Concord Country Club in the same class of membership held by them in Wilmington. Concord Country Club membership was restricted to those proposed for membership in the Wilmington Country Club but not yet admitted because of lack of vacancies. When elected to membership in the Wilmington Country Club, one’s status as a limited member of the Concord Country Club was discontinued. By the end of 1951, the Wilmington Country Club membership had risen to the 2,000-member mark (including 200 Concord members), so the Board of Directors approved the purchase of 335 acres of Henry Francis duPont’s Winterthur property. In September 1959, the Pennsylvania Avenue property was sold for $600,000; in December 1961, the Concord Country Club was sold for $1,300,000. In November 1960, the Board of Directors authorized construction of a new Clubhouse and facilities at the Kirk Road location at a cost of $3,150,000. William duPont, Jr., graciously donated the cost of construction of the same number and type of tennis courts as the Club on Pennsylvania Avenue, plus the cost of drainage for two additional courts. The official opening of the new Clubhouse was marked by a gala and buffet dinner on November 8, 1962. The new Club – with a Clubhouse designed by Whiteside, Moeckel and Carbonell and built by Ernest DiSabatino & Sons, Inc. – provided two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., (South) and Dick Wilson (North), a driving range, 13 tennis courts, four singles and two doubles squash courts and an Olympic-length swimming pool. William duPont, Jr., donated most of the old Pennsylvania Avenue course to the City of Wilmington and it became public in 1958. It is now known as the Porky Oliver Golf Course, named for the great professional golfer who had been a caddy at the old Wilmington Country Club. Over the years, the Wilmington Country Club hosted some exciting championships and exhibitions. Such tennis greats as Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Alice Marble and Margaret Osborne duPont played on the Pennsylvania Avenue courts. As far back as 1913, the Club hosted the Women’s National Golf Championship and the Davis Cup Competition between the United States and Canada. The National Junior Girls’ Grass Tournament was held at the Club for a number of years as well as the Men’s National Invitational. More recent annual events have been the National Women’s 55 and 65 Grass Tournament and the Delaware State Men’s Singles, Delaware Women’s Amateur Golf Championship, and the U.S. Golf Association’s Junior Championship. Additionally, Squash has been a long-time, important Wilmington Country Club sport. The Club’s former Squash Professional, Dan Martella, was ranked among the game’s top 10 players nationally. The National Men’s Doubles and the National Women’s Singles have been held at the new Club location.
8
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease