About the Club

RCC had its beginning around 1900 when a group of industrialist and businessmen of the community led the movement to acquire property and establish a golf course. The original location for the nine-hole course and club was west of the city of Racine in the area adjacent to what is now Washington Avenue and Lathrop and near Graceland Cemetery. The club was primarily a golf club with nine holes of moderate length, six small privately-owned summer cottages and a central shanty which served as a clubhouse. It is believed that Thomas Bendelow designed the original course. 

In 1909, with a desire to spread its wings, the membership became attracted to a portion of the Charles Wustum Farm as an ideal location for a more modern and exacting golf course. The actual purchase was made by a corporation known as The Idlewild Land Company, a holding company. The original plot embraced the land on which the present club stands, although additional property has been purchased to the north and south.

The original clubhouse at this site, built by Andy Kappel, included only the dimensions of what is known today as the formal dining room area with basement and open porches. The second and third floors provided rooms and living accommodations for guests, most of whom were sales representatives and visitors of the major manufacturing facilities of Racine at that time. The newly located Club and clubhouse was open for use only from may until September for a number of years.

The first nine holes of the new RCC course were designed and built by Joseph Rossman, Sr. soon after the club acquired the property along Northwestern Ave. Rossman had begun his golf career as a caddy at Philadelphia Country Club prior to becoming professional/greenskeeper at DesMoines Golf and Country Club in 1907. He soon served a similar role at Racine until about 1916, when he moved to the Chicago area and founded the Rossman Tractor Mowing Company.

About 1920, it was decided to operate the club on a year-round basis. A kitchen and staff quarters were added to the north end of the clubhouse. The living accomodations were discontinued around this time. Prior to this, two bowling alleys had been installed along the east elevation on the basement floor.

In 1926, the club purchased adjoining property and expanded to 18-holes with the revised course being designed and constructed under the supervision of golf professional, Todd Sloan. Sloan would also later design neighboring Meadowbrook CC.

In 1929, the upper and lower porches were enclosed and this provided enlarged locker room space on the lower floor. Meanwhile, a wall on the main floor was opened to assure a larger dining room area. There were approximately 150 members by this time and the Club had become the scene of considerable year-round activity. In addition, tennis courts were added and located to the northeast of the clubhouse.

The club underwent remodeling and a facelift in 1946 with modern improvements, refurbishing and refurnishing of the main floor, the lower tap room and the kitchen. The east bowling alleys were covered by a temporary floor during the golf season to provide an expanded auxiliary locker room for men starting in 1949. In 1952 came the long-awaited swimming pool to the southeast of the clubhouse. The membership grew from 275 to 300.

The RCC course remained essentially unchanged until 1977, when Larry and Roger Packard were commissioned to re-design the facility. The Packard’s made extensive alterations to the layout of the course. Packard who was based in Chicago, exerted powerful influence on design trends, professional policy and innovation in the field of golf course architecture in the 60’s and 70’s.

In the late 1980’s, the club hired Lohmann Associates to produce a Master Plan as a guide for future changes to the course. Very little of this plan was implemented, and in 2005, the club commissioned Mark Mungeam of Cornish, Silva and Mungeam to oversee the renovation of all the bunkers on the course.

Thus, from a small start in a meadow back in 1900, The Racine Country Club has grown with the times, suffered its setbacks, survived its crises, but has endured, improved and acquired its more and better facilities through the loyalty and support of its growing membership and the devotion of its officers and directors and committees down through the years, until today it stands as one of the best private clubs of its kind serving the recreational and social needs of its members.