History


Golf widowhood was a fact of life in post World War II Carrollton, Georgia. When they finally got their husbands back home from the war, women looked forward to spending time with them. They had not reckoned with the lure of Golf.

It was never too wet or too dry, never to hot or too cold, for Carrollton’s men to drive to East Lake Country Club, in Atlanta, to play golf. After church on Sunday, the exodus began and some husbands worked in a second and third round on week-days. By 1947, it was agreed that a golf course was needed in Carrollton.

Sam Boykin, Oscar Roberts and M.C. Roop purchased pasture land on the west side of town and hired Robert Trent Jones to design a nine hole golf course. The three owners built a road around the area and sold off lots for homes. H.C. Seaton was hired to build several lakes on the property.

The first president of Sunset Hills Country Club was Pomp Shaeffer. He invited a large number of Carrollton men to meet in his back yard where he plied them with his special barbeque while proposing that they all chip in to build a club house.

Club dues in the early days were $10.00 a month, supplemented by proceeds from slot machines located in the Pro Shop (until they were declared illegal in 2002).

Golf Pro Johnny Suggs was hired and the course opened on August 11, 1948. When women realized that they were still “golf widows,” they asked to join the game. Their request was accepted, but there were rules! Ladies golf was scheduled for Fridays, and they were also allowed to play after 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. However, if a male foursome came along, the women had to stand aside.

That changed when, through the efforts of Johnny Suggs’ daughter, champion golfer, Louise Suggs, a Professional Women’s Golf Tournament was held a Sunset Hills Country Club featuring Suggs, Babe Zaharias, and Patty Berg. After that, women were accepted and today numerous mixed foursomes can been seen on the golf course on a daily basis.