Playing golf first began in 1898, when three men, prompted by Mrs. McKenzie, prepared three holes in a pasture between the Town Hall and the lake. Improvement the next year increased the course to five holes, each provided with a tomato-can hole. Not satisfied with this progress, Arthur Wheeler and his loyal friends laid out a new course on Tolman farm land where the club is today. It had been, and continued to be, pasture for cows. The surface was rough with hundreds of rocks, moss and shrubs, providing numerous devilish hazards. Nevertheless, by 1903 there were twenty-six stalwart members. They built a small clubhouse in 1906 with a small fund of $50. Members are said to have played every day but Sunday.
Soon their skills were such that they sought outside competition. The first match was with St. Johnsbury, reached by walking to Greensboro Bend, taking a train to St. Johnsbury, and a bus to the golf course. Later matches were with Barre and Montpelier — great fun that stimulated a camaraderie lasting until today.
It was not until 1908 that the club built a tennis court, adding a second in 1914. Better courts around the lake made tennis of little consequence until a renewed effort in the mid-1930s brought it into near popularity with golf. Since the War, both sports have thrived along with activities for children and social gatherings for everyone: picnics, dances, card parties, and the Annual Meeting.
During the latter part of the century the membership grew so large that there were tournaments almost every week. Even so, all outsiders are welcome to play for modest charges. In the past decade the golf course and tennis facility have greatly improved under the care of professionals, new land has provided practice space, and the tennis courts now number seven. There are currently 350 club memberships.
No club is perfect, but Mountain View comes closer than most — a friendly atmosphere undisturbed by overbearing regulations, a reasonable code of conduct, informal attire, and members who help carry on the summer events. In 2005, the club built a new clubhouse with cedar clapboards and deep porches.
