Lake Mohawk Golf Club

History of the Lake Mohawk Golf Club / Golf Course

In 1982, a number of retired Lake Mohawk residents who periodically traveled to various local golf courses named themselves the Lake Mohawk “golf club”. Each time they met to car pool, one topic of conversation was the desire to have a golf course close to home. Being an industrious bunch, and possessing an abundance of energy, they formulated a plan to build a small course on the 17 acre site immediately inside the security gate.

This site had been undeveloped since the glaciers receded and, with the runoff from the lake, was wet and smelly most of the time. The Lake Mohawk maintenance crews were not able to cut the grass until August or so each year, and getting the tractor stuck in the muck was a common event. Some of the oak trees you can see today were used to anchor winch cables, to pull the equipment free. In those years, the face of the dam was rarely mowed, and many trees were growing there.

In 1983 the plans for a golf course were formalized. Lake Mohawk Golf Club, Incorporated was formed as a non-profit organization and LMPOA agreed to lease the 17 acre site to the golf club. Francis Bruchey loaned the club $75,000 and brought some of his construction equipment to begin sculpting something out of the swamp.

Charter Memberships were sold to 99 couples and individuals. A few of those Charter Members are still active. Bake sales, spaghetti dinners, bingo games, pancake breakfasts, and golf outings were organized by volunteer labor, and the club was able to repay the initial loan after just a few years. Additional fund raising activities were held, to fund construction of the club office, a building to house the turf equipment, and other facilities.

In the early days, several dedicated people dragged garden hoses around the course to irrigate greens and tees. One volunteer, who still comes back from Wyoming each year to visit and play golf, used a string trimmer to cut the grass and weeds on the dam face -- an all-Summer job! The club bought used lawn mowers, golf carts, and other equipment from local golf courses and equipment auctions. One of the early greens mowers, a 1963 model, was recently sold for $75, to an equipment dealer that plans to restore it for display as an antique.

All of this hard work has created a very challenging nine-hole executive course. The Golf Club still relies heavily on volunteers. The Golf Club officers are always looking for ways to generate the money needed to keep the golf course in good condition. There are a few paid employees, for cutting grass, attending the clubhouse, and repairing the equipment, but an equal number of hours are donated by interested members.

The beautiful Lake Mohawk Golf Course is a challenging nine-hole executive course located by the dam and front gate of Lake Mohawk. It is maintained by the hard work of the Golf Club. Property owners and their guests are invited to play at any time.