Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1992)
EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 1, 1992 Gribbles recall how local golf course began 40 years ago Dolores and Lowell Gobble Like many a proud papa, Lowell Gribble was on hand for the birth of his baby. It was a big baby; a very big baby. And 40 years after its conception, Grib ble’s baby, the Heppner golf course, has grown even bigger. In 1952, when the course was just a twinkle in Gribble’s eye, he and a fellow golfer, John Williams, stopped to munch ham burgers at a Heppner eatery. They had discussed what they missed most in Heppner and talk ed about finding a site. Gribble and Williams happened to be eating at the “Wishing Well,” the “ local version of the Golden Arches,” says Lowell, and were looking out of the restaurant win dow. To their good fortune, the restaurant just happened to have 23 acres adjoining it. “ It was beautifully bushy, cattailed with gopher mounds, springs and a swamp,” said Gribble. Gribble and Williams asked Tom Wells, the owner of the Wishing Well, if he would consider renting the property to locate a golf course. “Tom, being a businessman, said he would for $300. I thought he meant a month, but he meant a year,” said Gribble. Wells also offered to provide water for a drinking fountain and a ball washer. Now Gribble had the site and an idea, but limited finances. He then approached the local law firm, Mahoney and Fancher, who agreed to draw up the papers without cost. They intended the course to be a community affair, so the charter was constructed so that no one group would own the course. “ Now it was work, work, work,” said Gribble. They started out with three holes layed out across the creek, cleared brush and hauled sand. They bought a three-gang fairway mower and a John Deere “ put- put” tractor. Originally the three holes were not over 100 yards apart with sand greens. They cut up old pieces of wood for drags and oiled the greens. Being slow had its penalties-whoever was last to finish had to drag the greens. “ Now we had started to play golf,” laughed Gribble. “ Little did we know what lay ahead.” Next they put three more holes on the west side of the railroad crossing. This involved more work days and potlucks. They replaced the bridges when high water washed them down the creek. The pro- The Gribbles’ threesome Helen and Harry O’Donnell, Helen and Ed Schaffitz and Dolores and Lowell Gribble. blem was finally solved by an choring the one end of the bridge to a tree. Flooding then was con stantly a problem, and three severe floods brought “heartache and frustration” which they final ly conquered throug perseverance. Jack Van Winkle, who owned a service station at the time donated some pieces of rip rap to control the flooding, but the next flood picked the rip rap up and deposited it on the fairway. The mounding on no. 3 green resulted from all the silt from the flood, they said. Dolores, Gribble’s wife, commented that the cattails on the no. 3 green were all higher than her head. Between the seventh and fifth holes was a swamp with three different springs. When the well was dug, the springs were lost. Gribble said that for years the course was irrigated by hand-moved sprinklers hooked up to a pump from the creek. He says that about this time Kit George was hired parttime to do the sprinkl ing and mowing and he has been there ever since. Fritz Cutsforth witched the well, which put out around 90 gallons a minute. Underground sprinklers were installed, which made a fairway green possible. They then had to buy a fairway mower and many farmers fur nished equipment. Frank Turner purchased a railway bunkhouse for a club house, and a porch and deck were added. Ed Hiemstra and Maury Groves were the carpetner con sultants, says Gribble. It wasn’t until this point that they decided to approach Tom Wells about purchasing the land. They bought the 23 acres from him for $3,000. The original membership dues were $15 a year for a family, $5 a year for an individual and $1 a day for nine holes. “ One thing I wish they hadn’t changed is that we allowed all ministers in town to play for free,” said Lowell. By July of 1966 a work crew had moved the west bank of the railroad down to the swamp, at the present site of hole no. 1. The course was finally layed out as a nine-hole course. Everyone pitched in. Dolores and Lowell taught golf lessons and donated a large mirror for the clubhouse. Phil and Hazel Mahoney donated a barbecue pit. Kinzua donated logs and lumber for the first new permanent bridge, which has since been HP ¿3* "•*>** Lowell on John Deere in 1966 was elected. She spent 12 years Dolores in the next election and as of the peace defeated her but then asked her until justice she retired travel and the to become his secretary. He