The golf course officially opened on May 16th of 1929 with an exhibition match between Ray McAuliffe, Frank Marsh, Ennis Miller, and Joe Higgins. They were divided into teams of McAuliffe and Marsh versus Miller and Higgins. After the exhibition match the golf club was open to members. St. Bonaventure's College would then develop a golf team with Higgins as the coach, Thomas Campbell of Philadelphia, Pa. was named "caddy-master."

The golf course began as an idea from Fr. Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M who found the site to be a, "fitting and naturally ordained location for a golf course." Fr. Bertrand was also behind the project, as he was an "enthusiastic golfer." These two facts may have lead to the Bonaventure legend that the golf course was built for the Friars. However, this is not true as the course was built to give students another avenue for student recreation, enhance the campus, and later helped to make up for the loss of the football program.