The Old Brockway Golf Course
One of the Top Ten
9-Hole Golf Courses in the State of California
| The golf course was built in 1924 by Harry Comstock, as a
recreational amenity for his celebrity friends and his socialite guests at
the Brockway Hotel. Harry purchased the old hotel in 1928, with money from
the silver mines of Virginia City. Comstock formed a partnership with
Robert O. Sherman, only son of General William T. Sherman, called Brockway
Land and Water Company, R.O. Sherman was a developer from Southern
California who had just completed developing Sherman Oaks, California. He
used the proceeds from that project to enter into partnership with
Comstock. The Old Brockway Golf Course was their project. |
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Comstock and Sherman hired renowned Scottish architect John Duncan Dunn in 1922. Dunn was one of the premiere golf course architects of his era. He designed and built many famous courses in his day, one being the Shinnecock Hills, NY, site of the 1995 US Open. In 1934, Old Brockway was home to the first Bing Crosby Golf Tournament.
Unofficial at the time, Bing would invite his group of friends for a week
of fun and gold while he was entertaining at Cal-Neva. After two years at
Brockway, Bing moved his tournament to Rancho Santa Fe and then up to
Pebble Beach. |
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| In addition to Crosby, other regulars at the course
included Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Joe Kennedy, Dean Martin, Dean Witter
and Lucille Ball. In fact, holes one, two, three, eight, and nine are
collectively know as the "The Loop" or "The Whiskey Run" after Martin's
drinking escapades on the course. Legend has it, after playing one, two,
and three, he would need to head in, so he'd then play eight and nine to
finish his game. |
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At more than 3300 yards including two par 5's, Old Brockway meanders through towering Jeffery pines with majestic mountain and Lake Tahoe Views. It's no wonder this Tahoe gem has been been rated as one of the top ten 9 hole golf courses in Northern California by Golf Today Magazine. However, the charm and character of the Old Brockway remains the same today, much as it did in the 1920's and 1930's. The tight fairways and the postage stamp greens are reminiscent of golf in an era gone by. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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