Founders On July 16, 1962, five
members of the Jackson community formed a corporation to start a golf course and country club. These five gentlemen,
Robert Wulff, Robert Hartle, Kenneth Kasten, Paul Mueller and John Schulte, Jr., each spent $100.00 so the corporation could
be started. With the help of Paul Mueller, a lawyer from town, they drew up the original by-laws and articles of incorporation
for the club to govern their rules and regulations.
The Kimbels These original shareholders met with a gentleman named George
Kimbel. Mr. Kimbel owned the Kimbeland Farm, which is the land the golf course currently occupies. Even though
Mr. Kimbel was not a golfer and didn't have any interest in playing, he and his wife, Lillian, liked the idea that they could
sit on their porch and watch the players enjoying their rounds of golf. George Kimbel agreed to lease the land to build
the golf course and loan any monies that were needed at an interest rate of 6.0%. The original plans were to build a
nine-hole golf course with a clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis courts, with an additional nine holes to be added as funds
became available. The construction of the original nine holes began in the fall of 1962 on approximately 78 acres of
ground. A five-acre lake was added to the property to serve as the water source for the golf course. With the
help of many Jackson citizens and businesses, the farmland started to turn into what looked like a golf course.
Financing To gather funds together to help pay for the expenses,
many of the charter members began traveling around the area trying to sell stock in the corporation. Each share of stock
was sold for $100.00, which enabled the owners to obtain a membership without paying an initiation fee into the club.
The Board of Directors set the dues for an annual membership at $100.00 per year. They were able to get 90 members before
the golf course was opened. George Kimbel funded any other monies that were needed to help build the course. Mr.
Kimbel did not believe in investing his money in stocks or bonds, but was very generous with his money if he could have
his name placed on his investment. Note: to this day Kimbeland has both stockholders
& members to which the Board of Directors answer.
Other Early Help Including the help of the original members, many
others, including Jack and Jim Litz, Jim and Billy Joe Thompson, Wib Bangert, Palmer Hacker, Hassle Looney, Kelly Blackman,
Bill Call, R.O. Hawkins, J.E. Hecker, Gene Cracraft and Bill Heyde Jr., began to put in the effort to take the farmland and
turn it into a golf course. Many companies, including Kasten Clay Products, Calvin Phillips Excavating, Cape County
Commissioners, Charlie Meyer Excavating, Litz Brothers Poultry, and Bangert Auto Wrecking Service, also donated their time
and equipment to help. Fencerows and trees were removed, land was tilled, the lake was constructed and the road and
water lines were put in. With the assistance of Albert Linkogel and Ray Freeburg, a golf course design company from
St. Louis the course was laid out over hilly, wooded land of southeast Missouri. With recommendations from Linkogel
and Freeburg, bent grass greens would be built which ensured that the members would be able to enjoy their golfing season
year round. Bob Wulff was instrumental in overseeing the construction of the greens.
Clubhouse After the golf course opened in the spring of 1963, designs
for a clubhouse were drawn. The Board of Directors decided to issue more stock to help fund the construction of the
clubhouse. It was built in the fall of 1963 with plans to open in the spring of 1964. Now that the nine-hole golf
course had a clubhouse, a motion was made to build a pool. Mr. Kimbel informed the Board of Directors that he would
pay for the construction of the pool if he could design the shape. With approximately 300 members in the fall of 1965,
the stockholders voted to build an additional nine holes to make the first eighteen-hole golf course in Cape Girardeau County.
The 45-year old wooden frame clubhouse at Kimbeland was replaced in August 2007 with a 7,626 Sq.
Ft. million + dollar stonewall structure with a full wrap-around porch.
Superintendents & Course Staff The membership was
flourishing and the golf course was improving due to the hard work of the people involved. The golf course superintendents
and their staffs kept the golf course in such shape that it was voted the best golf course from St. Louis to Memphis.
Mr. Blevens, a greens keeper from Sikeston, was the first Superintendent, but due to his lack of experience with bent grass
greens, Earl Siebert replaced him. Earl served as the superintendent until 1970, when Sherry Baker took over.
Sherry continued to work for Kimbeland as the greens keeper until 1996. David Chasteen took over the helm and served
until 2003 when Claude Ferguson arrived. Mr. Ferguson should have his "claim-to-fame" as being excellent
at growing grass. The fairways have flourished under his supervision no matter what weather we've had, & the rough has
become increasingly formidable.
Golf Professionals An integral part of having a country club with
a clubhouse is to have someone to run the operation. The club hired a man named Penny Crabtree to oversee the business
of the clubhouse and pro shop. Penny was replaced by Henry Vogel and then by Jim Thompson. Jim was the first person
to own and operate the clubhouse on his own. He hired a young man name Bill Wampler to work for him, who went away to
a Professional Golf Association School in Florida. When Bill came back, he took over for Jim and became the first P.G.A.
member to be hired as the Golf Pro at Kimbeland. Many others have succeeded Bill, including Jess Simpson, Wes Cuperier,
Bill Curry, John Alexander, Brad Krutz, Larry Emery, Doug Dunbar, Todd Eastin, and now Jim Davey but the club has always kept
the tradition of having a P.G.A. member serve as its golf professional.
Tradition of voluntary service by groups & individuals:
A long-standing tradition of Kimbeland has been the associations that sponsor and help run the tournaments for members and
outside guests. Both the Men's and the Ladies' Associations were formed and their support for golf and the club has
continued to this day. Both associations have formed leagues and tournaments as well as a bridge club for the ladies.
Thursday has been ladies' day since the club started, and has played an important role in the social atmosphere the club has
provided to its members and guests.
Kimbeland Country Club sponsors an Annual Children's Fishing tournament; begun by (deceased)
Hartford Hill, the event has been coordinated by Ed Schwent for the last twenty plus years.
One of the very best things about Kimbeland has always been the people. The leagues encourage
playing with different people on a regular basis. Friendships are made for a lifetime here. This has traditionally
been more of a 'family golf club' than the typical country club.
Renovation The golf course stayed the same until 1996, when a group
headed by Jack Litvay laid out a new and improved golf course with larger greens and a more challenging layout. The
course continues to improve with the help of the current Board of Directors and the members, but a lot of it can be attributed
to the young men who decided to dedicate their time and money to build a golf course and country club in the town of Jackson.
And as they all know, without the financial help of George Kimbel, there would be no Kimbeland Country Club.
New Management: The club decided in 2007 to have a general manager
employed to take care of operations. Jim Walker filled this position, but he has had a long-standing tradition of being
Secretary & Treasurer at different times for the Board of Directors.
... as provided by Robert Hartle & others
