Le Sueur Country Club

WELCOME TO LE SUEUR COUNTRY CLUB! Le Sueur News-Herald wrote back in 1949 a history of our clubs inception in 1926… “Along about the year 1926 in the late spring, Dr. R. M. Kraft, now living in St. Johns, Michigan, Ben Schlegel, now living in California, and the writer, Paul Eastwood, Sr. were enjoying a Sunday afternoon picnic dinner. In the course of the conversation Dr. Kraft said he thought it was about time for Le Sueur to build a golf club. The other two agreed that as long as it seemed to be the smart thing, for smart towns to do, certainly Le Sueur should keep abreast of the times. Ben said he had just the spot for it, out on his farm east of town. None of the three scarcely knew a golf ball from a yard stick, so agreed to get a hold of someone who did, and take a spin out to this Schlegel place. The only person in town at the time whom we thought knew golf was Ray Pefferlie, who owned Rexall Drug store here. Bright and early Monday the four looked over the acres suggested and taking Ray’s word for it, decided then and there to get it started. It was a tough assignment most people contacted knew nothing of the game, and did not care to learn more. But the foursome kept at it, and in a short time raised enough money to rent that old corn field for a year as a try out. By that time there were twenty-five willing to put in a little money and a lot of time. First thing was to get out there with hoes, pitchforks, and get the corn stalks off the ground and burned. Along came Ebbie Gilbertson, who had played a lot of golf before moving to Le Sueur, and to him was delegated the job of laying out the nine holes. That done and sand and a tin cup added to each “green,” Le Sueur golf club was ready for business, and it did a surprisingly good business, too, as more and more persons became interested in the great national outdoor pastime. Next spring the grass was growing and of course needed mowing. About twenty of us took our lawn mowers out and up and down the fields we went all afternoon, and did a nice job too. Remember Gene Felton was one who spent the afternoon on the business end of a mower. He was living in the house now occupied by George Ochs, and at that time he had about fifty square feet of lawn to mow. And when we let him off at home, there was a big husky doing his mowing job. That was the spirit that started what is now the finest golf club in the state. The Le Sueur golf course is not simply a good place to play golf. It is a place where friends can meet in a social way, enjoy good food in most pleasant surroundings. In short it gives to our little community a meeting place for all the folks of the Minnesota river valley, a folksy place where all feel at home where all are neighbors and friends.”