DMGCC Register Articles

Here are copies of two articles as they appeared in the Des Moines Register. Just click on the picture to zoom in closer to read them. They are quite interesting.

DMGCC on Ashworth Road, 3rd Location

The club moved to this location in 1923. Sprague, Pearce and Robinson were the landscape architects who were hired to design and help relocate the DMGCC because the 20 year lease was set to run out in 1923. An area was purchased just north of White Pole Road (Ashworth Road).

Here is a newspaper clip of the design of the club as it appeared in the Des Moines Register and Tribune.



Here is an aerial photo of that area in 1938.



Here is an aerial photo of that area in 1956.



Here is an areial photo of that area in 1967. Note the Interstate 235 on both sides of the property.



Here is a photo of that area and how it looks today.



An interesting note if you drive through Guide One Insurance the old club house is still intact and is used as a printing building. There are a couple of old tees that still show up in the landscaping. There is some old concrete just south of the clubhouse that has the depths of the swimming pool still marked in the concrete.

DMGCC, 2nd Location in the Waterbury Area

After Mr. Polk asked for his land back the club moved to an area just south of Waveland Golf Course. Thomas Bendelow was the architect for the golf course. Here is a picture of Bendelow. He was an employee of the Spalding Company and they had just invented the Haskell Golf Ball. Bendelow traveled the United States promoting golf, the golf ball and designing golf courses. He was known as the "Johnny Appleseed of American Golf". Here is a picture of him.




The Clubhouse was a magnificent building and was located at 49th and Harwood Ave. Here is a photo of it in 1920.



Here is a photo of that layout that the club used from 1903 - 1923. Bendelow did do the design at that time and it was said to be a wonderful layout and the first Iowa Open was played at this location.



Not much is left of the old course, no one knows what happened to that magnificent clubhouse. As I drive through the area today you can only wonder how it looked at that time. Many of the homes were built in that era and not much worked was done to the land so many of the land forms stayed the same.

Covered Bridge History at DMGCC

Covered Bridges of Des moines Golf and Country Club





The covered bridge on # 2 of the south course was the idea and donated by a group of members known as the T.O.M. Foursome ( Tired Old Men ). This group was headed by Gerry Sumner and also included; Stormy Stormes, Howard Sole, Edward Davis, Orville Garrett and Oliver Kirkeby.

The bridge at #2 south was designed by Tom G. Higgins after many hours of research to maintain authenticity of construction methods and materials. The roof was built using the time tested method of board and batten substructure with wood shingles. Tom also supervised the construction of the bridge which was accomplished by W. R. Main Contractor. Actual construction was completed in the spring of 1974.

In 1990 two member groups, the Sweet Swingers and High Rollers Invitational Committee, along with other club members donated the covered bridge on #10 of the north course in the memory of Mr. Gary Lilly.

This bridge was designed and engineered by Carlye W. Peterson. Carlyle used the concepts developed by Tom Higgins and made structural changes due to the larger size of this bridge. Carlyle incorporated split ring connectors at all bolted cross member joints to assure structural integrity. After a long search split ring connectors and the special tool to install them were located on the east coast by Mark C. Leachman . Construction of this bridge was accomplished by the course maintenance staff lead by Don Altman, Superintendent of the north course. The bridge was constructed during the winter of 1990- 1991 and dedicated the spring of 1991.

When DMGCC was on Ashworth Road, there was a huge fire that destroyed the clubhouse. The following is an article about the fire.

1946 Clubhouse Fire

Here is a short history on the early years at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. This was put together by John Zeller a local Des Moines Historian who works for Drake University. Everything is very factual and the early years are an amazing story.

1999 John Zeller Club History

12 Turf Grass Terms that a Golfer should know.

12 Terms for Golfers
Although there is no standardized formula or single maintenance program for every golf course, there are some basic agronomy terms you can use to communicate with the golf course superintendent at your facility. In fact, if you’re more aware of what your superintendent is doing to the course, you’ll have a much better understanding of how it might affect the turf you’re playing on — and your round.

Here is a sample of turfgrass terms:

1.Aeration: The working of a turf soil without destruction of the turf by coring, slitting, grooving, hole punching, forking, sliding, spiking or other means to reduce compaction and improve water and air movement through the soil.

2.Blend: A combination of two or more cultivars of the same grass species.

3.Cultivar: A variety, strain or race that has originated and persisted under cultivation or was specifically developed for the purpose of cultivation.

4.Desiccation: Winter injury sustained on exposed turf areas when subject to high winds or loss of moisture from a plant because of hot, dry weather or chemicals.

5.Foot printing: Frost: Dead leaf tissue formed by walking on live, frosted turfgrass leaves. Wilt: Temporary impressions caused by walking on grass plants that are unable to spring to upright position because leaves lack sufficient moisture.

6.Hydroseeding: A high-pressure spray technique for applying seed, mulch and fertilizer in a water slurry over a seedbed.

7.Leaching: The removal of materials dissolved in the soil solution caused by the movement of water down through the soil, past the root zone.

8.Localized dry spot: A dry area of sod and soil that resists water infiltration.

9.Verticutting: To run a mower over the turf that has vertical knives that cut small slits into the turf canopy. This removes or thins out the turf helping to stimulate some vegetative growth.

10.Plugging: The vegetative propagation of turfgrass by means of turf plugs or small sod pieces.

11.Scalping: The term for removing more of the green leaf surface than is good for the plant, leaving a stubbly brown turf.

12.Syringing: Light sprinkling of water on turf usually done during the hottest part of the day to prevent wilting.

Red Stakes

We have been using the red stakes at DMGCC since the spring of 2007. They are on every Par 4 and Par 5 on the golf course. The first red stake you encounter is where you may exit the cart path and drive anywhere on the hole. The second red stake by the green shows you where we would like you to exit the hole and remain on the cart path until the next hole. On all Par 3 holes we would like you to remain on the cart path the entire length of the hole. Please review the video below as a reminder on how to use the red stakes.

Using the Pitch Pro Tool at DMGCC

When fixing and repairing ballmarks at Des Moines Golf and Country Club we would like you to use the Pitch Pro Tool. This tool is free and can be picked up at the started stand or in the pro shop. If you are unsure on how to use it please watch the video below.