Phil Harris Golf Course
Phil Harris Golf Course
The Phil Harris Golf Course, located two miles east of Linton on State Road 54, has been managed by PGA Professional Bart Beard for the past five years. The course is the home of the annual Phil Harris Scholarship Golf Tournament.
The tournament helps to raise money for scholarships given to one or more Linton-Stockton High School seniors each year. Famous sports figures, such as Bob Knight, Chris Schenkel and Ernie Banks, have played in the tournament since it was started in the late 1970s.
Several features set the Phil Harris Golf Course apart from other area courses, one being the fairway watering system, which was installed in 1986. This system keeps the fairways in good condition throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
The course was a privately-operated 9-hole country club in the earlier part of the 1930s before it was purchased by the city of Linton in 1936. It was expanded to the present 18-holes in the mid-1950s. Par for the course is 71, with a par-35 for the front nine and par-36 on the back. The Phil Harris Course is a 6,009-yard layout from the men’s tees and plays 5,077 yards from the ladies’ tees.
The course has a Club House, which can be rented for $50 per day for wedding parties or other types of occasions. The club house has central air and heat. The building was constructed of sandstone and has two main rooms. Dr. W.H. Shoal, Polly Miller’s father, served on the Linton City Council and was primarily responsible for obtaining funds to finance construction of the Club House, which was built by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps.
A snack bar is available for golfers and people who are just visiting the course. A fully-stocked golf merchandise pro shop attracts many customers.
One of the major improvements at the course is the deepening of the pond that joins together on holes 2 and 3. Originally the pond was only about 4 feet deep but now it is 15 feet. This project was undertaken to help the fungus problem. Another improvement is the elevation of some of the tee boxes. The tee boxes were raised on hole number 2 and 13. Another improvement is the extra set of tees that were put on the longer holes which allows the short hitters to get to the green in regulation easier.
Prices are $8 for 9 holes and $14 for 18 holes without cart. On weekends, the cost is $9 for 9 holes and $15 for 18 holes. Carts are $9 for 9 holes and $15 for 18 holes for members and $13 for 9 holes and $20 for 18 holes for non-members.
In 1979, the golf course was renamed after the late Hollywood star, Phil Harris. The Annual Phil Harris Golf Tournament was started in 1978. He would inspect the grounds, sign autographs, and have his picture taken with golfers during the day. Harris attended the tournament annually until his death in 1996.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
