This article originally appeared in the November issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
Golf Course Historians of Northern California Gather for Annual Meeting
By James Raia
Richard Pettler spent decades working for a large, multinational law firm. His current solo practice specialties include the legal intersection of trees, views and communities. The transition has been ideal considering Pettler's related passion — the past, present and future of Berkeley Country Club.
Combined with Pettler’s overall enthusiasm, the century-old hilltop venue was an ideal location for the recent Golf Course Historians of Northern California's second gathering.
More than two dozen historians and other golf course representatives first met in August of 2024 at the Peninsula Golf and Country Club in San Mateo. Michael Jamieson, the club's historian for more than 35 years, initiated the idea. It's a golf course summit of experts sharing their knowledge and learning best practices for collecting and archiving golf course history.
Jamieson emceed the second luncheon and speaker sessions. Pettler was the host at the historic East Bay setting in El Cerrito that dates to 1920.
A past club president and now its historian, Petter began the varied presentations while discussing his more than 15-year history with the facility. He first played the course with his daughter and quickly became a member.
Similar to stories of other historians and golf course representatives in attendance, Pettler detailed his home course's vast legacy. He was instrumental in returning its original name from Mira Vista Golf & Country Club in 2017. He negotiated a new relationship with UC Berkeley, once the university golf team's home course. Pettler researched details of innovator Robert Hunter, the course's architect, politician, UC Berkeley instructor and author of a seminal golf book, The Links.
"To have a situation where we can share information and be advocates for the correct history of golf in Northern California is going to benefit everyone," said Pettler. "That is the greatest motivation for this, to establish links between the various historians."
In his technology presentation, Sully Hart, representing Monterey Peninsula Country Club, offered that new software programs have drastically improved archiving options. New security backup systems can prevent the loss of content and images, a dilemma that is not uncommon, particularly at historic country clubs.
The historians' assembly also included a discussion of other golf course architect legends, Alister MacKenzie to Donald Ross. Bradford Becken, Jr., the author and renowned Ross expert, was introduced by syndicated golf broadcaster John Abendroth.
Becken, who has played all the nearly 400 courses Ross designed, detailed the icon's signature features and discussed his penchant for preserving golf course history.
"I know at the beginning of the Donald Ross Society in the 1980s, you'd talk to some clubs and they'd say, 'Donald Ross course? I don't care if it's a Donald Duck course. What difference does that make?’ But now, not just Ross, but some of the others from the Golden Age are appreciated. These architects have a timeless appeal.
"You inevitably get asked, 'What is your favorite or what are some of your favorite (Donald) Ross courses?' " Becken continued. "I always say it's the ones that have been restored to the truest of what they originally were."
Ivan Chong, a member of the membership committee at Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, attended the new historian organization's meeting for the first time.
"I love history and the pedigree of your golf course is super important for attracting new members," said Chong, a strategy management consultant in Foster City. "When we see a big fall off in membership, with turnover of older members who don't play golf anymore, and we are trying to compete with other clubs in the area for new members, it's super important to promote our heritage.
"Right now, when we harvest our heritage, we go from the older members and any sort of written documents they've left behind," said Chong, "These guys are the next level."