In 1923 the golf bug got to work in the minds and hearts of three Toppenish men and, as a result, the Mt. Adams Golf and Country Club was founded.The three who promoted the idea of a golf club for the Toppenish, Wapato and Zillah are were Horace Woodard SR., Dr, George Wimberely and Len Dornan. For the first two years, members golfed on land leased by by Stanley Clemans for a pasture. This was located one-half mile east of the seigel packing plant on La Rue Road. The growth was salt grass and the course was divided by an irrigation canal. The greens were sand and each green was protected from cattke by smooth wire fences. The sand was treated with oil to make it smooth and prevent it from blowing away, and also to prevent the growth of grass. A large scraper made of carpeting or burlap was attached to a steel pipe with a a pipe handle . Some players carried their own scrapers. A golf ball called a "floater", which it did, was generally used on shots across the water. Recovery of these was quite interesting as the flow of the water was very fast the favorite brand of floater was the Wright and Ditson Eagle.
As the season advanced, the salt grass became quite tall and a number of players decided it should be mowed so each member brought a lawn mower. The mowers were hooked to a car with a long plank. It soon became evident that this was hopeless. They mowed part of it with a hay mower but play declined during the hot weather . The cattle kept the growth under control until frost killed the salt grass and play picked up and continued through the winter.
Among the early organizer who joined the original three founders were: Ed Fleming, Clarence Hibler. M. Q. Bradbury, Dan Stanton, Albert Bick, Art, Clarence, Don and Halen Trimble, John Devies, Harry Owen, Fred Palmer, Rock Dorsett, Evert Crayne, Lewis Kuhn, Corwin Lancaster, I.H. Crabtree, H.H Woodard, Clayton Paris, Archie Black, Lloyd Campbell, Lon Truley, J. Fettgather, Art Sorenson, P.D Wilson, Art Davis, Dr. Dasher, Wally Dornan, John Cornett, D.F. Bonstead, Hale, Cole, F. Corey, Frank Bruhn, Jack Bandy, Axel Burg, E.J Tweed, Fred Beezely, Wm. Murphy, Lee Weigand, Jeff Coulter, Clyde Young, Paul & I.C Benz, Len Dornan, H.B. Wimberely and others, who's names escape me at this time.
