Many can still recall in the early 1970s when "The Battle of the Sexes" took place. Former tennis champion Bobby Riggs challenged then-women’s tennis superstar Billie Jean King, who was at the top of her game. Riggs, at age 55, wanted to prove that men were better athletes.

This spectacle took place on Sept. 20, 1973, at the Houston Astrodome, amid major media hype. King, at age 29, beat Riggs in three straight sets. After the game he graciously said, "She was too good, too fast. She returned all my passing shots and made great plays off them."

A somewhat similar situation began the written history of golf in Stamford. It happened just after the Stamford Golf Club was organized and founded in July 1897. Mr. A.D. Middleton was elected president.

At that time the course was laid out in Granthurst Park surrounding the Rexmere Hotel, what is today the Frank W. Cyr Education Technology Center.

The first round on the completed course was played in the rain on Saturday morning, July 24. Mr. Middleton was matched against Miss Mary Raymond Garretson. Miss Garretson won by a "very small margin despite the fine drives of Mr. Middleton." One’s imagination can only work a little overtime wondering what happened afterward, or how the 21st century sports media might have covered this event.

Stamford was a bustling summer resort village at the time, and the Rexmere was experiencing great success, "due to its excellent service and to the music under the direction of Conrad Wertz, a �feature of the house.’" Guests and villagers alike enjoyed a round of golf at this first course.

Apparently local golf enthusiasts wanted a better course, so in 1907 a stock company with capital of $5,000 was organized, according to the "History of The Stamford Golf Club," "to maintain a suitable set of links and to give to the summer guests grounds adequate for the proper playing of the game."

An option on land owned by A.W. Terry was secured, where the present golf course is found. The new course was laid out by a Mr. Stark. Carriages to and from the village were provided for all who wished to come out to the course.

The course didn’t have a clubhouse until 1910, when a California bungalow-type was built near the present 11th tee. It had a main reception hall finished in oak, with rows of seats and lockers around all sides of the room surrounding a massive fireplace in the room.

The new clubhouse opened stylishly, with an afternoon party "attended by many brought to the club in �various conveyances.’" It began with a piano solo, followed by a vocal solo, a reading, and then renditions of Mendelssohn and Chopin. "Dainty refreshments" were then served by the social committee, followed by a concert by the Stamford Board of Trade band.

Stamford again wanted a better golfing experience, so in 1916 another clubhouse was built, where the parking lot is now found. For $17,500, the building was completed and opened in August.

"Stamford’s handsome new Country Club house was opened yesterday," reported The Oneonta Herald of Aug. 9, 1917, "and with more than 500 people in attendance during the day the Red Cross society of Stamford, the beneficiary of the event, realized a handsome sum."

The chief feature of the day was the golf match between teams representing the Oneonta and Stamford country clubs. Stamford won.

Unfortunately, this attractive clubhouse burned to the ground in the fall of 1939, after cinders from a large carton being burned in the fireplace ignited the wood roof shingles. After utilizing another building for a short time, the pro shop was converted into the clubhouse.

The route of the golf course has been rearranged numerous times throughout the history of the club, but one part of the experience of golfing in Stamford has always remained constant -- the beautiful view of Mount Utsayantha in the distance.

On Monday: Hopes of the rebirth of a prosperous D&H Railroad in Oneonta were dashed in the late 1970s.

City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.