Our Club's History
Guy Gannett, Percy V. Hill and Walter S. Wyman founded the Augusta Golf Company on June 30, 1916. These gentlemen, along with 10 to12 local businessmen and residents, believed a golf course and country club would enhance the area.
To make their dream come true, they purchased the Arthur Brainard farm, a 53-acre property that included a small home on the north side of County Road. The dirt lane at that time later became what is now known as Route 202. The cape-style residence, which still stands, served as the greenkeeper’s home for many years.
In the Fall of 1916, the Augusta Golf Company established Augusta Country Club as a state-chartered, non-profit corporation and constructed its original nine holes on the Brainard farmland. A year later, the company considered expansion by buying one of three farms on the southern side of County Road. For more information on the golf layout itself, please read “The Golf Course” section.
The company ultimately chose to purchase the Herbert Hammond Homestead because its land stretched from the road all the way down to the shore of Lake Cobbosseecontee. At the time, the property featured a number of summer cottages. Its most prominent structure, though, was a farmhouse with a barn near the road that became the Clubhouse at Hammonds Grove. The main area was converted into a dining room and kitchen, and the barn became a men’s locker room.
The location proved to be ideal because an electric trolley car serviced the area on tracks that ran alongside County Road from Augusta. In fact, the trolley regularly stopped at a waiting station close to the old Clubhouse to pick up and drop off passengers, many of whom were golfers who brought their clubs with them. The trolley then followed the road a few hundred yards, where it rounded a curve to the left, cutting across what is now the first fairway and beneath the second hole’s hilltop tees.
Over its 100-year-plus history, Augusta Country Club has made major enhancements to its golf, tennis and beach facilities, as well as a full-service Clubhouse that provides fine dining and entertainment for members and guests. It’s also a popular venue in the region for weddings, events and outings.