The history of McHenry is not complete without the rich history of the McHenry Country Club. As the boom of McHenry as a resort and commerce destination blossomed in the early 20th century, the private community golf club was founded in 1922.
Beginning as a nine-hole course, a second nine was soon added along with a crude, quickly constructed clubhouse. The club gained members and improvements to the clubhouse, facilities and course continue to this day. From open fields in the early years to the tree-lined fairways today, McHenry Country Club offers the challenges of a traditional, golden-age golf course. Known for its greens, small and difficult to read due to the pull of the Fox River meandering nearby, the course offers a true challenge of golf. Every club in the bag is in play and there are risk-reward challenges at every turn.
The birth of McHenry Country Club began with the help of horse drawn implements and 60 acres of farmland were cleared and transformed into what is now considered one of the best golf courses in northern Illinois. The club was founded in 1922 when the original nine holes were crafted at the corner of Green and John streets. That spring, the Board of Directors began a sincere effort to attract a young greens keeper from Woodstock. An agreement was reached and in June 1922, Al Purvey became the club’s greens keeper. Purvey held that position until his retirement as golf course superintendent in 1961, a near 40-year tenure.
More land was acquired in 1925 to craft the additional nine holes that made MCC a true 18-hole track. In the early days players dressed formally, teed up their golf balls on mounds of sand and clay, and used wooden clubs that were nothing like today’s highly engineered equipment.
The original clubhouse was located on the southwest part of what is now the east putting green. This structure was 420 square feet and was built in one day by McHenry building contractor John Weber and his crew of three men. The original building had a lunch counter and restrooms, and little more. The present clubhouse was completed in 1953, with a large addition completed in 1960, which included the men’s lounge, locker room and pro shop. Today the clubhouse is one of the area’s premier venues for hosting weddings and other large celebrations. It also houses the open-to-the-public restaurant known as the Metalwood Grille.
In addition to its challenging course, which has earned a reputation as one of the best courses in northeast Illinois, MCC has a notable place in golf history. Vale Adams was the McHenry Country Club pro from 1962 to 1981. His son, Gary Adams, used McHenry Country Club as the proving ground for a revolutionary innovation: the metal fairway wood and driver. The rest is history as Gary went on to found TaylorMade Golf and the Pittsburgh Persimmon, effectively changing the face of the game. Metalwood Grille, the clubhouse bar and restaurant overlooking the Fox River is named for Adams’s creations.
Loved by its members for not only its iconic course, the real story of McHenry Country Club also is the legacy created throughout its 100 years. Many members are third- and fourth-generation members. In the clubhouse and on the patio overlooking the Fox River, club history and feats of golf from years gone by are shared and handed down. Treasured family memories of learning golf from grandparents, tales of club championships, and the intertwining of the club with local and national history combine with new memories made daily. Members have long given back to the community in many ways, including as a long-time supporter of the Evans Scholarship program for young caddies. MCC is a working-class, down-to-earth, family-style club.
So much has happened in the world in the last 100 years, including a world war, the Great Depression, myriad economic upheavals, and a global pandemic. McHenry has not been immune to these influences, but despite the challenges that have taken their toll on this small community throughout the years, the passion and dedication of the club’s members and leaders have kept McHenry Country Club a thriving bastion of golf and community spirit.
Celebrations to commemorate the long history of McHenry Country Club are planned throughout the season, with a formal weekend celebration June 24-26.
• Rick Bender is a McHenry County Country Club board member and John Romano is the club’s membership chairman.