – 1967
DICK & LAVERNE HIATT – 1967
BILL KIEHN – 1967
JIM BLACKBURN – 1968
EDE DANIELS – 1968
DAVE & SONJA PARSONS – 1968
JERRY COX – 1969
BOB HOUSTON – 1969
RALPH & IRIS KIMMERLY – 1969
JAY DEE & SANDY HOUSTON – 1970
MARY KRAUSE – 1970
DENNIS FERREL – 1971
ROY Mc GREGOR – 1971
ED & WILLIE FRIGARD – 1972
BURT SCHOONOVER – 1972
DAVID TWITCHELL – 1972
CHAD DARLINGTON – 1973
BUD & SHIRLEY DELZER – 1974
BOB DILLON – 1974
RANDY KAPRAL – 1974
DAVE MONESMITH – 1974
LES MOSER – 1974
BEV RATHBUN – 1974
HARVEY STRAND – 1974
DARREN WEAVER – 1974
MICHAEL ADAM – 1975
BOB HANSON – 1975
CAROL HANSON – 1975
JEFF KINZEL – 1975
GARY BERGERON – 1976
CARL & SHEILA BERGREN – 1976
STEVE BALLEW – 1977
AL BERG – 1977
DICK & JOY HELTON – 1977
JIM & MARILYN VINCENT – 1977
LARRY & LAURA MILNE – 1978
JIM ROTHENBUEHLER – 1978
JUDY TELFORD – 1978
RANDY WEBB – 1978
DAVE GOULD – 1979
KEN PULSE – 1979
BRICE TOWNLEY – 1979
TOM JONES – 1979
MAX GASTON – 1979
GREG CLEVENGER – 1980
JIM FOX – 1980
KEITH KOCK – 1980
Randy ALexander – 1987
Dave Easterly – 1987
Dick Smithson – 1987
Denny McMillon – 1987
Charter Members EST 1927
D.L. MOTTELER
H.S. REARICK
J.B. ROBERTS
B.C. RUTHERFORD
BUTLER SAMPSON
B.B. SCHAEFFER
R.J. SMITH
HAL STARKS
M.W. STARKS
C.S. TAYLOR
J.E. THOLIN
R.F. TAYLOR
J.A. WARMAN
E.J. WATSON
J.A. WILSON
HENRY WOLDTVET
H.O. DAY
T.J. DAY
R.W. DOLSON
F.E. DUTTON
R.B. FIELD
J.C. GARRETSON
H.A. GARTNER
L.R. HART
J.W. HENEN
FRANK HENNESSEY
H.G. KROLLPFEIFER
TED KUCH
O.A. LEE
WM. J. MARTIN
WM. McDONALD
H.J. MERZ