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About OPCC
HISTORY
Located in the outskirts of Southeast Buffalo is the Orchard Park Country Club. The Club is nestled in the small, yet robust village of Orchard Park, with a majority of the golf course extending into the town of Orchard Park. The Club has a rich history spanning more than 100 years, the earliest of which occurred before the establishment of Orchard Park Country Club Inc., which took place in 1946.
Orchard Park Country Club’s golf course was designed by Walter J. Travis in 1916 when the property and Club was originally operated by The Park Country Club of Buffalo. Over time, Walter J. Travis has become revered for the approximately fifty golf course designs that bear his name. To this day, Orchard Park Country Club’s golf course is universally regarded as a hidden gem of Walter J. Travis and a true test of golf to all who play and love the game. Our Club continues to pay homage to Walter J. Travis by having a room in the Club named in his honor, where memorabilia of his legacy and contribution to golf grace the walls.
In 1946 The Park Club put the Orchard Park division of The Park Club up for sale. At the time, there were 110 members of the Orchard Park Division of The Park Club, and there was concern among some that the club could be sold to a group that would make the Club public.
Through the leadership of Arthur J. Wiesner and collaborative efforts of multiple members, a group of members from the Orchard Park Division of The Park Club was able to purchases the Club at a price tag of $75,000. This was done through the group raising $40,000 in funds and taking out a $35,000 mortgage from M&T Bank. On July 3, 1946, Orchard Park Country Club Inc. was officially formed and as they say - the rest is history!
In 2021, the Club celebrated its 75th anniversary of becoming Orchard Park Country Club Inc. and we continue to pay homage to our founding member, Arthur J. Wiesner, by having the Club Board Room bear his name.
THE WALTER J. TRAVIS SOCIETY
Walter J. Travis was born in Maldon, Australia in 1861 and emigrated to the United States in 1884. At the age of 35 he embarked on a golf career which included championship caliber golf, literary excellence, and national acclaim for course design. His accomplishments as a golfer include: the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1900, 1901, 1903 and the British Amateur Championship in 1904.
In the field of literature, he is credited with writing the books Practical Golf and The Art of Putting in 1901 and 1902. During those same years Travis was a frequent contributor to the magazine Golf (the official bulletin of the United States Golf Association). A short time later he founded and began editing The American Golfer, one of the best golf magazines in the early 1900’s.
Travis created 36 distinguished golf courses and remodeled and consulted on 31 other major courses. Among his many noted and acclaimed designs were: Westchester Country Club, the Garden City Golf Club, the Equinox Golf Links, and Ekwanok Country Club. Locally, Travis crafted Orchard Park Country Club, the Cherry Hill Club, Stafford Country Club, The Pennhills Club, and Lookout Point Country Club.
The Walter J. Travis Society was created to promote awareness of and recognition for the contributions Travis made to the game of golf. Membership in the Society is growing nationally. The research and financial resources of the Travis Society played a major role in the development of The Old Man, the very interesting and highly informative Travis biography written by Bob Labbance and published by Sleeping Bear Press in 2000. Orchard Park Country Club took the lead in challenging the other clubs to match our donation in order to pay Bob Labbance for research. The Walter J. Travis Society, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (
www.travissociety.com
).
In recognition of Walter Travis and to promote friendly competition among Travis designed clubs, the Society established “The Walter J. Travis Cup” international golf matches in 1995 between Orchard Park CC, Stafford CC, and Lookout Point CC. The competition follows a Ryder Cup format with a custom crafted trophy presented to the winner of this annual competition. Since 1995, the Pennhills Club and, most recently, the Cherry Hill Club have joined the Travis competition.