PINECREST COUNTRY CLUB When looking at Pinecrest Country Club today, it's easy to forget how far we have come. It's just as easy to take for granted how important the club has been to the Longview community. But, by taking time to reflect upon its primitive beginnings and track its evolution, we can reaffirm our appreciation for this great social institution. Pinecrest Country Club, the oldest golf course in East Texas, started as a cow pasture in 1921. Grover Finch started the golf course with the help of Harry Turner, Jere Turner, Mack Turner and L. D. Kelly. Sid Cooper did the layout for the nine-hole course and his son, Harry, who later gained fame as "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper, accompanied his father to Longview. Dues were 75 cents a month and tomato cans were used for cups on sand greens. Golfers played with wood shafted clubs and carried canvas bags. Mr. Finch mowed the fairways with a field mower pulled by mules. Even though men considered this new pastime a "sissy" game, membership reached 100 the first year. During the oil boom in 1932, Pinecrest Country Club hired its first golf pro, Oren Williams, and a year later in 1933 the first clubhouse was built. On April 10, 1948 Pinecrest formed a non-profit corporation with 250 authorized shares of stock. After a fire in 1953, members were able to hold an open house for their new $300,000 clubhouse on March 7, 1954 by changing the original charter to include 600 shares of Class "A" Stock and 250 shares of non- voting Class "B" preferred stock. The Class "B" Preferred Stock was issued with the provision they would be retired within ten years. Many members helped with the expense by purchasing several shares of Class "B" Preferred Stock for $500 per share. Through the years, Pinecrest has been four different golf courses but the most significant change came when the course was expanded to an 18-hole layout designed by Press Maxwell. The 18-hole course was opened for member play on Labor Day 1958. The "turnkey" job was done at a cost of $53,000. Several major projects through the years have resulted in advancing the playability and beauty of the golf course. The first project was completed in 1969. A fully automatic watering system was installed. Prior to that, only the greens were watered with city water. The old system used "quick coupling" connections with manual control. The fairways were at the mercy of the season. The new system allowed watering, fertilizer, and weed control programs and a green golf course through the summer months. The water source for the system was Skelly Lake, a spring fed lake of approximately 10 acres located about 300 yards east of #14 green. In 1977, a flood control project was established for straightening the creek, controlling water flow, building concrete bridges, adding lakes to help in the control of water, and building cart paths. Before this project was undertaken, the creek meandered through the golf course with many curves, thus creating not only a maintenance problem but also a golf course that flooded very easily with heavy rains. There was a time when heavy rains left a lake that completely surrounded number #11 green, ran two-thirds up number #10 fairway and covered almost all of the back nine holes. This type rain would wash out the wooden bridges that crossed the creek and leave the course unplayable for several days to a week. Not only were members dedicated to improving the playability of the course, but they also contributed to beautifying the landscape. In 1986, a beautification program was completed. A tree program added 100 hardwood trees to the course and was financed through donations from Pinecrest members. These trees ranged from 5 to 30 feet in height and were transplanted from other areas on and around the golf course. The eighties brought several major changes and improvements. In 1981, the kitchen was completely renovated with all new equipment, and in 1984 the interior of the clubhouse was refurbished and given a beautiful new look. Also in 1984 the club purchased 73.51 acres of adjoining land, which included part ownership of Skelly Lake. The purchase protected the water supply for the golf course and doubled the size of acreage making a total of 145.5 acres. In 1997, Pinecrest replaced the old golf course irrigation system with a new state of the art computerized system. This new system takes all the guesswork out of golf course watering. The golf course superintendent now has the ability to apply the right amount of water to those areas where needed. This addition has provided the golfing membership a more beautiful and a far superior playing surface than in past years. With a prospering membership, a need to expand, and a clubhouse that was finally tiring from age and wear after many years of member activities, it was decided that a major renovation was needed and best for the club. Chris Consultants of Irving, TX was chosen as the architectural firm for the project. Chris is recognized as one of the country's top firms in club design. In the summer of 2000, a completely renovated and enlarged clubhouse was completed. The project increased the clubhouse size to 30,000 square feet and provided Pinecrest with the largest country club banquet facilities in East Texas. Three new golfing holes were also part of the project enlarging the practice range. These changes placed PCC in a class by itself and one that Longview can be proud to have as part of the community. Through the years, the club has been the setting for many social events of the year, weddings, anniversaries, golfing events, and just getting together with friends and families. Many of our members have fond memories of growing up at the club and now they are enjoying the facilities with their children. From a small group of men hitting a little white ball into a distant tomato can out in the middle of a cow pasture, to the Pinecrest Country Club of today, the club has come a long way. Were it not for the tireless efforts of our Board of Directors, caring members, and dedicated employees, both past and present, PCC would not be the fine club that we enjoy today.