ETHS Foundation Golf Outing and Happy Hour on Sept. 11th

Come join us on Friday, September 11th! You can enjoy “some of the sportiest holes on the North Shore.” (see adjacent article). The ETHS Foundation is sponsoring its annual golf outing and happy hour, this year at Canal Shores. All proceeds support various fundraising projects, this year including renovations to the planetarium and support for the Geometry in Construction program. Please contact Sarah Schmidt at schmidts@eths.k12.il.us or 847-424-7534 if you’d like to participate in the event or make a donation. Not a golfer? Then please join us at 5:30 for the happy hour! Fun will be had by all.

By Susan Roche
Do you know which local golf course has “the sportiest holes on the North Shore?” Here’s a huge hint…According to Todd Sloan, course professional and greens keeper in 1954, the course “has some of the sportiest holes in the Chicago area and in two places requires play over the canal. Here you will find a course that gives opportunity for exacting play and a wide variety of shots, close to transportation and one on which the student or ‘duffer’ is equally welcome with the most accomplished amateur or professional.”
Almost 100 years ago, on September 22, 1919, this Evanston landmark was dedicated thanks to the vision of a small group of community-minded citizens. They obtained a community golf course at a time when the sport was emerging from country clubs to the public at large. Through their efforts, the Evanston Community Recreation Association was formed. Over the decades, the golf course has had various different names, but today it’s very aptly named Canal Shores.
It was actually Thomas Leahy, a member of the North End Improvement Association, who was “the father of the community links.” His concern was that many people were being deprived of the chance to play golf and thought the average citizen should have the opportunity, at a nominal fee, to play (thus today we have Leahy Park). “He took it in tow at the start, fostered it along, fought its battles and is still its ardent champion,” according to the August 19, 1926 Evanston Review, for which a charter member of the Evanston Community Recreation Association was interviewed. His friend, Peter N. Jans, alderman at the time, also loved golf and was an ardent supporter of the association. Jans was ambitious, hard-working, enthusiastic and a successful golfer who had done construction work for golf grounds and could teach lessons. He, too, believed that golf “should be played by all,” and that many people could not afford to belong to private clubs or had the means of transportation to go to distant clubs.
In 1919, the land around the North Shore Channel was in a state of disrepair. Due to the efforts of these two men, an ingenious engineering project- the problem of holding back sewage and water drainoff from Lake Michigan-was solved. They took up the subject with city council, but nothing materialized. Financing the project was a major challenge and managed entirely due to fund-raising efforts. Jans called a meeting at the Elks’ Club and invited people he knew resulting in an overwhelming response with nearly 100 annual memberships sold at $35 each. After convincing the Sanitary District to lease the banks to Evanston and Wilmette, the construction began. In turn, the two communities sub-leased the land to the Evanston Community Recreation Association. The course consisted of only nine holes in 1920 and were located in the streetcar barns extending west to the N.U. athletic field. Only one hole was on the Sanitary District and nine more holes were added in 1921 when the association assumed the lease of Northmoor Country Club (which moved further north) and these holes extended to the east bank of the canal. It was voted to give 11/18 of the undivided profits each year to Evanston because there were 11 holes on Evanston property and 7/18 to Wilmette.
In its “heyday,” the golf course was used almost every hour during daylight and playing receipts were substantial. This allowed the association to contribute a considerable sum to the municipalities. At one time, as much as two-thirds of the receipts came from people residing in Chicago north of Wilson Avenue so directors from Chicago were added to the association board. The goal was to beautify the course so many trees and flowers were planted. Interestingly, the Evanston Bowling Association was allotted a space on the golf links for a bowling green. It was the only one of its kind between Lincoln Park and Highland Park.
A new clubhouse was built and in 1928, due to the generosity of the recreation association, the Evanston American Legion was given a 50-year lease to occupy the third story rent-free. This gesture was made as a lasting memorial to the men and women who served in World War I. A fieldhouse was also built which could be used during the summer and winter months. In 1946, the very progressive course manager, Mr. Sloan, was keen in developing women players and arranged for a co-ed tournament, a novelty at the time. Golf carts did not appear until the 1990’s when Frank Govern found a way to build a bridge wide enough for golf carts and fairway mowers.
Three years ago, Canal Shores underwent a major rebranding. “There is a lot of energy and a reconstituted board,” according to David Fenn, associate member of the Evanston-Wilmette Golf Association. “I went to my first board meeting and there was a full complement of pretty new blood. The Central Street Neighbors have been just great and we’ve seen a dramatic increase in support.” Today, Canal Shores is vastly improved and offers a myriad of activities, not just limited to golf, including cyclecross races, cross-country skiing and various group events. Parking on the course is permitted on N.U. football game days. For the second summer, over 300 golfers are participating in the summer junior golf program, “three times as many as we expected initially,” marveled Fenn. A new program debuted last year with 80 participants, “Canal Shores Campout” will be sponsored by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department who hopes to attract 125 people or more to this fun, family-themed sleep under the stars event. Although totally privately funded and receiving no financial support from Evanston or Wilmette, Fenn added that the board has increased its focus on fund-raising, “We really want to raise money for youth scholarships and increase our profile within the community at large,” he said. Group events are encouraged and Family Focus, Y.O.U., FAAM and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless have recently held functions. The E.T.H.S. Foundation is hosting its annual golf outing at Canal Shores on September 11. Visit the Foundation’s website for more information http://www.eths.k12.il.us/foundation/
Canal Shores is also currently involved in two environmental programs-the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf which enhances valuable natural areas and animal habitats. There is also a Canal Shores Habitat Restorative Master Plan. According to the website canalshores.org, “the plan is expected to include ecological inventory and history, invasive species management, and outreach opportunities to connect the community with nature. Educating youth on ecology and environment and reconnecting them to nature is one of the priority expected outcomes of this project. We hope to inspire a future generation of land stewards.”
Canal Shores has certainly enjoyed an exciting revitalization and is now an official member of the Chicago District Golf Association. It’s a treasured narrow golf course on both sides of the canal, perhaps even unknown by many Evanston residents. As originally intended, it’s truly a course for all because “golf is a game which should be played by all.”Mr. Leahy and Mr. Jans would be so proud and welcome the opportunity to play “the gem in your backyard.” But, there’s one thing for sure which hasn’t changed-you still have to “hit ‘em straight.

Footnote: The writer, a native Evanstonian, remembers when growing up, the golf course was lovingly nicknamed and referred to as “Canal Shores.” She delights in the fact that today the official name which so accurately describes the links has come full circle.