Illinois News Index

Wilmette Life (Wilmette, Illinois), 11 May 1928, p. 27

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May 11, 1928 WILMET-TE LIFE Rolling Green Country Club Finds Road to Success I TEAMWORK BUILDING UP FINE HOME FOR GOLFERS · BuaiDeaa Methods Applied and Member. En)oy the Game Without Fear of Aaaeaamen·ta. By RAY C. PEARSON UT west, directly west of Kenilworth on Rand road, there is a golf club which started as a small organization and has grown into a big on~ in three years, just because those interested in the venture wanted golf and among other things wanted to demonstrate that business men with pep and energy .. could operate a private club at a reasonable · cost. O dred and sixty acres on what is claimed to be the highest peak in Cook county, for $500 an acre. At the end of the first year of operation a profit was turneg. That profit was . represented by eighty-five dollars. But while eighty five dollars is only chicken feed at golf clubs the fact that there WAS. a profit ·was sufficient to cause elation among the members. Something in Real Profits Now leap along. In 1926 the operating profit amounted to $3,400. In 1927 it jumped to a trifle over $5,000. It is interesting in this connection that even the dining room which at many clubs is a liability, showed a profit at the end of the season. Therefore the big point the Rolling Green members like to stress is that such success has made it possible to escape_ the assessment taps. President MacAdams was asked how this achievement was accomplished. "First," he replied, "there never has been any promotion costs of any kind ; secondly, the enthusiasm and teamwork of the members has resulted in the s~ving of many dollars. Members have contributed generously of their talents. Our attorney donates his services and our engineer members have assisted greatly in the service of constructing our program. Costs have been kept down at every turn just as good business men do in seeing that they get their money's worth." But here is something else which ...... We want to explain that in the beginning those business men who got together and organized this club three years ago made it their pu;pose to stick tenaciously ~"' a principle that this club would be operated on a tnodest business basis which would give to its members all the enjoyment that is found at any club, sans high dues. and the j o y k i II i n g assessment taps. Self Supporting Club This club is the Rolling Green Country club and out there the members will tell you that they're "sitting pretty" and pelting the little pill around the course without a care. One doesn't haYc to wait for his "ship to come in" before he can be a member of Rolling Green . Instead of swinging upward . as so happens' at many private golf clubs, the dues, it is promised, are to take a downward dip to the low figure of one hundred and twenty dollars a year when the membership roster is filled. It is stated that when that time arrives the cluh will be out of debt and also have a surplus. But listen to this which concerns the dreader "golf club bugaboo." The club, we ·are told, in its three years of existence has never levied a membership assessment. That stands as a tribute to moderate priced golf. We are furnished some figures which Yre interesting. The club was organized in 1924 when it purchased the land, a total of one hun- the market for a real estate investment; we bought because we wanted our own kind of a golf club." Well Worth .a Big Gria But while he said it there was a grin, for the satisfaction of the member is c~rtainly not lessened by such an incr_ e ase in his equity, as represented hy land. Rolling Green has some features that some other clubs do not boast. There are two courses, twenty-seven holes in all. The eighteen hole course is the men's course and there is a separate nine hole course for the women. The men's course is 6,300 yards long. There are plenty of natural and artificial hazards. It has a lake, a blind green and all the variety that the skill of the modern course archi- · teet could develop. The course was not well wooded, but this is being rem~died by the planting of hundreds of trees. Clubhouse is "Hom~y" The meri's course oc<;:upies one hundred and thirteen acres while the remainder makes up the women':; shorter course. The women enjoy a "sporty" c.o urse. It is well wooded and has two natural water hazards, one the bullrushes, home of the musk · rats and water fowl, and a graveyard for golf balls. The clubhouse was built for golfers. It is one of those low rambling struc- Editor's Note-They may not have used these exact words, but after the writer of a series of stories telling about the golf clubs of the north shore had finished his task last fall there came to him a few notes from members of the Rolling Green saying: "Don't you about us?" Sure we do. know Just a Country club li'ttle tardy but here we are with the story of Rolling Green. "Fora!" The IJ I C· tnres: at the top . the Roll· lng G r e e n l'lnbhous.-, a long ramb· ling "homf:'y" strndure; below to the r I g h t Is shown the cllnlng room hasn't anyth:ng to do with golf. It has been mentioned that the club bought the land for $500 an acre. The land, we are informed, is today valu~d at three times that price. But one member emphasizes this: "We didn't buy because we were 111 tures · that folks call "homey." It has a distinctive lounge and a sizeable ~wlarium, several card rooms, a sun roof, doubledecked locker rooms in one end of the building for the rnen and at the other end for the women, and a tiled swimming pooL 2nd MORTGAGE LOANS We make loans for rtpairs, improvements, construction, refinancing or. purchase of .improved residential property. These loans can be repaid in convenient monthly installments in 1, 2., or 3 years. Oar representative will be pleased to give complete information. Office open until 8 o'clock Saturday evenings. .,.,... and at the I bottom to the left RP· pears the lounge. WILSHORE BOND & MORTGAGE CO · 1150 Wilmette An .· Village Theatre Bldg. Phone Wil. 2 18 1

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