Ashland GC 100th Anniversary

Steeped in the game's tradition and evolution, it would come as no surprise if the roots of the Ashland Golf Club were just as thick as the trees that line its historic fairways.

Turn the aging pages of the club's archives and the rich, 100-year-old lore is unparalleled.

In the midst of prohibition, a two-time British Open champion designed it, and over the years, PGA Tour legends headlined by Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino played it.

The original clubhouse hosted mystery dinner theaters and the big-band sounds of unforgettable musicians like Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Maynard Ferguson. Some staff members even thought the more recent rendition of the clubhouse was haunted before it was torn down in 2013, the same year the course switched from private to public.

Those one-of-a-kind recollections will be just part of the story when the Ashland Golf Club enjoys its centennial summer with the public. A 100-day celebration calendar kicks off May 28 and will feature events, unique course and pro shop specials and giveaways, and 10 different "Parties on the Patio," where attendees will be treated to music and food while they soak in the scenic views that overlook the course.

"The words 'hidden gem' are used a decent amount from players that come out here," said the club's eighth-year PGA golf pro Dennis North, who said rounds played have been up over 4,000 per year since he arrived in 2015. "They absolutely love the golf course."

In 2016, Golf Advisor named the Ashland Golf Club the No. 1 public course in Ohio (and No. 8 in the United States) with greens fees under $50.

The par-72 spread features rolling, bent-grass terrain and maxes out at 6,699 yards. Many of the pines lining its tight fairways were Christmas trees planted after the holidays by club members in the 1950s.

Steve Paramore, a club member and Ashlander who won individual and team state titles as a golfer at Ashland High School, got some of his best training at the Ashland Golf Club during his rise to becoming one of the best linksters in Ohio.

"I've played golf courses that are as nice as Augusta National," said Paramore, a 2003 Ohio State Amateur champion and four-time All-American at NCAA Division II powerhouse Florida Southern College. "... I know when I was even a 20-year-old guy, I always felt it was a true privilege to play (the Ashland Golf Club)."

In 1921, Golden Age course architect Willie Park Jr. - a Scotsman who also built well-known courses in Europe and Canada - designed the original nine holes of what was known at its inception as Ashland Country Club. The links covered 143 acres of farmland and expanded to 18 holes in 1973.