Alderbrook Golf Course: A Century of History and Evolution

Alderbrook Golf Course boasts a rich history, evolving from humble beginnings to a premier golfing destination. This article explores the history of Alderbrook golf courses in Washington and Oregon, detailing its origins, transformations, and the communities that have shaped its legacy.

The Origins of Alderbrook Golf Course in Oregon

Alderbrook Golf Course, celebrating its centennial, stands as a jewel of North Oregon Coast golfing. The Mook, as it is known, is one of the oldest courses along the Oregon Coast. Over the last 100 years, a series of visionary owners have provided golfers of all ages with a scenic and challenging 18-hole walk in the woods.

Early Development and Ownership

In about 1924, Lee and Helen Smith purchased a 95-acre property in Idaville, north of Tillamook, from a dairy farmer named Schultz. In 1925, Mr. Smith designed the course and laid it out. At the time, it was organized as a Country Club with 500 Life Memberships offered for $250 each, but this soon became annual memberships. The lifetime memberships were not honored by subsequent owners.

In 1930, a Mr. Johnson purchased the property, but after a year it was ‘taken over’ by the First National Bank who combined it with the acreage from the Vaughan farm and then leased it to the Gilmans. The Gilmans moved the caddy house and the two dwellings from the upper lake to what is now Alderbrook Road. In 1940, Earl Goheen bought the property from the bank and added a barn for cows.

The Pangborn Era: Dairy Farming and Golf

In 1942, Marvin and Ester Pangborn, along with their friends Kenneth and Elaine Clark, purchased Alderbrook, which had 2 dairy farms and a 9-hole golf course. The plan was for the Clarks to run the golf course and my parents the dairy farm. The smaller farm located a few miles in the hills above Bay City was eventually sold, and Marvin Pangborn ran the farm while Ester Pangborn managed the golf course.

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Initially, Marvin Pangborn wanted to 'de-convert' the golf course to expand the dairy farm. Ester Pangborn, having worked in the Club House as a young girl in 1926, opposed this idea. Shortly after they purchased the course, the Navy approached them about keeping the course open as a place where they could take the sailors on weekends and days off. Marvin Pangborn adopted Alderbrook as the prefix for his small herd of registered Jersey cows.

Expansion to 18 Holes and Sale to Investors

In November 1964, Marvin Pangborn, eligible for American Social Security payments, decided to sell his cows. Without the cows, the farmland was converted completely to golf, and Alderbrook was now an 18-hole course.

In 1967, the course was sold to a group of Californian investors. In 1978, the ‘Alderbrook Corporation’ was put on the market and sold to Norbert and Maggie Boyle.

Recent Developments and Ownership Changes

In October 2021, the course closed to be sold for possible residential development. However, four couples from the area formed Aldermook LLC, which bought the course in January 2023 and reopened it on April 1, 2023.

Course Layout and Features

A Blend of Challenges and Opportunities

Alderbrook Golf Course is an 18-hole public course just north of Tillamook on the coast. Alderbrook Golf Course rests near dairy farms at the foot of the Coast Range and has many old-growth trees. One 9 is generally short, but with mature trees and narrow holes. The other 9 is more open, but with some tricky holes (including one that goes straight up). Traps, water, and elevation changes (some severe) make for an interesting round. Course conditions have greatly improved recently, and the course is in generally good shape. Greens are almost all elevated and in good condition. There are several holes with steep hills. The first 9 was built in 1924 and the second 9 in 1966. The course was materially remodeled in 2011.

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Unique Hole Highlights

The 8th Hole: A seemingly harmless par 3.
Rainwater Harvesting: Rain is collected in the ponds and then used for irrigation.

Community Engagement

Alderbrook has partnered with the local YMCA to support junior golf in the area and hosts junior camps in the summer.

A Detailed Look at Alderbrook Golf Course in Washington

The Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club (AGYC) in Washington, a distinct entity from the Oregon course, also boasts a rich history and a strong sense of community.

Origins and Early Development

In 1959, the Alderbrook Inn and associated uplands were purchased by Hoodsport real estate broker Wesley M. Johnson and his wife Frances. Johnson determined that the Alderbrook uplands were ideal for construction of a golf course and vacation community. Johnson offered home sites as 99-year renewable leaseholds, which included an automatic membership in the Alderbrook Community Club. Each leaseholder also became a member of the homeowners’ organization. The original Covenants were signed on June 28, 1965, and included many terms still in effect. The first home at Alderbrook was occupied on October 15, 1965. A few AGYC residents from the late 1960s still live at Alderbrook, and there are a number of AGYC members with family ties to the original homeowners or who have lived here for several decades.

Formation of the Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club

On June 30, 1968, the present-day Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club (AGYC) was formed at the first annual meeting of owners by combining the Alderbrook Community Club and the Alderbrook County Club into one entity. Seven trustees were elected, including Wes and Frances Johnson and their daughter Nancy Lynch, and four members from the AGYC community. This re-organization resulted in each owner having a membership in one club with monthly dues.

