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The construction of Sharon Woods Golf Course began in 1936. WPA crews did most of the groundwork on the project. Tons of topsoil were dredged from the east side of the lake for constructing greens. The course opened in 1938 when legendary amateur golfer Bobby Jones hit the first golf ball on May 28. Mr. Jones was a fraternity brother of Park District Commissioner at the time, Mr. Alfred K. Nippert, who invited him to attend the opening of the course.
Mr. William H. Diddel is the golf course architect of Sharon Woods Golf Course. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Mr. Diddel designed over 70 courses in his career. Other courses in Cincinnati he designed include Kenwood Country Club, California Golf Course, Miami View Golf Club, Neumann Golf Course, Royal Oak Country Club and The Mill Course at Winton Woods. Mr. Diddel was an accomplished player as well. He is credited with shooting his age or better over 1200 times and won the Indiana Amateur title five times.
During the first years being open, the cost of a greens fee was 35 cents during the week and 50 cents on weekends. Memberships ranged from $22 for a couple to $7.50 for a junior.
Sharon Woods Golf Course once had a caddie program. It was one of the first golf courses in the United States to feature watered fairways. The facility was designed to be a country club experience for the public golfer and included locker rooms, showers, a bar, memberships and full professional service. Marty Kavanaugh was the first golf professional at Sharon Woods. Since then, six other golf professionals have followed in his footsteps.
Despite a lag in overall park attendance during the war years, Golf Manager Marty Kavanaugh reported an annual average of 35,000 rounds of golf. Kavanaugh allowed active members of the Armed Services passing through town to play for free during World War II and the Korean War.
It is estimated that over 2.5 million rounds of golf have been played at Sharon Woods since 1938. Over the years, Sharon Woods Golf Course has been recognized by Golf Digest as a Four-Star “Places to Play” facility. The Cincinnati Enquirer rated it as the “Best Bang for Your Buck” in the Greater Cincinnati area. Hole number 3 has been voted as one of the toughest holes in the city.
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