Although Moccasin Creek Country Club is relatively young by golf course standards, the club's history has ties all the way back to the Civil War.
Construction at Moccasin Creek started in 1969 and the club opened for business in 1970. Two members of the Maddox Construction Company of Chicago designed and constructed the course. The Maddox company was formed in 1870 by Civil War veteran Asa Maddox.
His son Eugene built the company's first 18-hole golf course in 1893. The family business was handed down to Eugene's son Charles (Charlie) in the 1920s. Charlie Maddox, who designed the courses, and his son Bill, whose speciality was construction, visited the patch of ground north of Aberdeen with Moccasin Creek running through the middle to evaluate its potential as a golf course.
The area was a farm complete with corn fields.
Several Aberdeen businessmen started looking for a place to build a new golf course in the late 1960s. Because of alkali at the former Aberdeen Country Club course, the South Dakota Golf Association declared that state tournaments would no longer be held there. The country club course was recently reconfigured and now is the nine-hole course known as Rolling Hills Golf Club in the northwest part of the city.
Several businessmen wanted to build a new course and bring state tournaments back to Aberdeen. The Maddox Company had experience in this three-state area building courses in Minneapolis, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Minot, Fargo and Jamestown.
Aberdeen officials had extended an invitation to Charlie and Bill to view the site but the investors were concerned when Mother Nature hit the area with a once in 100-year downpour. The entire area except for a spot where the clubhouse now stands was under water.
That did not faze the Maddox duo.
"We built golf courses in New Orleans that were 20 feet below sea level," Bill said.
Things started falling into place at Moccasin Creek.
"It was a perfect place for a golf course," Bill said. "The water drainage was good and there was good soil. There was an amazing amount of black dirt. There were no trees except those along the creek."
Three more hurdles were cleared when the project secured Aberdeen city water, built dikes around the course and got an upgrade on the road, which is now 130th Street.
Charlie insisted on one additional element. The organizers needed to pre-sell lots along the golf course. The money from selling lots in Prairiewood was used to help fund the course building.
The course took about one year to finish and about 25 people worked on the construction.
Two major features of the MC3 course are long holes and large greens so that the pin placement can be changed.
Charlie died in 1994 so the company passed to Bill, who was in Aberdeen visiting friends last week. He has returned often since his work on the course was completed.
Bill and his wife Theresa have two children, Carole Woods and Brian Maddox, a stock broker. So, the Maddox Company may be reaching the end of the family line.
Bill is in no hurry to retire.
"Dad worked until he was 95. I've got a long ways to do," Bill said.
Moccasin Creek is the site of a pro-am tournament which runs today through Sunday.
Source: Aberdeen American News (South Dakota)