The Mayking Golf Course Bridge is a timber stringer bridge over an abandoned Louisville & Nashville Railroad branch line in Letcher County, Kentucky.
In around 1935, a group of businessmen in Letcher County, Kentucky, wanted to construct a golf course to serve the local community. 1 The individuals involved included R. R. Wilkey, an executive with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N); Tom Haymond, the superintendent of the Elkhorn Coal Company; and several others such as Roland Price, French Hawk, Follace Fields, Herman Hale, and Woody Dawahare.
The only suitable location for the golf course was near Mayking, on John H. Morgan’s farm, which was bordered by the Whitesburg Branch of the L&N and the Kentucky River. 1
The L&N built a new timber stringer bridge over its tracks to provide access to the golf course property, and a road surrounding the future course was constructed by the Works Progress Administration. 1 The clubhouse, situated on a high knoll with views of the course and river, was constructed of cut limestone, laid by Italian families who had settled in Whitesburg. The available space allowed for only eight holes, so the No. 6 hole had to be played twice.
The golf course enjoyed success until around 1940 when the clubhouse was destroyed by a fire. 1 It was not rebuilt, leading to the closure of the golf course shortly thereafter. The land was eventually divided and sold off.
The L&N railroad branch line under the bridge was dismantled around 1982.
Information
- State: Kentucky
- Route: Golf Course Road
- Type: Timber Stringer
- Status: Active - Automobile
Sources
- Edmiston, Jack Donald. “County’s first golf course now a neighborhood.” Mountain Eagle, 7 Oct. 2009.