even present justice to Charlotte Gray tually decided he didn’t want to filled out her term. complete his term, so asked the Lowell is now president of his court to appoint Dolores to the own company, Ultrasonic Predic position. Dolores then ran and table Maintenance, which was elected. She spent 12 years troubleshoots for machinery. Stokes Landing plans concert The Stokes Landing Senior Citizen Center in Irrigon will host the Blue Mt. Old Time Fiddlers on Saturday, April 11. All kinds Clubhouse in Aug. 1963 replaced, and a propane cooking stove. For maintenance the greens were divided up and each threesome had to maintain a green as well as provide entertainment. “ For the first 20 years,” add ed Lowell, “we worked on Satur days and played on Sundays. Ned Sweek, ‘who never played a day of golf in his life,’ donated a week of his vacation from the mill to clean out the creek bed.” For many years there was on ly one restroom, by the no. 2 hole, says Lowell. He and Dolores won’t name names but remembers once when a player drove a ball right into the restroom while it was in use Because of an old football in jury, Lowell was the first to buy a golf cart. And Eddie Gunder son was second, he says. The cards were originally stored in an old wooden shed where the carts now stand. The wooden shed once met with an unfortunate ac cident at the hand of Dolores. As she was driving into the shed with the cart, she accidentally kept her foot on the gas pedal, and drove right through the shed. Dave Gunderson, who they believe was around 14 or 15 at the time, and several of his friends lifted the cart back in for her and Frances Doherty replaced the boards. Gene Hall made the first hole- in-one on the course and Jacki Labhardt was the first reporter for the paper. Dolores took over the “Over the Teacup” column when the Labhardts transferred to John Day. As near as Dolores and Lowell remember, the first members of the club included John and Vivian Williams. Coramae and Ray mond Ferguson, Juanita and Judge Carmichael, Bill and Jackie Labhardt, Phil and Hazel Mahoney, LaVeme VanMarter Sr., Phil and June Blakeny, who owned the drug store, Harry and Helen O’Donnell, Ed and Bever ly Gunderson, Frances Doherty, Clifford Dougherty, Cork and Jim Norene, Helen and Ed Schaf fitz, Donna and Harlan McCur dy, Paul and Karma Koenig (he was the manager of the mill), Ed Bennett, and Kenny and Lucille Peck, who had started a ski lift at Cutsforth Park. Barbara (the Gribble children) and myself never regretted the many hours of work, food, fer tilizer, and weed killer that we donated," added Lowell. “ May many enjoy it as long as it con tinues to be a community affair.” Lowell says that if he has forgot ten anyone it’s because of the years, and invites anyone to come forward and fill in the missing years. The Gribbles left the area in 1980 and just returned to Heppner in 1991. Lowell worked for Shell Oil company for 15 years prior to 1952. He bought the Inland Chemical Service which helped bring Shell NH3 fertilizer to the area. Lowell filled in as justice of the peace for two years. But the demands of his business became to great, so Dolores, who was his secretary, finished out his term. Charlie O’Conner ran against of music will be featured. Show time is 7 p.m. Admission is $1.50 for adults. Refreshments will also be available. For more informa tion call 922-4399. April Special IO % o ff all Jackson&Perkms' EVERBLOOMING OPEN Saturdays 7:30 a.m - 5:00 p.m. Sundays 12 noon-3p.m. Except Easter C ?-• .V NEW VARIETIES AND OLD FAVORITES Miniatures Shrub Tree Roses Hedge Climbing Rediplant Boxes and more IO % o ff all Feed & Supplies for FFA and 4-H members. Call for Tonnage prices. From now until county fair time. GREEN FEED & SEED HWY 207 070*0422 HEPPNER, OR. "We Guarantee Our SERVICE Like We Guarantee Our TIRES!" ★ B RAKES* /CHEVROLET^ w* CM 19 5 ß Over the years some things never change at a quality dealership HONESTY-INTEGRITY-RESPONSIBILITY-SERVICE Doing business for over 45 years in the same old fashioned way WE DO IT RIGHT. . . __________WE DOIT COMPLETE! rHere’s What We Do: I 1. Install factory rebuilt/rebuild calipers 2. Install new rear wheel cylinders 3. Install new brake return and hold down hardware 4. Install high quality pads and linings 5. Install new grease seals (except front wheel drives) 6 Repack front wheel bearings (except front wheel drives) 7. Resurface drums and rotors 8 Bleed and adjust brake system 9. Adjust parking brake 10. Free 25,000 mile written warranty 1 COMPLETE FRONT (Most Cars) & REAR| 125951 4495 (Most Cars) 3EA3Q\uY I 'R0\~0Y .' Parts OR USE OUR EASY L.S. CREDIT PLAN SHERRELL CHEVROLET W e W a rra n ty O u r Servke Lika W a W a rra n ty O v r Tiros Phone 567-6487 Hermiston, Oregon - * V --“ - • \T,'< (Most Cars) Heppner 676-9481
