PEEKING INTO THE PAST: Bob-O-Link

Published 2:15 pm Monday, September 23, 2024

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In early May 1930, R.W. Walker from Salisbury signed a lease with Sydney Hearne for a portion of the property at the corner of First and South streets known as Hearne Grove. Within a couple of weeks, Walker built an 18-hole miniature golf course, known as the Bob-O-Link Golf Course. The course opened on June 4, 1930, and the first ad in the newspaper said it would be open from 7 a.m. until midnight. According to the SNAP, the course had “sand traps, lakes and everything else that add pleasure to the game.” It was a par 55 and could accommodate about 75 players at a time. There was an office, a checkroom (that also sold snacks), and a public address system that played music. The Bob-O-Link Golf Course season was from roughly April/May to October. The last mention found so far in the newspaper was an ad from the May 6, 1932 Stanly News and Press. The course was still open at that time. How long it was in business isn’t currently known. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}