Stagg Hill Golf Club

Stagg Hill Golf Club traces its origins to the early 1930s, when members of the local American Legion raised funds for a course to serve the Manhattan community. Construction began in 1930 on rented land atop Stagg Hill, west of town, where fairways were buffalo grass and both tee boxes and greens were built of sand — oil was applied to hold the sand in place.

The course struggled financially and was sold and incorporated as a non-profit in 1937. By the 1960s rising rents and the hill's limited water supply made growing conventional turf impractical. In 1967 George Filinger, creator of the Johnny Kaw figure, acquired land for a new course with ample water and room for recreation such as fishing and picnicking.