The Connecticut Amateur Championship is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the country that boasts a rich history of past champions including Richard Siderowf, Robert Grant, Jerry Courville and J.J. Henry, just to name a few. While the individual winner has always been crowned the Connecticut Amateur Champion, the tournament has also awarded an Amateur Team Champion, which also dates back to the first tournament held in 1899.
The history of the Amateur Team Champion and its trophy had long been lost to history until recently, thanks to a discovery by the CSGA’s own Ryan Hoffman, Director of Operations, Rules and Competitions. The inaugural Connecticut Amateur was held at Brooklawn Country Club, and marked the formation of the League of Connecticut Golf Clubs which would later become the Connecticut State Golf Association. The team trophy was donated by Ms. Eldridge of Norfolk with the stipulation that the first club to win three times would retain the trophy. Brooklawn won the title in 1903, 1904 and 1905, and the trophy has resided at the club ever since.
Below is an excerpt from the Outing Magazine, an Illustrated Monthly Magazine of Sport, Travel and Recreation, dated April to September, 1899.
The first annual tournament of the Connecticut Golf Association, played on the Brooklawn Country Club course, at Bridgeport, Conn. July 18th-22nd, attracted nearly one hundred entries from twenty-two clubs in the Association. The course has a playing length of 2,584 yards, with a bogie of 39.
The most valuable prize was a $250 challenge cup, which the Misses Eldridge, of Norfolk, offered for the best club team of six in the league, and which was won last year by Litchfield Golf Club.There were only a few clubs in the league then, and as it was reorganized this spring upon new lines, this is virtually the first meeting. The cup must be won three times to become the property of any club, but medals are given outright to the members of the winning team. The winner of the State championship receives a gold medal, as does the Consolation winner, and a silver medal is given for the best gross score.”
