Early Days of Ozone

The first game played was at the Northfield Country Club, Atlantic City, on First Month 16th, 1901, and was an all day event of 36 holes. Nine games were played that year, and twelve games in 1902, the aim being to play on the third Fourth-day of every month, weather permitting.

The first officers of the Club were Walter P. Stokes, President, Joseph H. Roberts, Secretary, who with James G. Biddle served as the Executive Committee, and they served for the years 1901, 1902 and 1903. This set the standard three year term which Ozone has adhered to. The name “Ozone” was suggested by Joseph Roberts.

From the start, Atlantic City has played a vital part in the Club’s activities. Harry Leeds cordially invited the members to be guests at Haddon Hall for the night preceding the very first game. This generosity on the part of the Atlantic City members was continued to include the annual meetings, the first of which was held at Haddon Hall in First Month, 1902. Until and including 1927, nine annual meetings had been held at Haddon Hall, seven at the Dennis, six at the Traymore, and five at the Chalfont. In the early days, games were played in every month of the year, and the Atlantic City course at Northfield was the scene of a very large number of contests. In 1906, no less than seven of the thirteen games played were on the Atlantic City course.

Of the original twenty-one charter members, fourteen were still playing in 1927. But the newly formed Ozone Club started in its very first year to add to its membership, and nine new members joined in 1901, and three in 1902. There were 27 new members during the first 27 years. From 1907 to 1919 there were no new members.

The wonderfully stirring events of the first twenty-seven years may be found in the 1927 volume. There are listed all of the players and their scores, the officers and prize winners, minutes of annual meetings and gems from the pens of the literary giants of those days.

It is worth recalling, however, that the first Ozone Handicap Cup was won by Edward T. Comfort in 1902, and was fashioned out of pewter. Many cups and trophies have been in competition over the years, but the general rules laid down early in our history have been adhered to. Attendance was kept down in the early days because of lack of adequate transportation, the automobile being a rarity, even among Ozoners, until the middle of the 1910to 1920 decade.

Scores were higher in the first few years, but that is the common experience in golfing groups. As courses, clubs, balls and equipment became better, and players improved, the lowest average gross score dropped quickly from Joseph H. Roberts’ 103.82 in 1901 to Walter Smedley’s 88.00 in 1908.

The officers, from the start, were absolute in their authority, and not only arranged the matches, handicaps, and all the Club business, but immediately started to “bear down” on the members with what became known as the Blue Laws, providing for all games to be played according to established U.S.G.A. rules, that no player be allowed to use a ball that has been re-painted more than three times, and that any member sending his clubs by the wrong railroad shall be fined one dollar.

We must conclude that, with the far less adequate transportation and the playing of the monthly games right through the winter months, that our early members were of an exceptionally hardy breed. Though they were distinguished and very busy men in their various lines of endeavor, they took time for Ozone games, they competed strenuously for all prizes, and got a tremendous enjoyment out of each others company. There was much good natured banter, a great many complaints registered against the handicap committee and against the high-handed officers generally.