RICH IN TRADITION

Rich in Tradition

The earliest Spanish settlers recognized the unique natural beauty of the rolling terrain on the inland borders of the famous Hope Ranch property in Santa Barbara. They named the spot that would eventually embrace our course and Clubhouse, La Cumbre, or "high place, summit, peak." At the turn of the twentieth century, visionary enthusiasts began to bring golf from Scotland and Great Britain to the growing residents and Eastern tourists in California. In this fashionable resort town, known even then as the Riviera of America, a dedicated group hired two eminent architects to fashion a private country club.

The Potter Club House was built on Carosam Street, and on March 20th, 1909, the Clubhouse was opened along with a 9-hole golf course with oil-sanded greens. The course is laid out west of Las Palmas, and while wanting to have it play around the lake, it does not and remains entirely west of Las Palmas Avenue.

1914 - Potter Country Club's lease runs out and is not renewed due to the financial demise of the Potter Hotel Company. The members continue to play golf on the land and change their club's name to the Hope Ranch Park Golf Club. The membership sends two members to attempt to purchase the land across the street from the Potter Club from George McNulty, who lived in Maine. They are successful and return with the deed to our property for $350,000, a vast sum at the time.

1916 - Hope Ranch Park Golf Club changes its name to La Cumbre Golf and Country Club and moves across the street to our current location. La Cumbre Golf and Country Club are elected to the SCGA. The course is 18 holes laid out by some of the members of the new club on the newly acquired lands. The greens are oiled sand.

1918 - The La Cumbre clubhouse is built on a knoll east of Laguna Blanca in its present location. It is constructed of redwood with open beamed ceilings and views to the southeast across the fairways. Thomas Bendelow was hired to redesign the original member-designed course, change a few holes, and add grass greens, which was an innovation at the time. No holes play around the lake as that acreage is used for equestrian purposes and is not owned by the Club.

1920s - With the additional lands acquired in 1925, Peter Cooper Bryce brings in George Thomas and William Bell Sr. to begin construction of a new golf course, including several holes on the newly acquired land playing around the lake (in the spirit of the original concept proposed in 1903 by the Pacific Improvement Company). According to Thomas, "..this course is not (my) plan, but that the sequence of the holes and much of their development was reached in conference most especially with the Green Chairman (Peter Cooper Bryce) and also with his committee..."  Thomas further credits the design of the 16th hole (our current #8) to Peter Cooper Bryce.

1947-1948 - La Cumbre Golf and Country Club closed due to a loss of membership due to WWII. H.S. Chase acquires the property through the acquisition of his two companies. He does this to "protect Laguna Blanca and Hope Ranch park by preventing the Club property falling into "unsympathetic" hands." The Club property is used to graze cattle and grow lemons. The Club House has been remodeled, furnished, and rented as a private residence. The areas around the lake are used for equestrian purposes. A large corral is built near the current 11th tee and 15th green.

1957 - With the population increasing in the area, the Chases decided to reactivate the club by remodeling the clubhouse and rebuilding the golf course. They decided to keep some of the property to develop residential lots around the course. William F. Bell, Jr. was hired to redesign the course around the reduced acreage.

George Washington Smith, the most famous of all Santa Barbara architects, was commissioned to build the clubhouse. At the same time, George Thomas, whose resume included Pine Valley, Merion, Bel-Air, Riviera, and The Los Angeles Country Club, was hired to build an eighteen-hole course featuring the highest design standards of the time. La Cumbre Country Club celebrated its centennial year in 2008 and continues to benefit from this spectacular setting and more than a century of design refinements, modernization, and caretaking.

The Potter Club House was built on Carosam Street, and on March 20th, 1909, the Clubhouse was opened along with a 9-hole golf course with oil-sanded greens. The course is laid out west of Las Palmas, and while wanting to have it play around the lake, it does not and remains entirely west of Las Palmas Avenue.

1914 - Potter Country Club's lease runs out and is not renewed due to the financial demise of the Potter Hotel Company. The members continue to play golf on the land and change their club's name to the Hope Ranch Park Golf Club. The membership sends two members to attempt to purchase the land across the street from the Potter Club from George McNulty, who lived in Maine. They are successful and return with the deed to our property for $350,000, a vast sum at the time.

1916 - Hope Ranch Park Golf Club changes its name to La Cumbre Golf and Country Club and moves across the street to our current location. La Cumbre Golf and Country Club are elected to the SCGA. The course is 18 holes laid out by some of the members of the new club on the newly acquired lands. The greens are oiled sand.

1918 - The La Cumbre clubhouse is built on a knoll east of Laguna Blanca in its present location. It is constructed of redwood with open beamed ceilings and views to the southeast across the fairways. Thomas Bendelow was hired to redesign the original member-designed course, change a few holes, and add grass greens, which was an innovation at the time. No holes play around the lake as that acreage is used for equestrian purposes and is not owned by the Club.

