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In 1934, the former president of Springville Country Club spoke to about 800 young football players who bombarded their special guest with questions. The organizer of the event, Joseph Tomlin, wanted to help those children learn the game of football. He expected attendance from several speakers, but due to poor weather, only one showed up. To commemorate the generosity, Tomlin would eventually name his new youth football program after the speaker, Pop Warner. 

The name “Pop Warner” holds great significance in American football. Pop Warner is now the largest youth football program in the world. An estimated 60-70% of NFL players played Pop Warner as kids. The league’s namesake, Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner, was a legendary college football coach before the days of Paterno, Bryant and Saban. He was known for his innovative spirit and winning ways. 

What many people don’t know is that Warner’s impact was felt in another sport, golf. 

Early Days in Springville

Springville is located 45 miles southeast of Buffalo, surrounded by an environment of beautifully wooded hillsides, dramatic stream valleys and productive farmland. The quaint village founded in 1807, is nestled in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. 

“Pop” was born in 1871 as Glenn Scobey Warner. He was raised on a farm in Springville, and eventually his family moved to Main Street. He played on the high school baseball team at Springville-Griffith, where he was a talented pitcher. Following his graduation from high school, his father relocated the family to Texas. Shortly after, Warner found his way back to upstate New York, and enrolled at Cornell University in 1892.

Cornell is where he discovered football. He met the coach on a train ride to Ithaca, who became impressed by his stocky 200-pound build and recruited him as a guard on the team. Warner enjoyed the sport so much, he played for the Big Red all three years he attended. During his time as a student, in need of money, he sold paintings he had made after suddenly picking up the hobby. Because he was older than most of his peers, he earned the famous nickname "Pop" during his Cornell years. His unofficial start to coaching came while still a player. His coach at Cornell briefly left the team to help his alma mater in a rivalry game, an old tradition. Already a captain on the team, Warner created and even ran his own trick play.

After graduating with a law degree,Warner decided to move back to Buffalo and open a law office, although it was a short stint of merely four months. He was focused on making a career out of his real passion, football.

Initially, he sought an assistant coaching position at pretty much anywhere nationwide before ultimately securing a role at the University of Georgia, guiding them to their first undefeated season in 1894 (4-0). His illustrious coaching career spanned 44 years, holding positions at Stanford, Temple, Pittsburgh, and San Jose State, alongside returns to Cornell and even some time for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where he mentored the legendary Jim Thorpe, widely considered one of the most exceptional athletes in history.

He was no slouch on the golf course either. Legend has it Warner once shot two rounds of 45, then a course record, using just two homemade clubs, a driver and a mashie. His driver was crafted out of his bedpost, he believed it would have better balance distribution, and it worked.

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A Club Founded in 1922

One of the most picturesque scenes at Springville Country Club lies by the 14th hole, a par-3 with the Cattaraugus Bridge in the backdrop. That trestle bridge once serviced the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad which was crucial for the flow of coal into New York in the late 19th century. It also made frequent trips to Cascade Park, an attraction once as well known as nearby Niagara Falls.

However, with the rise of the automobile industry, the railroad became less popular. Simultaneously, Cascade Park grew older and was visited less. The railroad stopped going to Cascade Park in 1921 and put the land up for sale the following year. 

Coming off his seventh season coaching football at University of Pittsburgh, Warner led an effort that saw 180 residents of the Springville area purchase the 150 acre plot of land which would become Springville Country Club for about 10,000 dollars (about $200,000 today). When the members were tasked with finding the club’s first president, Warner was the obvious choice.

The bridge reminds golfers what the property once was as they stroll through a course that has now lived for over a century. For the course’s centennial, in 2022, it hosted the Men’s State Senior Amateur and Super Senior Amateur championships.

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The southern part of the course is settled on a cliff overlooking the winding Cattaragaus Creek hundreds of feet down deep gorges bordering the edge of the course’s property along Zoar Valley. Due to those geological constraints, the course (most noticeably on holes No. 12-16) features a unique design, complementing Warner’s innovative side as he co-designed the original nine holes.

Warner was primarily known for being a great innovator on the gridiron. He was often seen parting from his playing partners on the golf course to illustrate new football formations and plays. 

He was credited for modern staples of the sport including using jersey numbers, shoulder and thigh pads, as well as screen passes. One of his more iconic creations was the single wingback formation. This alignment required the tailback to stand behind the center with the quarterback behind a guard or tackle. He introduced many other early football innovations such as the spiral punt, naked bootleg, double reverse, three point stance, screen pads, and the use of blocking sleds and tackling dummies for practice.

An example of how Pop’s unique personality still remains part of the club’s DNA, Springville offers a rare “19th hole” on property, not just a nickname for the clubhouse bar, utilized for tie-breakers, to settle lingering bets, or as a practice area otherwise. It was the 9th and finishing par-3 for the original course routing back in the 1920s, and when the layout was transformed in the 1980s, the membership opted to keep that original “Pop” hole around.

Several of Pop’s other original holes were maybe too adventurous or outside-of-the-box to stand up to the test of time and renovation. The old 4th, a 90-degree dogleg left, and the old 5th, a very narrow par 4, no longer exist. 

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Pop’s Western NY Legacy

Though Warner’s name will forever be associated with football, his impact on New York should not be ignored. Springville Country Club has now stood for over 100 years and is older than the youth football league named after its first president. As one of Western New York’s most pristine courses continues to age gracefully, it is important to look back on its humble and unique beginnings. Pop Warner, a man who coordinated greatness on the gridiron, created another lasting legacy in his hometown, Springville.

Today, there is a Warner Museum at the nearby Concord Historical Society, honoring the legacy of the village’s most prominent resident.

Although he lived and traveled all around the country throughout his illustrious career, he insisted his final resting place would be in his beloved little hometown of Springville. After passing in 1954 in Palo Alto, California, he was transported across the nation to be buried back home in his family plot alongside his parents and siblings at Maplewood Cemetery, just minutes down the road from the country club.

Story by Aidan Tseng, USGA PJ Boatwright, Jr. Intern - Communications