100 Years of Golf and History
October 13, 2022
100 years of tradition and golf were celebrated on Thursday, September 22 at the Hingham Historical Society in downtown Hingham. The event was moderated by two SSCC board members, Murine Leary and Frank Brown.
The discussion was held in the top floor, with chairs laid out and programs containing important history about the club as well as plans for its bright future. The first speaker was Murnie Leary, who worked at the Hingham Nursery school for over 40 years, and was one of the first members of the country club. She introduced Frank Brown, a NHL Hall of Fame honoree and former sports columnist from New York, who moved to Hingham in 2019. Mr. Brown gave a humorous speech about how “this course is better than me” and gave testimony to the history and splendor of the course, from a cow pasture to Palmer vs Player, a nationally covered exhibition match.
Next up was Fred Hersey, a 10th generation Hinghamite, whose ancestors owned and farmed the land that would become the golf course. Mr. Hersey talked about the interconnectedness of historical Hingham and the contribution of his family, referencing many people who I only know as street names. Mr. Hersey also talked about his work and authorship on Bucket Town, the award-winning historical account of the toy and bucket making history in Hingham. He displayed a beautiful wood bucket created by Peter Hersey, which looked identical to the logo of the SSCC. This logo is one of the most unique parts of the club.
Ed Dann was the next speaker, who had discovered ledgers of his ancestors that built the country club back in the 1920s. The original 9 holes were finished in 1922, while the back 9 were created in 1925. Mr. Dann mentioned that the original name was the “Golf Club” but that was short-lived. He was followed by George Kay, who worked on committees in the 80s to get the town to buy the club using eminent domain. This was to stop developers from building condos and build up the area. Mr. Kay remembered the events like they had happened yesterday, and gave a very in-depth account of the various trials and struggles the committees had to go through to give the town such a great asset.
After the event, a reception was held downstairs where various pictures and artifacts were displayed. On her facorite memories of the SSCC, Ms. Leary reflected on “a really good round of golf” and how “being with friends makes the club special.” Ms. Leary also believes that it is important to “support the town you live in.”
When asked his favorite part of the country club, Mr. Brown responded “If played 50 times I’d hit two pars, pars make you feel triumphant, like I’ve done something right.”
Mr. Brown also gives his best wishes to the Hingham Harbormen hockey team this coming winter.
