History of the Norwich Golf Club
The enduring success of the Norwich Golf Club, its course, and the Golf Course Authority is rooted in a legacy of expert leadership and care. While the individuals highlighted here are only a fraction of those who have shaped our club over the last century, their stewardship ensures that thousands of Norwich citizens and visitors will continue to enjoy the game for generations to come.
The Norwich Golf Club split from the Norwich Club and was officially organized on March 24, 1903. The first officers of the Norwich Golf Club were:
President: Brigadier General Edward Harland (A Civil War combat veteran)
Secretary: Willis Austin
Treasurer: Oliver L. Johnson Jr.
Greens Committee: Eugene Wallner, Willis Austin, and Albert H. Chase
On June 23, 1910, the Norwich Golf Land Company was organized at a meeting held in the home of Willis Austin. A board of directors consisting of General Edward Harland, O.L. Johnson, Willis Austin, Grosvenor Ely, and J. Ralph Howe was elected.
In July 1910, the President of the Norwich Golf Club, Willis Austin, invited Mr. R.D. Pryde, the head professional of the Yale Golf and New Haven Country Club, to Norwich. Mr. Pryde gave suggestions regarding the laying out of the new grounds of the Norwich Golf Club. They established the first concept for the future 9-hole course.
The clubhouse, located at the site of today’s Norwich Inn & Spa, was officially opened on June 10, 1911.
Since 1978, John J. Caulfield has been a central figure in the survival and success of the Norwich Golf Course, primarily as the first Chairman of the Norwich Golf Course Authority (NGCA). His contributions during the transition from a private to a municipal facility were significant enough that he was named “Sportsperson of the Year” by the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.
In 1978, Mr. Caulfield provided the “personal leadership” necessary to launch the municipal operation after the city’s $1.2 million purchase of the 153-acre. He was the driving force that made the transition of the course ownership from private to public. Several of his countless contributions and achievements include:
Defined Operations: Overseeing the creation of job descriptions and the initial hiring of key staff, including the first municipal head pro, Dan Boucher, and course superintendent, Dana Wells.
Established Rules and Fees: Managing the complex task of setting a public fee structure, which included successfully defending the Authority’s policies against claims of age discrimination regarding weekend play for senior citizens.
Provided Financial Oversight and Success: Despite public skepticism and fears that the course would be a “white elephant” or a financial drain, Caulfield oversaw a highly successful first year. Under his chairmanship, the course grossed approximately $108,850 in its first year, yielding a net profit of over $26,000. He always advocated for a “tight ship” regarding costs, ensuring that surplus funds were directed toward essential equipment and capital expenditures rather than just day-to-day operating expenses.
CETA Program Oversight: Caulfield managed the use of up to 20 federally funded CETA workers. He used this labor force to perform routine maintenance and specialized projects, such as rebuilding storm-damaged bridges, which resulted in “substantial savings” for the city.
A LIFETIME OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
Johnny Caulfield has always been a strong advocate for non-golf uses of the land. He sought to formalize winter recreation by proposing a ski trail to augment traditional sledding on “Suicide Hill,” a long-standing community favorite.
Beyond his work with the golf course, Caulfield’s long-standing dedication to Norwich athletics and public service dating back to before the 1970s. He is a U.S. Army veteran, a standout baseball pitcher who played at Fenway Park, and served Norwich for decades as an organizer for the Norwich Senior Little League and the Junior Major League.
Dan Boucher (right)
Daniel A. Boucher became the first Norwich Golf Club Head Professional appointed by the Norwich Golf Course Authority in March of 1978. Mr. Boucher previously served as an Assistant Pro at the Willimantic Country Club and furthered his education at the PGA Business School. He served in the position until his death in 1989.
The Daniel A. Boucher Memorial Junior Classic tournament was a part of the Connecticut PGA’s Junior Golf Tour and was played at the Norwich Golf Course for many years.
Robert D. “Bob” Ford was a central figure in the life of the Norwich Golf Course, serving as a dedicated leader whose vision helped transform the facility into a premier community asset. A Connecticut native who moved to Norwich in 1959, Ford brought with him the financial acumen of a retired Vice-President of the Norwich Savings Society Bank, a skill set that would eventually prove invaluable to the course’s municipal operations. His personal history with the club was long-standing; he first joined the members’ club in 1967 and, after taking a hiatus to raise his four children, rejoined in 1980 with a renewed focus on the club’s success.
Ford’s involvement went far beyond regular play, as he eventually took on the role of president for both the members’ club and the Senior League. In 1995, he was appointed to the Norwich Golf Course Authority, and by 1996, he was elected its Chairman. In this leadership position, Ford acted as the vital liaison between the Authority and the Norwich City Council, navigating complex administrative issues and insurance questions while overseeing a $700,000 budget. He was a strong advocate for the facility’s self-sufficiency, ensuring that the course, which typically opens in April and runs through December, remained a high-quality destination for its roughly 450 members.
Under Ford’s guidance, the Authority prioritized a series of long-range capital projects designed to modernize the grounds and facilities. These initiatives included installing a new clubhouse roof, constructing an additional parking lot to accommodate high traffic, and developing new cart paths to improve the flow of play. His dedication to the golfing community also extended to charitable efforts; he was a fixture of the Daniel Boucher Golf Tournaments for 17 years and served as a Trustee Emeritus for the Daniel A. Boucher Memorial Scholarship.
Even after his passing in 2007, Ford’s impact remains visible throughout the course he loved. He often summarized his commitment with a simple philosophy. He said:
“We owe it to the members to give them the best facilities we can”.
