Local and statewide golf references agree that the Elks course outside Portsmouth opened in 1924 and was planned for the Portsmouth Elks lodge earlier in the decade, with the design widely attributed to Donald Ross. Club and Elks Association pages state plainly that Ross “constructed” the course in 1924; however, they do not reproduce plans, contracts, or correspondence.
Secondary mentions suggest an organizational start around 1920–1921 for the lodge’s golf venture, aligning with the club’s own centennial notes and the Ohio Golf Association’s listing that puts the club’s founding at 1920 with Ross as designer. Whether Ross himself visited the site multiple times or directed work through associates (e.g., a foreman from his Pinehurst office) is not demonstrated in accessible materials.
Unique Design Characteristics
Even with limited documentation, the routing appears consistent with early-1920s practice: modest loops that leave and return to a central core, frequent use of ridgetop green pads and nose-of-slope approaches, and angled fairway corridors that take natural fall lines rather than fighting them. Today’s playing photographs and descriptions emphasize smallish greens and rolling lies; the combination suggests that approach play is calibrated to front-to-middle targets where missing on the “short” side is often punished by repelling slopes. The present bunker scheme is sparse relative to many Ross-era courses; contemporary trip reports claim that many or most bunkers were removed over time, leaving the green contours and surrounds to carry the strategic interest. While that report requires corroboration against aerial photographs and club records, it aligns with on-line imagery showing limited flashed-sand features and a reliance on ground contours. As a result, holes whose challenge hinges on tight landing shoulders leading into perched greens—rather than on sand—likely preserve the strongest early character.
Based on current conditions, the clearest surviving examples of the early design intent are reported to be the short-to-mid par fours where stance and angle govern the approach into modest greens. Without a published hole-by-hole annotated plan, assigning specific numbers risks error; however, period-appropriate traits include: fairways laid over domed ground where side-hill stances influence shot shape, subtle false-front tendencies on smaller targets, and greens set on natural shelves rather than heavily built-up pads. Field verification and historic aerials (late-1920s/1930s) would allow precise identification of which holes—if any—retain their original surrounds, collars, and entry contours.
Historical Significance
Within Ohio’s network of early Ross work (from premier clubs like Scioto and Inverness to small-town and lodge courses), Portsmouth Elks is significant as a community-oriented build of the mid-1920s that extended access to architect-designed golf beyond metropolitan centers. The course sits chronologically after Ross’s headline Ohio commissions and illustrates how his office’s output reached more modest sites using terrain-first routing and compact greens more than elaborate earthmoving. It has no recorded national championships; its notability today arises from (a) its continuing public access in southern Ohio and (b) the persistence, at least in broad corridors, of an early-1920s layout. Contemporary golf media have profiled the course as a “hidden gem” for value and old-fashioned playability, which—while not an academic assessment—has helped preserve community awareness of the underlying historical layout.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing & corridors. The basic 18-hole routing appears intact in broad terms, with green sizes that remain small by modern standards and tree lines that are fuller than they would have been in the 1920s. This suggests moderate encroachment on angles off the tee and into greens.
Bunkering. Several online accounts assert that most or all original bunkers were removed during the late-20th-century maintenance cycle. If accurate, this would materially alter the historic hazard plan while leaving the ground game framework. Public imagery today shows limited sand hazards, reinforcing the likelihood of substantial bunker loss.
Greens & surrounds. The small green footprints and modest interior contouring often cited by players seem to survive; however, without a measured survey against original drawings, it is not possible to quantify shrinkage from mowing lines or to confirm whether collars have migrated inward. The published course rating/slope numbers (≈71.0/117) support the impression of defense through green-site subtlety rather than hazard density.
Facilities & access. The club operates today as semi-private (public welcome) under the Elks Lodge umbrella, with a clubhouse bar and grill, pro shop, and standard daily-fee services—an operational model consistent with many small-market Ross-era courses that have transitioned from private to mixed or public access over a century.
Restoration potential. If primary sources confirm Ross authorship and show a richer original bunker plan, the course would be a candidate for targeted bunker reinstatement and tree management to reopen ground angles, following widely accepted Ross restoration practice. (General Ross restoration guidance from the Donald Ross Society emphasizes reclaiming lost cross- and diagonal bunkers and restoring fairway width to original lines.) Any such program should be guided by site-specific evidence, not generic templates.
Sources & Notes
Elks Country Club (Portsmouth Elks) – official site: overview statements on designer attribution (Donald Ross), opening year 1924, current yardage and par, and operating model.
Ohio Elks Association – Portsmouth Lodge #154 page: repeats 1924 construction statement and Ross attribution; notes 6,701 yards, par 72.
Ohio Golf Association – club directory entry: lists status, founding year 1920, and “Designer(s): Donald Ross.” OhioGolf.org.
Wikipedia – “List of golf courses designed by Donald Ross”: includes “Portsmouth Elks Country Club, McDermott” in Ohio section (secondary compilation; not a primary source).
GolfWRX “Hidden Gem of the Day: Elks Country Club” (2019): photographs and player description emphasizing small greens and rolling terrain; helpful for present-day condition characterization. GolfWRX.com.
“Alt Canada, Mostly Donald Ross Trip” (2020): traveler’s note claiming bunkers were removed; treated here as an unverified secondary observation pending Donald Ross Society – Restoration Guidelines: general guidance on reclaiming lost cross-bunkers and fairway widths on Ross courses; cited here to frame evidence-based restoration potential (not as proof of original features at Portsmouth Elks).