Course Construction and Expansion

Wes Johnson oversaw the construction of the par-72 golf course designed by Ray Goss and Glen Proctor. The front nine holes officially opened in July 1965 and the back nine in June 1970. The first cart paths were built in 1974. The driving range, currently owned by North Forty Ventures, was opened in March 1984.

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Community and Club Activities

The Men’s Club and Ladies Club were organized by 1970, and both groups continue to hold monthly meetings, play golf weekly and sponsor golf competitions and tournaments. The first Golf Professional was hired in 1965, and only eight individuals have held the position over the years. The Yacht Club has also been an important community group at Alderbrook. It was established in 1974 by members who moored their boats at the Alderbrook Inn dock. Surprisingly, owning a boat was never a requirement for membership.

Clubhouse Evolution

Initially, a small building near the present-day #10 tee housed a small snack bar and storage area. This building also served as the clubhouse. An expanded clubhouse opened on April 17, 1982. In 2006, the Board of Directors took initial steps to replace the outdated clubhouse with a first-class facility. The membership approved a budget that provided for a new clubhouse and pro shop, and the Board approved a $1.9 million construction budget and a one-time assessment of $2,000 per lot. Hood Canal Fine Homes was the general contractor for the project, did the construction at cost and donated $100,000 back to AGYC when the project was completed. The new Clubhouse held its Grand Opening on May 16, 2009.

Community Publications

AGYC has published a newsletter, the Foremast, since March 1970 and a yearly membership directory since the early 1970s.

Ownership Transitions and Legal Matters

As the result of a lawsuit settled in July 1978, AGYC assumed ownership of the community areas and control, operation and maintenance of all common areas but continued to lease the golf course from Johnson.

Crista Ministries and North Forty Lodging

to Crista Ministries, a Seattle-based Christian service organization, for $5.75 million in 1998. (now renamed Hood Canal Fine Homes) became the land developer and successor to Crista Ministries as the owner of the unsold lots within Alderbrook. Crista sold the water company to Mason County PUD #1 for $300,000 with $400,000 slated for capital improvements after rejecting AGYC’s bid for $240,000. Crista wanted to sell the golf course to AGYC and worked with AGYC to reach a satisfactory deal. AGYC signed a letter of intent with Crista on July 3, 2001, to purchase the golf course and common areas along with the 10-acre well site and approximately 13 acres where The Annex and the Clubhouse are now located and trade some land for $1.3 million. After the Board of Directors approved the final terms of the sale with Crista, the agreement was approved by the AGYC membership. The sale closed on December 7, 2001. Crista financed the original purchase of the golf course. The break between the Inn and uplands was complete when North Forty Lodging, owned by Jeff and Tricia Raikes, purchased the historic inn for $2.36 million in 2001 and launched a $13 million renovation, which included moving SR-106.

Modern Management and Community Focus

For many years, the seven-person, volunteer Board of Directors managed AGYC’s affairs with the Board president acting as Chief Operating Officer and department heads reporting to the Board through different committee chairs. After the golf course was purchased, the Board decided to hire a professional General Manager to run AGYC’s day-to-day operations, supervise all the department heads and report to the Board. The first General Manager was hired in October 2001. The Board of Directors and many members have volunteered over the years to ensure AGYC’s continuing success. Currently, eighteen committees have been established to provide guidance and recommendations to the Board and the General Manager in their specific areas of interest.

A Thriving Community

AGYC has grown from a small group of vacation homes to a thriving, primarily retirement, community of full-time and part-time residents. Even though there are more than 350 homes now, residents enjoy unmatched peace and solitude. The golf course is consistently listed as one of the top 25 in the Northwest, and there are many social and recreational activities for golfers and non-golfers alike. In 2015, AGYC celebrated its 50th anniversary with a number of activities culminating in a party for the entire membership on July 26, 2015. A permanent exhibit in the Clubhouse featuring AGYC’s history was unveiled and a time capsule was dedicated.

The Alderbrook Experience

Tucked into the woods above Hood Canal, the Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club has been a thriving and active golf course community of full-time and part-time residents since 1965. It is located less than two hours from Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia. Members have a choice of unwinding in peace and solitude, playing golf as often as Mother Nature allows or participating in the many recreational activities for golfers and non-golfers alike. Alderbrook Golf Course is a hidden treasure, creating the rare Washington golf experience where you can actually live where you play. Alderbrook is a member-owned golf course that is also open to public play. We have all you could need for a day of golf including a driving range, two practice putting areas and a chipping area.

A Round at Alderbrook Golf Course in Oregon: Hole-by-Hole

Front Nine Highlights

Hole 1: A short, tree-lined Par 4.
Hole 2: The green is hidden when you approach the tee box.
Hole 5: A picturesque, 150-yard Par 3 over water to an elevated green.
Hole 9: A blind, uphill tee shot leads into this tight fairway with a quick turn at the end to reach the green.

