TO THE FRIENDS OF GUS WORTHAM GOLF COURSE
The following home video of Gus Wortham Golf Course was taken in 1975.
The golfer at the beginning of the video was my dad, Alfonso Al Salinas, shown driving a ball on the roadside over a canyon in Pecos County Texas. As a young man, my dad was a caddie at the Houston Country Club, now known as Gus Wortham Golf Course. He lived in Houstons East End at 79th & Canal St. until his 20s. He married my mom, Sofia, while he was employed at Sinclair Refinery, known today as Lyondells Houston Refinery. He retired from Sinclair after 40 years of service in 1971. Where he once caddied as a young man, he enjoyed his retirement years with his friends playing golf and coaching beginner golfers, many of whom were ladies from the Pan American Golf Association (PAGA). He settled near Hughes Tool Company on Polk St and close to his second home, Gus Wortham, for 15 years until he died in 1986.
Gus Wortham Golf Course, established in 1973, was formally known as the Houston Executive Golf Course in 1953 and the original Houston Country Club in 1903. During the 1970s, brothers Paul & Robert Reed ran the pro shop for Mr. Jack Shelton, Head Pro, at Gus Wortham.
In the video you can see:
•the ninth green and bunker
•the original Houston Country Club Clubhouse trees
•part of the circular driveway, and
•the curb and the driveway on the right side of the clubhouse
all of which still exist today. The Pro Shop, the small building to the right is where the golf clubs for the members of the Houston Country Club were stored. The hedges were removed when the Houston Country Club Clubhouse was replaced with the present clubhouse in 1980.
The golfer hitting practice balls on the range is Danny Villarreal, a member of the Houston chapter of PAGA, and a former resident of Houstons East End. Notice that the fence is missing that protects the ninth tee box today. We used to hit practice balls to the left, passed the ninth tee box.
Finally, I filmed a few seconds of the main entrance to the golf course. You can see the signal lights and signs for the railroad crossing and a car crossing the tracks.
I hope you enjoy the video and all the details to the best of my recollection. If someone has additional videos or pictures of the original Houston Country Club please share them with the Friends of Gus Wortham Golf Course. http://guswortham.info/
I would like to thank Mr. Leroy Melinder, John Salinas, Linda Salinas, Nancy Salinas, and my wife Dolores Salinas for making this video possible.
Special thanks to Michael Calvillo for advertising this video on http://www.youtube.com/mcalvillo26
Enjoy,
Fred Salinas
Gus Wortham patron since 1970
Former Houston East End Resident
PAGA Missouri City Chapter Member, http://www.missouricitypaga.com/
Milby Class of 60
Milby Hispanic Alumni Association Member, http://www.milbyhispanic.org/
fredsalinas@hotmail.com
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