THE COUNTRY CLUB
Because of the title of this post you may think I am going to write about a very exclusive Country Club like those seen in movies. Nope, my country club was a small, friendly establishment started by my parents and some of their friends after WWII was over. I will remind those of you not familiar with my background, that I grew up in a small town in South Texas and it was one of the most unlikely places to find a country club. They formed their organization because there was not much to do in our home town then and although they liked to have a drink now and then, the only places they could get one were not very respectable, soooo, being respectable people, they built a country club out among the mesquite and liveoak trees on the highway to San Antonio.
After the clubhouse was built, they decided they needed a golf course, so they hired someone (?) to set it up. It was a nice little 9 hole course with cleverly placed greens and water holes. Not too many water holes, mind you, because this was in a place known for hot-as-hell summers. My mother and her sister, Elsie, were already good good golfers, having learned the game in Corpus Christi when they were very young. When the course was finished they invited Ben Hogan, a champion professional golfer, to play the initial round. He came to Beeville, walked part of the course and determined that he'd rather not do the formal opening because there were too many gopher holes and cactus plants for his liking. Gophers did have a tendency to run off with a golf ball every now and then. No matter, the course was opened with much celebrating by the locals and a whole new life opened up for many of us. For a short while there were six slot machines in one of the rooms and one time I hit the jackpot. That was a short lived bit of excitement though, because the sheriff, Vail Ennis, decided that wasn't legal even though it was a private club so he removed them.
The building serving as the club was made from rocks imported from the Hill Country and it was a handsome looking place. It was set among large old liveoaks and had a billiard room, a dining room, large room for dancing and a wonderful L-shaped patio attached to the main building. That was a great place for dancing on warm summer nights. It was also a perfect venue for wedding receptions and barbecues. In those days we had real barbecues. Members would bring the dishes and the men barbecued a calf over an open firepit beside that patio. There was usually some little combo that could play pretty good music for us to dance to and anyway, it was so much fun that we didn't care if they weren't terrific. If there was no combo available, they'd pipe in the jukebox from inside.
I learned how to shoot pool at the billiard table before I was tall enough to comfortably reach it.
I think it was during the 1950s that the original clubhouse burned down and they built a new one but it didn't have the character that the old rock one did. Wish I had pictures of all this. Anyway, they added a swimming pool and a larger indoor room for dancing and parties. When I was in college, I used to do a little lip-sync act and I did that at the club too. I must admit I was a kind of showoff.
The last time I was there was to attend a class reunion and it was wonderful to see old friends but as is natural, we were missing a few. I think there are only six of us left now.
That's enough for now. I'm making myself homesick and sad.
After the clubhouse was built, they decided they needed a golf course, so they hired someone (?) to set it up. It was a nice little 9 hole course with cleverly placed greens and water holes. Not too many water holes, mind you, because this was in a place known for hot-as-hell summers. My mother and her sister, Elsie, were already good good golfers, having learned the game in Corpus Christi when they were very young. When the course was finished they invited Ben Hogan, a champion professional golfer, to play the initial round. He came to Beeville, walked part of the course and determined that he'd rather not do the formal opening because there were too many gopher holes and cactus plants for his liking. Gophers did have a tendency to run off with a golf ball every now and then. No matter, the course was opened with much celebrating by the locals and a whole new life opened up for many of us. For a short while there were six slot machines in one of the rooms and one time I hit the jackpot. That was a short lived bit of excitement though, because the sheriff, Vail Ennis, decided that wasn't legal even though it was a private club so he removed them.
The building serving as the club was made from rocks imported from the Hill Country and it was a handsome looking place. It was set among large old liveoaks and had a billiard room, a dining room, large room for dancing and a wonderful L-shaped patio attached to the main building. That was a great place for dancing on warm summer nights. It was also a perfect venue for wedding receptions and barbecues. In those days we had real barbecues. Members would bring the dishes and the men barbecued a calf over an open firepit beside that patio. There was usually some little combo that could play pretty good music for us to dance to and anyway, it was so much fun that we didn't care if they weren't terrific. If there was no combo available, they'd pipe in the jukebox from inside.
I learned how to shoot pool at the billiard table before I was tall enough to comfortably reach it.
I think it was during the 1950s that the original clubhouse burned down and they built a new one but it didn't have the character that the old rock one did. Wish I had pictures of all this. Anyway, they added a swimming pool and a larger indoor room for dancing and parties. When I was in college, I used to do a little lip-sync act and I did that at the club too. I must admit I was a kind of showoff.
The last time I was there was to attend a class reunion and it was wonderful to see old friends but as is natural, we were missing a few. I think there are only six of us left now.
That's enough for now. I'm making myself homesick and sad.
How wonderful it is to have you share these stories with us! Your description conjures up lovely images of what it might have been like! What a gift to have had such experiences.
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