Wells College and the golfing community of southern Cayuga County townships are planning the centennial celebration of the Wells College Golf Course in Aurora. Established by then-Wells College President Kerr Duncan MacMillan in 1923, the golf course was derived from the Aurora Country Club, originally located on the north side of Dublin Hill Road east of the village, which operated for several years prior to World War I. Golf was just becoming a popular sport in the country and MacMillan, an avid golfer himself, believed golf might be an appropriate sport for students of the all-female college established by Henry Wells of Wells Fargo Co. in 1858. Local records indicate that golf was actually being played at Wells in 1897, at the corner of Poplar Ridge Road and Route 90, primarily by Dean Anna Adams Piutti and her students, using six hand-dug holes marked by sticks.
Anna Adams Piutti, a graduate of Wells College who became a professor, a dean, a board member and a trustee there, was the only female member of the corporate board of the Aurora Country Club. Her name is frequently seen in news articles of the time documenting social events at the club. Piutti was born and educated in the village of King Ferry, where her family tree goes back to several of the founders of the village. It鈥檚 noteworthy that she shares ancestry with the current Cayuga County historian, Ruth Bradley. A women鈥檚 golf tournament is being held this year in October, and hopefully on an annual basis, to commemorate Anna Piutti鈥檚 importance in college and local history.
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Wells College Golf Course is well-known, in part, for the design contributions of famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones in the 1970s. He was the husband of Wells alumna Ione Tefft Davis, who was also a Wells College board member and trustee. In celebration of their contribution to the Wells College Golf Course, an Ione Trent Davis Tournament is planned for the Wells College homecoming alumnae on Saturday. An exhibit of the golf course's history, develop under the auspices of the Frontenac Historical Society, will be inaugurated that day. Jones' and Davis' son, Rees Jones, who is an esteemed golf course architect himself, will make brief remarks at the event.
The exhibit will be opened to the general public with a community celebration being held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 4. It will be on display in the AA building behind Wells College and adjacent to the course clubhouse throughout the summer. The clubhouse restaurant, fully operational now, is named Gray鈥檚 Tea Room to commemorate a well-remembered local eatery and gathering place for Wells students and local folks in the early 20th century.
Both the golf course and the restaurant are now managed by Kevin Fitzgerald, who also has deep roots in the area. Both his father and grandfather were involved in the construction and maintenance of college buildings. His aunt Kate Maloney was for many years a physical education and golf instructor at the college. Fitzgerald鈥檚 partner in the business of the golf course is his uncle Brian Dugan, a local farmer and landowner, further demonstrating the "gown and town" tradition of Wells College and the golf course on its campus. The connection of the golf course to the larger community is even further documented over the years by frequent reports from course managers to Rollie Sennett, the golf and bowling reporter for 人兽性交 newspaper in Auburn, demonstrating the importance of local newspapers in documenting and researching local history.
For further information, call the pro shop of the Wells College Golf Course at (315) 364-8024 or visit the Wells College Golf Course website, , or .
