Bowden Golf Course

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

Charles L. Bowden Golf Course[note 1][3]

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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]

## History

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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]

## Notes

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1. ^ Charles L. Bowden was mayor of Macon from 1938 to 1947.

## References

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1. ^ a b "Charles L. Bowden Golf Course Listed in the National Register of Historic Places". Press release. Georgia Historic Preservation Division. March 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
2. ^ a b c "Bowden Golf Course". WorldGolf.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
3. ^ "Charles L. Bowden Papers". Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2015. "The collection documents the growth and development of the City of Macon primarily during the administration of Mayor Charles L. Bowden (1938-1947)."
4. ^ "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 2/23/15 through 2/27/15". National Park Service. March 6, 2015. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
5. ^ a b Caputo, Michael (March 12, 2015). "National Recognition for a Macon Golf Course With a Civil Rights History". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
6. ^ Gaines, Jim (February 9, 2015). "Bowden Golf Course gets historic listing". Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015.
7. ^ a b Maiyel Battin; Lynn Speno (December 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Charles L. Bowden Golf Course" (PDF). Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
8. ^ "Georgians Integrate Golf Course". Miami, Florida: The Miami News. June 7, 1961. p. 9A. Retrieved April 13, 2015. "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."
9. ^ Davis, Claire (March 12, 2015). "Bowden Golf Course listed on Historic Register". WMAZ-TV.

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