A Trip Down Memory's Fairway at Waukesha's Moor Downs

When Chuck Weber and his family hit the links at Moor Downs Golf Course in Waukesha, it's more than a round of golf.

It's a trip down memory lane.

In 1899 Weber’s great-grandfather, John Weber Sr., purchased the land the course would be built on. More than 110 years later, a member of the sixth generation of the Weber family, Chuck Weber’s 6-year-old grandson, took his first lesson on the course.

When informed of of the news, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas offered some remarks on the Weber family's history with Moor Downs, 438 N. Prospect Ave.

“Moor Downs Golf Course has seen many generations of family golfers. My family golfed Moor Downs. In fact, I learned to golf on that course,” Vrakas said.  “It is wonderful that the Weber family is a part of this rich history. Moor Downs is a great course that challenges golfers of all ages and abilities.”

On the day his father signed him up for lessons, Little Charlie Weber decided to check out some of the vintage pictures on the wall of the Moor Downs pro shop. He took an interest in the course’s history and struck up a conversation with some of the folks on hand. Shortly thereafter, he was informed about how his family’s history is intertwined with that of Moor Downs.

Little Charlie Weber’s great-great-great grandfather bought the land Moor Downs is currently on just prior to the turn of the 20^th century. Exactly 100 years ago he built a hotel – the Moor Mud Baths – with the help of his son, John Weber Jr. They chose the name based on the popularity of mud as a health aid and the muddy and spongy state of the land they purchased. Shortly thereafter, the course was designed and built.

“Waukesha got to be a big resort community during the 1920s and they expanded the Moor Mud Baths facility,” said Chuck Weber.

“That was kind of the heyday of Waukesha,” he continued. “There were all these wonderful resorts and springs.”

Chuck Weber’s father, John Weber III, grew up just down the road from Moor Downs and the Moor Mud Baths. He and his brother, Carl, spent their formative years working on the course. They plowed the land with horse-drawn plows and worked to expand the course in size and complexity.

The entire property was sold to Mount St. Paul’s in 1950. The Moor Mud Baths became a seminary, then a college, and now houses the Waukesha County Health and Human Services.

Chuck Weber has several fond memories of spending his childhood at Moor Downs, as he and each of his six siblings learned the game of golf and honed their skills on that course.

“It was a mile away, you could ride your bike to it, it wasn’t expensive and you could get on it right away,” he said. “So we all learned and then I taught my son, Charlie, there.”

One of his memories of the course involves the old ninth hole, which Chuck Weber said presented a unique challenge to golfers.

“There was a silo back there,” he stated. “You had to decide if you were going left of the silo, or if you were going to drive right of the silo. It was a dog-leg left and I hit that silo with more golf balls… I hit that silo all the time.”

Another memory involves the first hole on the current course. Every time he plays there, Chuck Weber notes the size of the ever-growing oak trees that surround the green.  

But most of all, he notices and appreciates the simplicity of the current Moor Downs course and the ease of which it can be played.

“It’s a great course to learn on and it’s a great course for kids,” Chuck Weber continued. “Now that Little Charlie is playing this course, he’s going to want to make sure I get over there and play with him.

"It’ll be a lot of fun to see him play and play with him.”