Lafayette, LA - Every championship has a beginning, and ours starts with William E. Stauffer. The LGA’s first President and a visionary behind the creation of Metairie Country Club, Stauffer played a defining role in bringing organized amateur golf to Louisiana. As we prepare for the 107th Louisiana Amateur at Metairie CC, we revisit the legacy of a man whose influence is still felt today.
If Metairie were building its Mount Rushmore, the first face sculpted would be that of William E. Stauffer. Born on June 6, 1866, just one year after the end of the Civil War, Stauffer was raised in privilege by Mary Celeste and Isaac H. Stauffer, a wholesale grocer and importer originally born in Lancaster, PA. The family residence was at 147 University Place, located in the Central Business District near the Orpheum Theater. Isaac would be described in his 1903 obituary as “a leading spirit in most of the more prominent clubs, and universally regarded as a gentleman in the most splendid sense implied by the term.” William E. carried that same spirit, graduating from the University of Louisiana (Tulane), then attending Harvard University, with post-graduate courses at several European institutions.
William, or “Bill” to his friends, would later return home to join the family’s wholesale grocery business, becoming partner in 1900 and eventually rising to Vice President. He also became a founding shareholder and initial director of Hibernia Bank and Trust Company in 1902. Stauffer was active in New Orleans society and reigned as King of Carnival in 1911. He was an avid traveler and made annual trips to Philadelphia, New York, and Paris to visit friends during the summer months. Equally important to him was community service; he was a member of the Board of Directors of Charity Hospital, Kingsley House, Sophie Gumbel Home for the Feeble-Minded & Blind, and the Eye, Ear, Nose, & Throat Hospital of New Orleans. Along with business and community, golf was the third passion of Stauffer’s life.
Originally a tennis player, Bill Stauffer took up golf in his early 30s around the time that golf was first played in Audubon Park. Although not of championship caliber, Stauffer belonged to and played regularly at Audubon Golf Club. He would eventually shoot scores consistently in the 70s in his prime and was a regular in local and regional amateur tournaments and invitationals. In 1914, William joined the newly established New Orleans Country Club and later became a member of the NOCC Board of Governors.
Bill Stauffer was an early guiding force in New Orleans golf. In 1919, William Stauffer was elected as the inaugural President of the Louisiana Golf Association. Because of his social prominence and frequent trips to Southampton, NY, William also became a member of National Golf Links of America in 1921. Bill Stauffer served on the Nominating Committee of the United States Golf Association in 1917 and the Executive Committee in 1923. His passion for the game would also lead him to play an integral part in the creation of a new golf club and residential development near Metairie Road.
Although the Metairie founders began securing options on land in 1922, the residential development called Metairie Park, Inc. and Metairie Golf Club were not incorporated until 1923. Initial organizational documents list William E. Stauffer as founder and board member of both, but the following excerpt from the New Orleans Item on March 18, 1923, gives additional details. “William E. Stauffer, who is one of the leading factors in the establishment of a new golf club, with several other prominent business men and golf enthusiasts, have secured the services of one of the most able architects in the country in S. J. Raynor and nothing will be left undone towards making this course one of the best in the South.” Therefore, there can be no doubt that Seth Raynor would not have designed Metairie if it had not been for Stauffer’s involvement in Metairie Golf Club. Bill Stauffer was stricken with a sudden illness while visiting friends in Southampton, NY, and died on September 25, 1924, approximately one year before construction was completed on the new Metairie course. In his obituary, he was described as a “beloved businessman, philanthropist, and social leader.” He was buried in the family tomb in Metairie Cemetery, and his loss was felt far and wide, including by members at the National Golf Links of America.
Upon his death, his friends at National Golf Links of America donated a trophy in his memory to the New Orleans Golf Association, to be named the William E. Stauffer Memorial Cup. The 31 contributors included a who’s who of golf, including Charles Blair Macdonald, George H. Walker, and James A. Stillman. The first tournament for the Stauffer Cup was held in 1926.
As the 107th Louisiana Amateur returns to Metairie Country Club, Stauffer’s legacy comes full circle. The championship he helped make possible will once again be played on the course he envisioned. It is a lasting tribute to the man who shaped the foundation of golf in Louisiana.
Written by Michael Wolf. Historical content and images provided by Metairie Country Club.
About the Louisiana Golf Association
The Louisiana Golf Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and growing the game of golf across Louisiana. Founded in 1920, the LGA conducts state championships, provides USGA Handicap Index® services, and supports players of all ages through initiatives like the Louisiana Junior Golf Tour.
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