Golf would have found its way to the area sooner or later. But it was a bit of blind luck that led to the creation of the city’s first course.

Robert Pryde, a Scottish immigrant, was a tradesman building an armoire for retired businessman Justus Hotchkiss on Church Street in the spring of 1895. Hotchkiss noticed Pryde’s brogue and inquired whether he knew anything of golf, still a relatively unknown sport in the U.S.

Pryde had not only played in Scotland, but manufactured and repaired clubs. Hotchkiss promptly fetched his neighbor, Yale law professor Theodore Woolsey, with whom he had discussed building a course in the area.

It wasn’t long before property along Prospect and Winchester Avenue was leased. Pryde was hired to lay out a 9-hole course. That fall, it was ready for play.

Read Chip Malafronte's complete story.

If Pat O’Sullivan Lucey isn’t the most important person in the 100-year history of Race Brook Country Club, she certainly has to be in the top three.

Forget the fact that Lucey won the women’s club championship at Race Brook 26 out of 28 attempts, and that she’s been a member for 70 years. She is arguably the state’s best women’s golfer ever with 10 Connecticut Women’s Golf Association and three Connecticut Women’s Amateur championships and a very accomplished amateur golfer with three North & South and three New England Amateur titles.

Her most prestigious amateur championship was the Titleholders Championship in Augusta, Ga., in 1951. The Titleholders Championship was only won by three other amateurs, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, one of the greatest female athletes in our nation’s history. At the time, that was similar to winning the Masters in men’s golf.

Read Joe Morelli's complete story.

Golfers Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson combined to win 14 major championships during their Hall-of-Fame careers. Hogan is one of just six golfers to win all four major championships.

Hogan and Nelson played one of the most famous exhibition matches of all time, teaming against amateurs Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward in 1956 at Cypress Point Club in Monterrey, Calif. Hogan birdied the 18th to halve the hole and help he and Nelson beat Venturi and Ward 1-up. The match is detailed in full in a book called “The Match” by Mark Frost.

On May 17, 1942, Hogan and Nelson were opponents in another exhibition match held at the Race Brook Country Club No. 1 course in Orange. Race Brook had 36 holes at the time. Nelson teamed with Charlie Clare of the host club while Hogan partnered up with Bobby Grant from Wethersfield.

Read Joe Morelli's complete story.

Associated Press photo

In a span of 10 years, Billy Burke rose from a full-time job as a mold caster at a Naugatuck iron foundry to the 1931 U.S. Open champion. It remains as remarkable a tale today as it was 81 years ago.

Burke — born Burkowski — was the son of a Polish immigrant blue-collar worker. He fell in love with golf when, as a frail 12-year-old, he caddied for the first time at Naugatuck Golf Club.

Read Chip Malafronte's full story

The write up and scores from 1931

GolfWeek's look back to 1931

Here's a video from YouTube that could include Billy Burke in 1931 at the U.S. Open.