At the turn of the century, The Cambria Iron Company established a nine hole golf club, The Cambria Country Club, covering part of the area that is now Grandview Cemetery across Millcreek Road where Indiana, Geneva, and Hood Avenues are located. Its clubhouse still stands and is the home of the Johnstown Brewing Company.
Although the land and facilities were owned by the Cambria Iron Company, the club membership included business and civic leaders. Membership was limited to 300, wives included. Dues varied from $15 per year for single women to $60 per year for husband and wife. The treasurer’s report for 1920 indicated receipts of $23,190 and expenses of $22,968.
In late 1920, or early 1921, the Cambria Iron Company informed the Club that its properties would be required within the next two years and that additional land, known as The Old Farms, could be made available for a new club.
In a meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 2, 1921, the new club was formed and named Sunnehanna, the Native American name of a local waterway. Initiation fees for charter members were set at $150 and new members at $200. Yearly dues were established at $60.
Henry Rodgers, a prolific Westmont architect, was engaged to design the new clubhouse and the development of Sunnehanna began. Rodgers, who studied in Philadelphia, was responsible for many of the beautiful homes on tree-lined Luzerne and Tioga Streets.
The golf course was designed by the legendary architect, A. W. Tillinghast. While not as prolific as other architects of his day, his courses have endured the test of time. Among the courses he designed were Baltusrol Golf Club, which opened in 1922, and Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck. In 1923, “Tillie” became the lead architect in the creation of Sunnehanna Country Club.
The onset of the Great Depression constrained the growth of Sunnehanna. In 1935, Wilson Slick, a successful insurance agent in Johnstown, started an eight-year term as president of the club. Wilson’s energy and ideas commanded the full confidence and respect of the business leaders of the community. The club enjoyed years of “in-kind” support from many of those businesses with Bethlehem Steel leading the way.
In fact, Sunnehanna’s survival through the Great Depression and World War II was no small feat. In a 20-year period, 1932-1952, 600 golf clubs went out of business never to open again. Only 200 were built during these two decades, in contrast to the 600 per year in the 1920’s. While the Depression strained the finances of many clubs, the war years (1941-1945) presented many clubs with problems not financial but practical. Scarcities were the problem, especially gasoline, but also labor and supplies. In fact, shortages of fuel led to courses shrinking the size of greens. This is still apparent today at Sunnehanna although efforts have begun to return them to their original size.
In the summers of 1936 and 1937, the character of the club and the interests of the membership started to take shape with the inauguration of the Sunnehanna Invitational. The event continued through 1951. The Invitational ended abruptly when gambling in the Calcutta Pool for the Championship Flight caught the attention of local authorities.
The Invitational brought some great moments to the members. An 18 year-old, Arnold Palmer, won in 1948. That same year, Art Wall was the Medalist. An unforgettable highlight of the Invitational was Sunnehanna’s Danny Moore soundly beating Julius Boros, one of the country’s very best amateurs.
In the 50’s and 60’s the makeup of Sunnehanna, and ultimately the purpose of the club, underwent significant changes. From a close-knit and highly restricted group of individuals, Sunnehanna's membership grew and became more diverse. In a surprisingly short period of time it became one of the greatest assets of the region and the hub for the finest social and charitable activities of the community.
As the club matured, it developed a longstanding and very highly regarded junior golf program. For many years, Sunnehanna has hosted the George F. Wheeling Scholastic Golf Tournament, a 36-hole event for 24 regional high school golf teams.
Tournament golf returned in the summer of 1954, with the introduction of The Sunnehanna Amateur which has become one of the premiere amateur tournaments in the country. The devoted work of Bill and Carlyn Price in shepherding the tournament made Sunnehanna famous throughout the world of golf. In return, the members of the club and the people of our area have walked the fairways with some of the finest players to have ever played the game including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Davis Love, Phil Mickelson and scores of other PGA tournament winners.
Sunnehanna was leased by the membership from Bethlehem Steel Corporation until 1973, when the Sunnehanna Board of Governors, spearheaded by President Robert Rose, negotiated the purchase of the club.
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