CLUB HISTORY
For some of us “older golfers”, golf cart usage came into being during our lifetime. It was 1956 when many clubs were discussing their use at their club. As you will see in the following newspaper article the safety on the hills was a major factor in their consideration at East Aurora. This is still true today, so please follow the posted signs and stay safe.
BUFFALO COURIER-EXPRESS, Saturday, July 7, 1956
ONE of the hottest controversies raging among members of the various district golf clubs deals with the use of motorized golf cars. Even the most rabid dissenters, however, agree that these newfangled contraptions are the salvation of elderly golfers or those afflicted with a heart condition, who otherwise might be restricted to nine holes of play if they had to cover the distance on foot. Also the “nays” will begrudgingly admit that their use certainly speeds up play, thereby relieving congestion. But they feel that the cars are injurious to the turf and therefore should be banned, a sentiment no doubt with which most greens keepers heartily agree. Then there are those who just naturally are “agin’ it,” like opposed the automobile during horse and buggy days.
This corner got started along this line of thought one day after a conversation with Wanakah’s Philip Ransom. While vacationing in the Southland, Phil had occasion to use these handy little cars, and he realized that they not only speeded up his game but left him less fatigued afterwards. Unhappily, Wanakah is one of the clubs where they are frowned upon, and the only golf car that plies the lakeshore layout is owned by Alex Perley, the club pro. That one serves strictly for retrieving golf balls on the driving range and for bringing in members from the course for important messages such as an urgent call for a doctor.
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MEMBERS of the East Aurora Country Club need a Mr. Anthony to solve their problem — their hills are mighty steep. At a recent meeting of the club directorate, it was generally agreed that the idea wasn’t so hot for that particular course. They admit that the cars can climb their hills all right, but there is a serious safety factor involved. A careless member might not watch the angle of the hill and suddenly find himself rolling over and over. They even have to be careful mowing the fairways out there.
Raymond Zorn, Club Historian