A Brief History of Fairmount Country Club

Fairmount Country Club in Chatham Township traces its beginnings to 1958, when a group of residents organized a private country club on land along Southern Boulevard. The club was incorporated on September 8, 1958, and Francis ‘Frank’ Timmons, an avid golfer, became the first president. Co-founders included Fred Bernhard, Joe Fleiss, Alan Fleming, Bill Keefauver, Charles ‘Chuck’ Langgaard, Kal Nashner, John Riley, Jim Roser, Nels Schaenen, Frank Timmons, and Earl Vaughn. 
 
Before Fairmount became a golf course, the property was part of a working dairy farm. The surrounding Southern Boulevard area had long been agricultural, with large family farms, dairies and greenhouses occupying much of the countryside. As Chatham Township began changing from a rural farming community into a suburban community in the mid-20th century, the idea emerged to preserve some of the open land while putting it to a new recreational use. Fairmount’s founders hired noted golf-course architect Hal C. Purdy to design the course. Purdy laid out an 18-hole course that incorporated the area’s natural woods, wetlands and gently rolling terrain. The course opened on May 5, 1962 and became the centerpiece of the Club. Our location near the Great Swamp also gives the Club its distinctive natural setting that remains a defining characteristic, while being nestled in the heart of Chatham.  
 
Over the years, Fairmount has developed a reputation for championship caliber golf as well, through hosting numerous New Jersey PGA and NJSGA championships and major professional events. More than six decades after its founding, Fairmount remains a staple of the Chatham community. What began in 1958 as the conversion of former farmland into a golf and country club has become a longstanding part of Chatham’s recreational and social history. 

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