Fast Facts: Catalina Home to Oldest Golf Course in California

CATALINA一 Catalina Island Golf Course is considered the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi, built in 1892 by the Banning Brothers it started as a three-hole course to entertain visitors on the island. The Banning Brothers bought the island from the estate of James Lick in 1891 and established the Santa Catalina Island Company three years later, according to the Catalina Island Company website. The brothers were focused on building the island up as a premier resort town and built Pleasure Pier, which still stands in Avalon Harbor, the Banning House Lodge, and access to the various beaches around Catalina. The brothers realized they did not have anything in the canyon and the Catalina Island Golf Course was created to fill the hole and hopefully attract tourists to the island. In the first two years, the course became quite successful and the brothers expanded the course to nine holes and added a clubhouse to complement the attraction. Photo Provided by Catalina Island Museum After the 1915 fire, the Banning Brothers were unable to recover financially and Catalina was sold to William Wrigley, whose family still owns the island today. Wrigley added grass to the course for the first time in 1927,...