1920s - With the additional lands acquired in 1925, Peter Cooper Bryce brings in George Thomas and William Bell Sr. to begin construction of a new golf course, including several holes on the newly acquired land playing around the lake (in the spirit of the original concept proposed in 1903 by the Pacific Improvement Company). According to Thomas, "..this course is not (my) plan, but that the sequence of the holes and much of their development was reached in conference most especially with the Green Chairman (Peter Cooper Bryce) and also with his committee..."  Thomas further credits the design of the 16th hole (our current #8) to Peter Cooper Bryce.

George Washington Smith, the most famous of all Santa Barbara architects, was commissioned to build the clubhouse. At the same time, George Thomas, whose resume included Pine Valley, Merion, Bel-Air, Riviera, and The Los Angeles Country Club, was hired to build an eighteen-hole course featuring the highest design standards of the time. La Cumbre Country Club celebrated its centennial year in 2008 and continues to benefit from this spectacular setting and more than a century of design refinements, modernization, and caretaking.

1947-1948 - La Cumbre Golf and Country Club closed due to a loss of membership due to WWII. H.S. Chase acquires the property through the acquisition of his two companies. He does this to "protect Laguna Blanca and Hope Ranch park by preventing the Club property falling into "unsympathetic" hands." The Club property is used to graze cattle and grow lemons. The Club House has been remodeled, furnished, and rented as a private residence. The areas around the lake are used for equestrian purposes. A large corral is built near the current 11th tee and 15th green.

1957 - With the population increasing in the area, the Chases decided to reactivate the club by remodeling the clubhouse and rebuilding the golf course. They decided to keep some of the property to develop residential lots around the course. William F. Bell, Jr. was hired to redesign the course around the reduced acreage.

The Potter Club House was built on Carosam Street, and on March 20th, 1909, the Clubhouse was opened along with a 9-hole golf course with oil-sanded greens. The course is laid out west of Las Palmas, and while wanting to have it play around the lake, it does not and remains entirely west of Las Palmas Avenue.

1914 - Potter Country Club's lease runs out and is not renewed due to the financial demise of the Potter Hotel Company. The members continue to play golf on the land and change their club's name to the Hope Ranch Park Golf Club. The membership sends two members to attempt to purchase the land across the street from the Potter Club from George McNulty, who lived in Maine. They are successful and return with the deed to our property for $350,000, a vast sum at the time.

1916 - Hope Ranch Park Golf Club changes its name to La Cumbre Golf and Country Club and moves across the street to our current location. La Cumbre Golf and Country Club are elected to the SCGA. The course is 18 holes laid out by some of the members of the new club on the newly acquired lands. The greens are oiled sand.

1918 - The La Cumbre clubhouse is built on a knoll east of Laguna Blanca in its present location. It is constructed of redwood with open beamed ceilings and views to the southeast across the fairways. Thomas Bendelow was hired to redesign the original member-designed course, change a few holes, and add grass greens, which was an innovation at the time. No holes play around the lake as that acreage is used for equestrian purposes and is not owned by the Club.

1920s - With the additional lands acquired in 1925, Peter Cooper Bryce brings in George Thomas and William Bell Sr. to begin construction of a new golf course, including several holes on the newly acquired land playing around the lake (in the spirit of the original concept proposed in 1903 by the Pacific Improvement Company). According to Thomas, "..this course is not (my) plan, but that the sequence of the holes and much of their development was reached in conference most especially with the Green Chairman (Peter Cooper Bryce) and also with his committee..."  Thomas further credits the design of the 16th hole (our current #8) to Peter Cooper Bryce.

George Washington Smith, the most famous of all Santa Barbara architects, was commissioned to build the clubhouse. At the same time, George Thomas, whose resume included Pine Valley, Merion, Bel-Air, Riviera, and The Los Angeles Country Club, was hired to build an eighteen-hole course featuring the highest design standards of the time. La Cumbre Country Club celebrated its centennial year in 2008 and continues to benefit from this spectacular setting and more than a century of design refinements, modernization, and caretaking.

1947-1948 - La Cumbre Golf and Country Club closed due to a loss of membership due to WWII. H.S. Chase acquires the property through the acquisition of his two companies. He does this to "protect Laguna Blanca and Hope Ranch park by preventing the Club property falling into "unsympathetic" hands." The Club property is used to graze cattle and grow lemons. The Club House has been remodeled, furnished, and rented as a private residence. The areas around the lake are used for equestrian purposes. A large corral is built near the current 11th tee and 15th green.

1957 - With the population increasing in the area, the Chases decided to reactivate the club by remodeling the clubhouse and rebuilding the golf course. They decided to keep some of the property to develop residential lots around the course. William F. Bell, Jr. was hired to redesign the course around the reduced acreage.

The Potter Country Club Brochure

The Potter Club House was built on Carosam Street, and on March 20th, 1909, the Clubhouse was opened along with a nine-hole golf course with oil sanded greens. The course was laid out west of Las Palmas and, while wanting to have it play around the lake, it did not and remained entirely west of Las Palmas Avenue. The Potter Country Club's lease ran out and was not renewed due to the Potter Hotel Company's financial demise. The members continued to play golf on the land and changed their name to the Hope Ranch Park Golf Club.
Read the Brochure →
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