The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-10-02
COUNTRY CLUB PLANS
A BRILLIANT OPENING
An Institution Calculated To Provide Enter
tainment For Thousands of Tourists
Who Will Boost Us.

Elizabeth City Country Club,
which is to take place probably
about October IS, when the
building and grounds will be
thrown open to its members, is
expected to be a gala event for
hundreds of people prominent
in the social life of this section.
The new club home Of the Coun-
try Club is almost complete, and
the grounds are practically ready
for games. A few finishing touch
es, and the building will be ready
for the reception that will mark
the formal opening of the club. ,,
What the Country Club is going
to mean to Elizabeth City, how its
completion will finally demand a
modern hotel, and why Elizabeth
City will gain much from the en-
tertainment of thousands of tour
lists passing thru this section, who
will proceed on their way boosting
Elizabeth City after visit here,
is told in the following article,
written at the request Of this news
paper. The article should have
been written by Mr.. Duff, the presi-
dent Of the club, but Mr.. Duff was
up to his eyes in work, looking after
the details of getting the grounds in
shape, and r. G. Job, secretary OF
the Chamber Of Commerce, was
asked to do the job. Mr.. Job has
been identified in one way or an
other with the country club move
ment since its inception. Here Is
what heN says:
Tourist Flow Demanded 1t
"Since the advent Of good roads
and the increasing flow Of tourists
in this and other sections of North
Carolina, the question has been
How can we interest the tourist
to spend some of his time, and in
cidentally, some of his money IN
the community" Analysis shows
that the majority Of tourists, while.
they have ain objective in mind, pre-
fer to tour leisurely. and, Of course.
make their stops in communities
where attractions are. offered them.
The chief attraction is golf. !;
"a number of business mem Of
Elizabeth City for the past -four
years had considered organizing. q
country club and laying ont "A, golf
course, mot only for the pleasure Of
local citizens, but that they might
attract the visitors to the Able
marie Section. The problem, how
ever, was a suitable location. A flat
country such as we have requires an
enormous expenditure of money for
the proper laying out Of an up to
date golf course. The local business
interests had almost given up the
idea of being able to finance the
proposition when someone located
the sand hills of Camden County,
and although it was Overgrown with
brush and trees, realized that they
had found an ideal course laid on
by nature. To the uninitiated 1t
looked an enormous undertaking to
get these grounds cleaned off and
the golf course layed out, but, for
tunately. Elizabeth City had men OF
vision like w. p. Duff, G. o. Robin
son, Will Foreman, Miles Clark and
others, and about q year ago move
ment was started for the organi-
zation of a club with the result
that 200 acres of land located in
Camden County about five miles
from Elizabeth City was purchased
and a force of men employed to do
the preliminary work Of cleaning up
the grounds.
About this time Mr.. Joseph P.
Knapp, an enthusiastic golfer, visit
ed the site and predicted that a
course could be laid out second to
none in the south. A typographical
map was made on which Mr.. Knapp
designated the present course. He
consulted with Mr.. Donald Ross,
who is considered one of the best
experts on golf course construction
in the country, with the result that
on eof their construction men came
to Elizabeth City and superintended
the laying out the first nine holes
of the course.
"a committee was then appointed
to prepare plans for the erection
of a club house. They visited vari-
GUS country clubs and corresponded
with others with a view to getting
the very best for the local organiza.
tion. C. o. Robinson was especial
ly active on this part Of the pro.
ject. The club house, now almost
completed shows the amount Of
thought that Mr.. Robinson and his
committee put into the proposition.
1t compares favorably with the best
in the State.
Tennis Courts Also
"The tennis enthusiasts asked for
consideration and q committee was
formed to select d location and lay