Tom Vardon Golf Open

The Washington County Historical Society will hold a “back-to-the-twenties” Golf Event at the White Bear Yacht Club Course on Monday, September 13, from 6 to 10 pm. Participants are urged to come dressed as their favorite 1920s personality and to enjoy refreshments on the patio overlooking the course and to try their luck in putting and long driving contests featuring wooden-shafted clubs and 1920s reproduction golf balls.
 
Starting the evening off will be a short presentation by Mark Hallberg, talking about the famous club pro and course designer Tom Vardon, brother of Harry “The Grip” Vardon.
 
There will be a silent auction that features a Vardon-made golf club from 1895 when Tom was club pro at the Ilkley Golf Club in England. Other auction items are passes for Vardon-designed golf courses at Amery, Wisconsin, Spooner, Wisconsin, and the University of Minnesota Les Bolsted course, a dinner and night’s stay at the Stillwater Water Street Inn, golf clubs and other collectibles from the ’20s, and many more great items!
 
Hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. The silent auction ends at 9 pm with presentations of awards.
 
Vardon is one of the most famous names in golf. Harry was six-time winner of the British Open and Tom finished second to his brother once. Tom was pro at the White Bear Yacht Club from 1916 through 1937. Tom was also an active course designer and did the original nine hole layout for the Stillwater Country Club in 1924, he designed the University of Minnesota Les Bolsted course, and courses in Spooner, WI; Amery, WI, the Eau Claire Country Club and the Minot, ND Country Club and others.
 
Find out more about Tom Vardon and golf in its early days Monday, September 13, at the Tom Vardon Golf Open.
 
The event is sponsored by Gartner Studios and is a benefit for the Washington County Historical Society. The cost is $75 per person. For more information or to sign up to attend, call WCHS at 651-439-5956 or email information@wchsmn.org.