A look back at the history of the Resorters

Editors note: This is the first of a four-part series about the history behind the 100th Resorters Golf Tournament. It’s written by Ron Way, who graduated from Alexandria High School where he met and later married Faye Brede of Garfield; they’ve mostly lived in the Twin Cities and spent 10 years in Washington D.C. In 1970, Ron started an annual “golf reunion” at AGC, and for 30-plus years the four-day event annually brought classmates back to the course where they learned the game. Way is a former reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune, and writes occasional opinion columns for the, now, StarTribune. Special thanks to the Douglas County Historical Society for this series.

Enterprising Alexandria boosters sought to spark attention to our remote vacationland in 1921 by catching a wave of swelling golf interest by launching the aptly-named Resorters Golf Tournament, now celebrating its centennial.

Back then, Alex lakes already were a draw for outdoor escapes and fisherfolk, while railroads brought the wealthy whose upscale destinations were the Geneva Beach Hotel (trains stopped there), The Blake Hotel on Lake Carlos, and privates like the Minnesouri Club on Lake Miltona (1890 and counting). These socialites brought giant suitcases for fine dining attire and summer wear, and soon were bringing something else – golf clubs, to play the genteel game that had rooted in the Twin Cities and was spreading westward.

Hotelier John Blake was among the visionaries who formed the Alexandria Golf Club in 1915 and built a 9-holer (present-day back nine). By 1922 The Resorters was played on the full 18, with the new nine’s original routing little changed into today.

Later, post-war prosperity brought swelling interest in lake vacations, and resorts popped up like rose buds in May. The Resorters adopted a Saturday-to-Saturday schedule to sync with week-long stays at resorts, which quickly sold out for tourney.

The Resorters caught on quickly, and by 1936 the

Minneapolis Journal dubbed it “America’s Largest Golf Tournament.” With few golf contests back then, The Resorters attracted the nation’s top amateurs seeking high-level competition.

From its high-energy beginning, the Resorters’ reflected a robust enthusiasm for golf in Minnesota, propelled by the advent of municipal golf by visionary parks advocates in the Twin Cities. From 1916 to 1934, a game of wealthy whites and gated country clubs went through a “democratization” with public golf courses springing up in the Twin Cities more so than other parts of the U.S. The game of white collars and lace welcomed blue collars and beer, and something more: The coun-

Blacks, who now found comfort at the municipal courses and helped drive golf fervor.

Minnesotans packed courses in dizzying numbers, an interest that made the state the national leader in rounds played per capita, despite its short season. The distinction continues into today, and helps explain the extraordinarily high number of public courses throughout the state.

The Resorters reflected that enthusiasm for more than 30 years before sliding into a period of heavy betting as top players were attracted to percentage payouts from “syndicates” who bet wisely in calcuttas. But the betting became so large that the state warned AGC about its illegality, and that really changed things. For the last third of its history, the Resorters has become a quieter but still highly-popular and fun family affair.

Its storied past includes brothers facing off for the championship, a long win streak by a local women’s favorite, a 14-year old champ, and an unlikely upset of a PGA-destined player by a teenager who fought through trash-talk to win the event’s most notorious match.

Among its champions are Alexandria’s own Tom Lehman, a former World No. 1 and easily Minnesota’s best golfer ever, and Lisa Grimes, a former LPGA player of the fabled Kluver family of gifted golfers. Lehman and

Golf Hall of Fame.

And a very special story for AGC’s special year:

Honorary Resorters Starter will be a lifelong golf devotee who’s been around as long as the event itself. Gordy Anderson celebrated his 100th birthday this year, and he’s regularly at AGC to “work on my game.” Gordy credits longevity to his (still) daily practices “my faith, golf, and strengthening workouts, in that order,’” he said.

The first Alexandrian to win a Resorters’ championship was Edith Kierland, daughter of a local physician and who cruised through nearly every match she played, winning eight times from 1932 to 1949. Had she not taken time off to start a family, she doubtless would have collected still more trophies.

The winningest Resorters’ player is Betsy Seitz of Edina, with eight trophies in the Women’s Division between 1968 and 1979. Pat Sawyer of Minneapolis has the most Men’s Division titles at seven, spanning 1930 to 1954 when he turned pro.

It wasn’t until 1976 that an Alexandrian won the men’s championship. Rick Gorham, the son of a popular sports announcer on KCMT-TV, relied on deft chipping to win in a tumultuous year when a top ranked and PGA-destined amateur from California lost to a teenager from Bloomington in perhaps the biggest

By Eric Morken

Alexandria Echo Press

The Men’s Masters Division had an 8-time Resorters champion finish atop the field during qualifying on Monday as Jon Empanger positioned himself well to make a run this week.

Empanger, who has won five Executive championships and three Senior titles during his Resorters career, is going for his first title in the Masters Division.

He shot a 1-over par 73 in qualifying to take the top seed into the match-play portion of the tournament on Wednesday. Dan Elton, the 2016, 2017 and 2020 winner in this division, is the second seed after winning the championship a year ago.

Empanger was steady throughout his round like he often is. He parred 13 holes and birdied the par-4 11th and par-5 14th holes.

Alexandria’s Norty Blanchard, twice a runner-up in this division over the last four years, is the third seed heading into match play after he shot a 3-over par 75 on Monday. His round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-3 7th hole.

An 87 was the cut for the 16th and final spot in the championship flight. Joe LaFave and Darryl Johnson both shot that, but it was LaFave who grabbed the 16th seed in the field as he gets the first shot at top-seeded Empanger. The Masters Division is filled with familiar faces in the championship flight. Tom Ryan, who was last year’s runner-up to Elton, is the fourth seed. Jim Arnold, Gene Seashore, Steve Tessmer, Ray Sauer, Jim Angermeyr, Randy Johnson, Roger Ledebuhr, Joe Klick, Mark Bongard, Thomas

Vipond and Rob Davidson will round out the flight when the Masters tee off for their opening round of match play on Wednesday morning at 8:12 from the first tee box.

MASTERS DIVISION CHAMPION-

SHIP FLIGHT QUALIFIERS — Jon Empanger,

George Cliff hits a fairway shot on the front nine at the Alexandria Golf Club in the championship round of the Grand Master Division on Aug. 8, 2020.

Cliff qualified for the championship round again this year with a score of 86 at Geneva Golf Club.