Morris County Golf Spotlighted in Exhibit

The history of golf and its role in Morris County (N.J.) history will be showcased in “The Greens of Morris County: A Cultural History of Golf” at the Morris County Historical Society. The exhibit opens at Acorn Hall in Morristown on Sunday, April 17, and will run through October 9, 2005.

”The Greens of Morris County” will feature golf courses past and present, the people who created them, and golfers who played them. The Morris County Park Commission’s courses will be featured, as well as many other local public and private courses. The exhibit will include artifacts from the historical society’s own collection as well as items from private collections, many exhibited for the first time. A year-long series of programs, sponsored by both the Morris County Historical Society and the Morris County Park Commission, is being scheduled to coincide with the exhibition.

The history of golf in America is mirrored by its history in Morris County. It’s a story not just about sports, but about people. The first women's amateur golf tournament sanctioned by the United States Golf Association was held at the Morris County Golf Club, itself founded by women in 1894. The first African-American to hold a Professional Golf Association card, Dewey Brown, was a pro at several Morris County clubs. Multi-millionaire Otto Kahn built his own private course on the property of his Normandy Heights mansion, Cedar Court.

Golf has moved beyond mere sport into the mainstream of popular culture. It was the first sport to have its own television channel. Not only are there books about golf by professionals, authors ranging from suspense novelist James Patterson to holistic health expert Deepak Chopra have written books dealing with golf.

Acorn Hall, the headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society, is open on Mondays and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours of the house and exhibit are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for students. Children under 12 are free. Admission to the exhibit is half price in each category.

For directions or additional information, call 973/267-3465 or visit www.acornhall.org.