First hole of the course
| |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°51′48″N 83°34′9″W / 32.86333°N 83.56917°W / 32.86333; -83.56917 |
| Location | 3111 Millerfield Road, Macon, Georgia, USA |
| Established | September 1940[1][2] |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | Macon-Bibb |
| Total holes | 18[2] |
| Greens | Bermuda grass[2] |
| Website | BowdenGolfCourse.com |
| Designed by | John C. Cotton |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000024[4] |
| Added to NRHP | February 23, 2015 |
Bowden Golf Course, known formally as Charles L. Bowden Golf Course,[5] is a golf course located in Macon, Georgia.[6]
The course was designed in 1938 by John C. Cotton, a Macon professional golfer, and built by labor supplied by the Works Progress Administration on the site of a former airfield in east Macon, known as Miller Field.[1] Most of the growth in golf courses between 1933 and 1942 came from New Deal initiatives, changing the face of golf in the United States. By early 1937, more than $12 million of work at about 368 courses had been completed throughout the country. Macon was able to take advantage of this program, securing $55,000 of the $70,000 needed to develop the course. The local Junior Chamber of Commerce raised much of the rest through contributions and the sale of memberships.[7]
The course was completed in September 1940. The property consisted of approximately 229 acres with an 18-hole course, a driving range and a putting green. Several cobblestone benches that were installed when the course was built are still present at some tees. New structures, including a replacement clubhouse, a golf cart shed, and maintenance buildings, were built in the 1970s and are not historically significant. Holes 1 and 10 are at the site of the former Miller Field.[7]
In 1961, Bowden Golf Course became the first public facility in Macon to become racially integrated.[8] In March 2015 the course was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[9][5]
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The collection documents the growth and development of the City of Macon primarily during the administration of Mayor Charles L. Bowden (1938-1947).
The Board of Aldermen has voted to voluntarily desegregate Macon's municipal golf course—the first public facility to be integrated in the city's 138 years of existence.
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