A new era recently dawned in Oakland Iowa, as the private course known as the Oakland Country Club made way for a public course known as the Oakland-Riverside Golf Course, which proudly serves the Riverside communities of Oakland, Carson, and Macedonia, as well as golfers from all over southwest Iowa.
Our History
In 1959, several forward thinking leaders in Oakland acquired land from the Frank J. Eckles Estate for the purpose of developing a golf course. They realized that it was important to the people of that time, but also knew it was vital for the future of Oakland. These dedicated individuals worked tirelessly, doing among other things, planting trees and carrying buckets of water to the far ends of the course to nurture those trees, as well as watering the greens and tee boxes, because there was no other water source any closer at that time.
The original developers: N. J. Perley, Theodore Johnk, Harold Spencer, Don Hummel, Don Hogzett, Leo G. Dick, S.V. Pleak, Arthur Olesen, W. D. Criswell, A.C. Jensen, and Delmar F. Busse, each invested $1,000 to get the course up and running. They had to borrow some additional money to make the course come alive, so the aforementioned individuals, as well as Dale Doty and Roger Lubke, all signed a mortgage, each giving a personal guarantee to the bank.
These civic leaders didn’t sacrifice their money and their time just so they could play golf, or reap a return on investment; they knew what having a golf course could mean for the future of a community, in terms of future growth of its population, as well as for attracting industry. The importance of recreational opportunities, such as a golf course, in communities, has only grown in the 60 years since the formation of the Oakland Golf Course.
At its inception, the founders formed a corporation, the Oakland Development Company, Inc., for the purpose of owning the grounds as well as to acquire other property as necessary. The operation of the course eventually became the responsibility of the Oakland Country Club, who leased the property from Oakland Development Company, Inc. The lease payment consisted solely of the property taxes and insurance premiums. This arrangement was for the sole purpose and benefit of providing a golf course facility to Oakland and surrounding communities. For many years, the arrangement has served this purpose, and in 2017, the heirs and assigns of the original founding members donated the course to the City of Oakland to continue the original goal and expand access to the course by converting it from a private to a public/municipal course.
Our History
In 1959, several forward thinking leaders in Oakland acquired land from the Frank J. Eckles Estate for the purpose of developing a golf course. They realized that it was important to the people of that time, but also knew it was vital for the future of Oakland. These dedicated individuals worked tirelessly, doing among other things, planting trees and carrying buckets of water to the far ends of the course to nurture those trees, as well as watering the greens and tee boxes, because there was no other water source any closer at that time.
The original developers: N. J. Perley, Theodore Johnk, Harold Spencer, Don Hummel, Don Hogzett, Leo G. Dick, S.V. Pleak, Arthur Olesen, W. D. Criswell, A.C. Jensen, and Delmar F. Busse, each invested $1,000 to get the course up and running. They had to borrow some additional money to make the course come alive, so the aforementioned individuals, as well as Dale Doty and Roger Lubke, all signed a mortgage, each giving a personal guarantee to the bank.
These civic leaders didn’t sacrifice their money and their time just so they could play golf, or reap a return on investment; they knew what having a golf course could mean for the future of a community, in terms of future growth of its population, as well as for attracting industry. The importance of recreational opportunities, such as a golf course, in communities, has only grown in the 60 years since the formation of the Oakland Golf Course.
At its inception, the founders formed a corporation, the Oakland Development Company, Inc., for the purpose of owning the grounds as well as to acquire other property as necessary. The operation of the course eventually became the responsibility of the Oakland Country Club, who leased the property from Oakland Development Company, Inc. The lease payment consisted solely of the property taxes and insurance premiums. This arrangement was for the sole purpose and benefit of providing a golf course facility to Oakland and surrounding communities. For many years, the arrangement has served this purpose, and in 2017, the heirs and assigns of the original founding members donated the course to the City of Oakland to continue the original goal and expand access to the course by converting it from a private to a public/municipal course.
The Oakland-Riverside Golf Course is dedicated to the memory of the
following individuals whose vision and efforts made it possible.
following individuals whose vision and efforts made it possible.
Delmar F. Busse |
A.C. Jensen |
W. D. Criswell |
Theodore Johnk |
Leo G. Dick |
Roger Lubke |
Dale Doty |
Arthur Olesen |
Frank J. Eckles |
N. J. Perley |
Don Hogzett |
S. V. Pleak |
Don Hummel |
Harold Spencer |