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By ERNEST THOMPSON Wilfred H. Clark is “Mister Golf” in Ada. Lest this precipitate some raised eyebrows, let us hasten to add that Mr. Clark has been known as “‘Chick’”’ for so many years that his mother-in-law can’t even recall by what moniker he was christened. Tun én must 9F name (arri rul ur papa 7 juruy, “In has been the dating papa of the Oak Hills Golf course, a 9-hole, up to-date layout that sprawls over 80 acres of real estate between burgeoning Ada housing develop ments. The part-Cherokee golf pro has seen the course blossom from a forlorn sand-green duffer’s delight to the present modern links. He has devoted a major portion of his time to bettering the greens and helping make golf one of this area's most popular participant sports. He has been instrumental in the rise of many young links men. He has . . . but, let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves. Perhaps it would be better to start at the beginning. Began As Daddy It isn’t the typical Horatio Alger story. It isn’t an epic in the sense of many feature accounts. But, to those who have known Chick Clark in these many years, yet have little knowledge of his background, the recounting of his experience should hold a parti cular interest. It all began “way back when.” Clark is not prone to discuss dates, but his is the manner of a man who doesn’t feel they hold any specific importance. Suffice it to say that Clark's life of golf began around the period of World War I. His start was that of many others who found their life’s career on the links . . . he was a caddy. His father was a McAlester sign painter and Chick wasn’t one of that fortunate group that is able to pursue golf as a past time early in life. But, as a caddy at the venerable McAlester course, he learned the game and became proficient with the clubs similar to the ones he himself was later to design and manufacture. In 1920, Chick bid farewell to his home at McAlester and took a job as assistant to Guy A. Brooks, professional at Lakeside Golf Course in Oklahoma City. Brooks, one of the founders of the Professional Golfers Associa tion, was perhaps Chick's first teacher. Our budding young linksman played his first golf with one old hickory club. But, these playing forays were interspersed with learning the ins and outs of mak ing clubs, taking care of a golf shop and numerous other tasks. Widely Traveled After going back to McAlester,
Newspaper Details
Ada Evening News
Ada, Oklahoma, US
Sun, May 10, 1959
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Loretta F.
USA 01 Jul 2026
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