Wellshire 100 Year Anniversary

2026 Wellshire 100 Year Anniversary

Denver Golf is excited to celebrate the 100th year of Wellshire Golf Course.  Please visit this page for event updates, historical information and view photos of Wellshire’s past 100 years.

• Join us for the Community Celebration and golf tournament, June 5th.  These events are open to the public.  Sponsorships are available now.  See more information on the events tab.

Historical timeline:

• 1924 – A group of golfers commisions golf course architest Donald Ross to design a new course four miles houth of Denver on the 137 acre Skeel family farm.
• 1926 – August 28th Wellshire Country Club opens with a nine-hole tournament on the completed holes.
• 1927 – October 16th the Tudor-style clubhouse that still stands today opened.  Total cost for the clubhouse and the full 18-hole course cost $300,000.  Wellshire Country Club offered members many activities besides golf such as trap shooting, boating, fishing and water sports on Skeel Reservoir, and a lighted putting course.  A deep rock artesian well supplied all of the water to the clubhouse as well as the shower and baths.
• 1928 – In the midst of the Great Depression Wellshire Country club fell into financial ruin.
• 1936 – Wellshire Country Club goes into foreclosure.
• 1936 – The City of Denver purchases the property for $60,000 and renamed it Wellshire Golf Course.
• 1943 – The first year of the Wellshire Fourball is played.  This is the longest continuous running tournament in Colorado and is still played today on Labor Day weekend.
• 1946 – Wellshire Golf Course hosts the 21st USGA Amateur Public Links Championship in July.
• 1948 – Wellshire Golf Course hosts the Denver Open, A professional tournament benefiting Denver youth.  Ben Hogan wins the three day tournament. This was Hogans 6th consecutive tour win.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower was reported to be in the gallery.
• 1950 – Wellshire was outside of the Denver City limits until May of this year.  The city annexed Wellshire, and with the growth of Denver, the course would soon be surrounded by homes.
• 1958 – Wellshire’s clubhouse went through a $100,000 remodel. The Denver Open returned to Wellshire.  This year Tommy Jacobs won.  Arnold Palmer finished third.
• 1959 – The USGA Public Links Championship returns to Wellshire.  Winner Bill Wright was the first African American to win a major national tournament.
• 1962 – Fire broke out in the restaurant.  This was a three-alarm fire and the entire building was gutted.
• 1963 – By March, the clubhouse was rebuilt and reopened in March
• 1977 – The Trophy Room (now the Golfers Pub) opened in July
• 1978 – The Wellshire Inn opens
• 1992 – Richard Phelps is contracted for some course renovations.  Updating teeing grounds, adding cart paths, and some additional mounding were included in the plan.
• 1992-1993 – A new irrigation system was installed.
• 2001 – Wellshire celebrates 75 year anniversary
• 2026 – Wellshire celebrates 100 year anniversary

Bill Wright was the first African American to win a USGA Championship, and he won at Wellshire in the 1959 US Amateur Public Links when Wellshire was still a private course.

Ladies lunching in 1953. Denver Post article.

Wellshire original Donald Ross design

Wellshire 100 Year Community Celebration

Community Celebration Sponsorship Opportunities

• Donald Ross Presenting Sponsor ($5,000)
• 19th Hole Celebration Sponsor ($2,500)
• Hole Sponsor ($500/hole)
• Bill Wright Champion Sponsor ($500)
• 150/250 Community Sponsor ($250)

In 2026, Wellshire Golf Course will mark a milestone—a full century of golf history, community, and tradition. This centennial celebration comes during a year of remarkable anniversaries: Colorado’s 150th and America’s 250th. To say this is a special year would be an understatement.

Wellshire stands as one of the rare Donald Ross designs west of the Mississippi. Ross, the Scottish-born architect revered for shaping courses like The Old Course at St. Andrews and American classics such as Pinehurst No. 2 and Oakmont, brought his genius to the West with The Broadmoor and Denver’s own Wellshire Golf Course. His signature style—natural landscapes, “turtle-back” greens, bold bunkering, and strategic fairways—has made his courses timeless, challenging, and playable for all skill levels.

The story began in 1924 when Ross was commissioned to design Wellshire Country Club on the historic Skeel Family Farm. On August 28, 1926, the first nine holes opened with a celebratory tournament. A year later, the Tudor-style clubhouse—still standing today—welcomed golfers and guests.

The Great Depression brought hardship, and the club closed in 1928. In 1936, the City of Denver purchased the property for $60,000, reopening it as Wellshire Golf Course—a public treasure ever since.

Over the decades, Wellshire has hosted prestigious events, including the 21st USGA Amateur Public Links Championship in 1946, and the Denver Open in 1948 where Ben Hogan claimed his sixth consecutive tour victory with Dwight D. Eisenhower watching from the gallery. The Denver Open returned in 1958, featuring Arnold Palmer tying for third. In 1959, history was made when Bill Wright became the first African American to win a major national tournament at Wellshire during the 34th USGA Public Links.

Today, Wellshire continues its tradition with the annual Four-Ball Championship, entering its 83rd year in 2026.

Join us as we celebrate 100 years of golf history with community events, course specials, and centennial festivities throughout the year. For details on upcoming celebrations, visit CityOfDenverGolf.com.