John Paesani served at the Norwich Golf Club from 1990 to 2011. In 2018, he was inducted into the Connecticut State Golf Association’s 2018 Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame. As a professional golfer, he played in the 1991 U.S. Open and the 1988 and 1997 PGA Championships. In 2010 and 2011, he played in the U.S. Senior Open and nine PGA Tour non-majors.
Paesani was born in San Jose, California and moved to Connecticut in third grade when his dad took a job as a professor at UConn. Paesani started playing golf every day in the summer. He graduated from E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, where the golf team went 25-1 and won the Eastern Connecticut Conference title in his senior year.
Mr. Paesani continued to play professional golf during his tenure as the head professional at the Norwich Golf Course. In 2007, he played in the Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series at the Fox Hopyard Country Club, finishing fourth.
During most of Mr. Paesani’s tenure as head professional and Pro Shop manager, Bruce Morse served as Course Superintendent.
Michael E. Driscoll has been a golfer since age 12. His love for golf is evident through service on the Norwich Golf Course Authority for almost 50 years.
He is a local attorney, Norwich’s former corporation counsel, and has been deeply involved in the management, financial oversight, and developmental planning of the Norwich Golf Course as a member of the Norwich Golf Course Authority (NGCA).
Mr. Driscoll has faced countless NGCA issues and asserted his positive influence on the game of golf in Norwich over many years, including:
Legal Liaison: In his capacity as an attorney and Authority member, he frequently conferred with the city’s Corporation Counsel on matters such as the legalities of the golf course lease and the potential renting of a vacant house on the property near the 12th green.
Budget Analysis: Driscoll provided an analysis of the course’s financial health during its first municipal year. He argued that the facility “did better than it might appear on paper” because the Authority had prioritized roughly $19,000 in capital expenditures (equipment) over simple daily operating costs.
- Fiscal Management: In early 1979, he reviewed account balances and questioned the amount of money being held in non-interest-bearing accounts, seeking to maximize the interest income generated by the course’s surplus funds.
- Marketing the Facility: To increase the course’s visibility, Driscoll suggested developing a promotional program with local hotels and motels.
- Chamber of Commerce Collaboration: He advocated for the Chamber of Commerce to actively advertise the golf course in its promotional materials to attract more visitors to Norwich
- Recreational Development: Driscoll was a strong proponent of using the approximately 60 acres of undeveloped land adjoining the course for non-golf recreational activities. He specifically suggested constructing fitness and hiking trails modeled after successful projects he had seen in Washington state.
- Safety Concerns: Despite his advocacy for non-golf uses, Driscoll later noted that a study in the early 1980s led the Authority to abandon these plans. He explained that the proximity of the proposed trails to active fairways made them too dangerous, as errant golf balls moved at high velocities and could be hit “erratically,” making it “foolish” to allow non-golfers in those areas.
- Legacy and Context: Driscoll has been a key figure in preserving and explaining the club’s legacy, offering detailed knowledge of its transition from a private 9-hole course in 1912 to the 18-hole municipal facility it is today. He has also provided context for the public’s initial skepticism regarding the 1978 purchase, which many feared would be a financial “white elephant.
John Marion is a longtime member and leader of the Norwich Golf Course community, whose involvement spans from local club management to serving as the president of the state’s primary golfing association, the Connecticut State Golf Association.
Marion joined the Norwich Golf Club in 1979 and quickly became active in organized golf. His leadership at the club was formalized when he was elected President of the Norwich Golf Club in 1997 and served a three-year term. Head Professional Mike Svab has identified Marion as one of two individuals (alongside Jim Homiski) who have had “as much to do with the continued success at Norwich Golf Club as anyone”. He has been involved in nearly every aspect of the club’s operations, representing the dedicated volunteer spirit that has managed the facility since long before it became city-owned.
Marion has been a primary steward of the Norwich Invitational, the club’s flagship event and one of the oldest amateur match play tournaments in Connecticut. His long-term involvement with the “Invite” has helped maintain the tournament’s status as a premier event that typically sells out within days.
Following his retirement in 2001, Marion expanded his influence to the Connecticut State Golf Association (CSGA).
- Volunteerism: He began volunteering at CSGA tournaments in 2003.
- Rules Official: In 2006, he became a certified Rules Official.
- Executive Leadership: He served as the Secretary of the CSGA Executive Committee starting in 2006 and was ultimately elected as the 58th President of the CSGA in December 2012.
Marion is a strong advocate for the unique “membership atmosphere” of the Norwich Golf Course. He has noted that this culture stems from the era before the 1978 municipal purchase, when members ran the course themselves. He remains a prominent figure in the community, driven by a “never-ending desire to make the course a better place” for future generations.
- A graduate from the PGA Golf Professional Training Program and received the Titleist/FootJoy scholarship in each of the three levels for achieving the highest scores of his graduating class.
- Served a four-year term on the Connecticut Section of the PGA Board of Directors from 2001 to 2004.
- Recipient of the CT Section PGA Horton Smith Award for dedication, leadership, and outstanding contributions to the PGA educational programs.
- Honored as the 2004 Private Facility Merchandiser of the Year and the 2022 Public Merchandiser of the Year in Connecticut.
- Mike was a Professional Baseball Player in Perth, Australia, and was elected to the Fairfield University Athletic Hall of Fame for his baseball accomplishments in 1997.
And … YES, Mike did hit a home run in Boston’s Fenway Park during his distinguished baseball career!
Eric Kundahl is the Norwich Golf Course Superintendent and has served in that position since March 2019. He served as Assistant Golf Course Superintendent from 2000 to February 2019.
