Historic Omaha
An illustrated history of Omaha and the Douglas County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
An illustrated history of Omaha and the Douglas County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
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MIRACLE HILL<br />
GOLF AND<br />
TENNIS CENTER<br />
<strong>Omaha</strong>’s only championship caliber public<br />
golf course, The Miracle Hill Golf Course<br />
opened on April 30, 1961. Green fees were $3<br />
weekdays and $5 on weekends and holidays.<br />
Riding carts were $7. The first ladies league<br />
began in July of 1961. The course was as big a<br />
hit with pros as it was locals. On October<br />
21,1961, Don January and Roger Maris played<br />
a celebrity golf match against Dick Knight and<br />
Johnny Weismuller. The first of two LPGA<br />
tournaments was held August 14-16, 1964.<br />
Many, many famous ladies competed: Mickey<br />
Wright, Sherry Wheeler, Kathy Cornelius,<br />
Shirley Englehorn, Althea Gibson, and Kathy<br />
Whitworth are but a few. The first Senior’s<br />
League was formed in 1964, which was also<br />
the year of Bob Mitera’s record-breaking<br />
longest hole-in-one—an ace on the 444-yard<br />
par 4 tenth hole on October 7, 1964.<br />
The course has undergone improvement<br />
and change. Buildings were added and taken<br />
down, maintenance sheds built and<br />
expanded, and the clubhouse café greatly<br />
enlarged and improved in 1986. Target greens<br />
were built for the driving range in 1987 and<br />
irrigation improved. Practice sand traps were<br />
built, as were forward tee boxes on most of<br />
the holes. The front and back nines were<br />
reversed in 1970, and the teaching and<br />
assistant pros have come and gone. Jack<br />
Nicklaus toured the course in 1971 and<br />
Arnold Palmer and Ray Floyd played an<br />
exhibition match in ’72, as did Lee Trevino in<br />
’73. Sam Snead visited the course in 1978.<br />
The first of two tennis buildings housing<br />
four indoor courts was dedicated in October<br />
of 1978. The second building was opened in<br />
November of 1981. At that time the combined<br />
floor space of the clubhouse and tennis<br />
buildings totaled 61,000 feet.<br />
The course is as much a history of the<br />
Davis Family as it is a successful business. Dr.<br />
B.B. Davis, a prominent surgeon, purchased<br />
the old Friesland Farm just north of 120th<br />
and Dodge Road in 1907. Adjacent parcels<br />
were added over the years until it grew to 240<br />
acres in size. Dr. Davis had a thriving medical<br />
practice in <strong>Omaha</strong> and used to drive his horse<br />
drawn carriage to and from the farm in the<br />
same day. When the needs of the farm became<br />
too much, he built a carriage house and stable<br />
so that he could stay several days at a time.<br />
Dr. Davis developed a Holstein herd that was<br />
widely renowned in the Midlands for its<br />
superior breed lines, milk and butter fat<br />
production, and championship cattle. When<br />
his medical practice became too demanding,<br />
HISTORIC OMAHA<br />
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