How did the City of Norwich come to own the Norwich Golf Club?

Local attorney Mike Driscoll, Norwich's corporation counsel, recalled becoming a member of the Norwich Golf Authority the year the city became the owner of the course.

“The majority of members were decent golfers, I was kind of on the lower end of that scale,” he said.

Offering an expansive knowledge of the club’s history and the growth of golf locally, Driscoll explained how the President of the Chelsea Bank, a lawyer and civil war hero named Edward Harland, first built a nine-hole golf course that opened in 1912 on the property where the modern course operates today.

In the 1920s, Harland looked to expand the course and made an arrangement with the firm Tull and Tull and golf course architect Walter Tillinghast to expand the course to 18 holes.

The Norwich Inn had been built in the late 1920s and was owned by a company that ended up acquiring the course before being sold to a local family, Driscoll explained.

“Over time it started to decline a little bit,” he added.

More: The COVID-19 pandemic gave a boost to Norwich Golf Club revenues — how long will it last?

An interesting history

In July 1940, an experimental, top-secret, airplane crashed on the course.

According to city historian Dale Plummer, a Vought XF4U-1 Corsair fighter jet ran out of fuel and the pilot found the course as available open space for a landing.

"It had rained and he slid off the fairway and the plane flipped upside down and crashed in the trees," said Plummer.

The pilot of the experimental jet survived and teams quickly appeared at the course to pick him up along with the pieces of the plane to avoid any unwanted press, the historian added.

Buying the course

In the 1970s the federal government made available funds that could be used to acquire land for open space or recreational space, Driscoll continued.

A pitch for state politicians to support the city in an effort to buy the golf course succeeded before the Norwich City Council approved the $1.2 million purchase of the golf course; with 50% of the cost funded by the federal government and 25% covered by the state government. The city covered the final 25%.

“It was a contentious issue of sorts at the time,” said Driscoll. “People asked, ‘’why do we need a golf course?”

The first year Driscoll said the Norwich Golf Authority was authorized to spend up to $100,000.

“We took in about a $108,000,” he said. “The real public fear was a lot of city money would be spent in it and golf to some people’s minds (is) like, ‘oh a rich guy sport.'"

After the purchase, Driscoll said they conducted a study in the early 1980s looking at ways the land could be used for recreation outside of golf -- perhaps biking trails a fitness trial; or fishing and picnic areas -- but the golf authority ultimately decided it was too dangerous.

"End of the day the report came back and because the area is so close to an area of hitting golf clubs with which move so fast and are hit so erratically at times, you would be foolish," Driscoll said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Local attorney recalls how city came to purchase Norwich Golf Club