Back Nine Standouts

Hole 14: Features nearly a 90-degree dogleg left around the treelined edge of the course property.
Hole 15: A unique, 114-yard Par 3 with a green nearly 100 feet above you.
Hole 16: Offers a chance to crush your driver from a tee box elevated even higher than the preceding green.

Alderbrook Resort & Spa: A Complementary History

Early Years and Expansion

Alderbrook Resort & Spa, also known as Alderbrook Inn or Alderbrook, is a hotel located in Union, WA, on the southern shores of Hood Canal. Alderbrook opened in 1920 as a group of tent cabins with wood stoves and has been expanded and remodeled numerous times. Alderbrook was originally built by Henry Stumer, a Seattle business owner, who had previously owned the Hotel Stumer in Union City (now Union, WA). Beginning in 1909, Stumer worked with friends from Seattle's Swedish Club to buy and develop beachfront property just east of Union City. Stumer bought three of the resulting lots from what became known as the Sunny Beach tract and built tent cabins consisting of frames covered in black and orange striped canvas. The cabins had no windows and no electricity, only a wooden stove for heating and cooking. The creek running through the property was used for refrigeration. Stumer expanded Alderbrook over the next fourteen years to include a lodge and amphitheater, ten acres, and 600' of waterfront.

Changes in Ownership and Management

In 1927, Stumer sold the Alderbrook Inn to Clara Eastwood and Jessie Mustard, two women from Seattle. Jessie Mustard soon married and sold her shares to Eloise Flagg. Under the corporation, they began purchasing adjacent land and by 1944 had grown Alderbrook to 360 acres. Alderbrook Center opened in 1941 featuring a soda fountain and sandwich shop, and in 1944 they opened the Flagwood gift shop, the Alderbrook Apparel Shop, and Alderbrook Beauty Shop. In 1945, they retired and sold the corporation to the Schafer family, owners of Schafer Logging and Lumber Company.

The Johnson Era and Environmental Concerns

In 1964, construction began on the first nine holes of the golf course on the property up the hill from the Inn. In 1966 Wes Johnson announced new plans for redeveloping the Alderbrook Inn which centered around demolishing the existing lodge and building a new high-rise hotel on pilings out over the water. A permit from the Army Corps of Engineers was required because the project was proposed over navigable waters. Mason County commissioners responded with no objections; however, numerous comments from individuals expressing opposition to the project were submitted. Among the complaints were concerns over increased pollution from the hotel itself and increased boat traffic, an undesirable increase in tourism, and primarily the encroachment of buildings and fill-up of Hood Canal tidelands. If approved, the new 11-story hotel would set a precedent for allowing high-rise structures along the shoreline. The Hood Canal Committee made similar requests to several state agencies and Governor Dan Evans asking that they reject the permit application. They also circulated a petition asking Mason County to enact an emergency zoning ordinance to protect the shoreline until a comprehensive plan already in process outlining environmental protections could be approved.

Legal Battles and Revised Plans

On April 21, 1970, the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Army Corps of Engineers ruled against the issuance of a permit for the Alderbrook project because of "adverse effects on the environment and esthetics." They cited the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and Presidential Executive Order 11514 (Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality, dated March 5, 1970) as making it the responsibility of all Federal agencies to protect and preserve the environment. In 1971, the Washington State Shoreline Management Act went into effect requiring all developments within 200 feet of the shore to have a special permit. Wes Johnson was required to obtain one of these special permits and revised his plans for Alderbrook to make the new hotel shorter and move it back above the shoreline.

Hotel Reconstruction and Later Years

It was not until 1977 that Johnson began construction on the new hotel, and it opened in August 1978. The addition included 47 guest rooms, two dining rooms, and an indoor pool and hot tub spa. Wes Johnson listed the Alderbrook Inn and its related properties for sale in 1985, however, he remained the owner until he died in 1991.

Crista Ministries and Subsequent Renovations

Alderbrook was finally sold in 1998 to Crista Ministries to be turned into a Christian conference center. The Inn remained open to the public; however, the lounge was closed, and smoking and alcohol were prohibited. Crista Ministries was unable to sustain it. The Alderbrook Inn was purchased by North Forty Lodging in 2001. As a part of the 2002 renovation, a half-mile section of the highway was rerouted behind the parking lot and administrative buildings. Alderbrook closed for renovation in September 2002. The newly branded Alderbrook Resort and Spa opened in June 2004 with opening celebrations over the 4th of July weekend. In 2009 a new, more environmentally friendly dock was installed at Alderbrook. The new dock replaced creosote-treated wood with composite decking and Styrofoam floats with polyethylene.

Community Impact and Recognition

Alderbrook's 2002 renovation brought revitalization to the town of Union and the surrounding area. When Crista Ministries listed the Inn for sale in 2001 Alderbrook was the largest employer in the area with 70 employees. In July 2015, the Union City Market opened, with a space for community gatherings as well.

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