Three brothers, Herbert B., Vern A., and Franklin K. Stratton, were the primary people responsible for the beginning of Cascade Fairways.
In the mid 1960s, longtime Orem residents Richard Nimer, Cliff Pyne, Earl Farnworth, Dexter Wilberg, Rex Kofford and Herb Stratton made a proposal to the Orem City Council suggesting that Orem City needed its own golf course.
"We felt building a golf course would help the City of Orem grow. It was our desire to provide the residents of Orem with a nice golf course."
-Herb Stratton
Orem City organized a committee headed by Parell Peterson, sports director at Lincoln High School, with Herb Stratton serving as one of the committee members. After several months of research, the committee recommended that Orem City conduct a study to determine if Orem could sustain a golf course.
Nolan Waltham, head professional at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, was hired by Orem City to conduct a golf course study. The study, which cost $1,800, concluded that Orem City could support a nine-hole golf course. Based upon Walfun's study, the committee recommended that the city build a golf course. Understanding the associated risks involved, however, Orem City Council voted unanimously not to build a course and opted instead to focus on plans for a new city center.
Although the committee disbanded, Herb Stratton maintained a vision for a golf course in Orem and approached his brothers and other family members about building a course on their property. The Stratton family owned 85 acres beginning at the corner of 800 North and 800 East and continuing north into what is now Canyon View Junior High School.
When Orem City Councilman Harley Gillman heard the Strattons were considering using their own land to build a course, Gillman suggested that arrangements might be made with the city to purchase the land near the mouth of Provo Canyon. Orem City had purchased the land for its culinary water rights. At the time, the property was being used as a gravel pit and a portion of the land served as a city dump.
The Strattons desired to purchase the land but the city preferred a lease agreement. The city and the Strattons agreed on a 100-year lease.
Having obtained a lease on the land, the Stratton's set out to obtain their own financing. After being turned away by every local bank, Herb Stratton flew to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in an attempt to find a financial backer for the course. After more than a year of unsuccessful attempts to obtain financing, in 1966 Stratton approached the Small Business Administration, where he was initially turned down. However, Ren Smith, director of the Salt Lake City office of the Small Business Administration, contacted the national office in Washington D.C. and was able to help Stratton arrange for a 15-year loan. The terms of the loan required that 10 percent of the funds be financed through a local bank. In order to obtain the 10 percent local financing, the Stratton brothers had to offer their homes and farms as collateral. After five years of satisfactory payments, the bank released the mortgage on their homes and farms.
"They [the Stratton brothers] morgaged their butts off while we just sat back and held our breath," said Earl Farnworth, one the original members of the research committee. "About all we did was pat them on the back and say, 'you can do it.'"
Construction began on Cascade Fairways in the Spring of 1967. William H. Neff Sr., a Salt Lake City golf course architect, designed the course. The course opened in May of 1968. Green fees were $1 for adults, $0.75 for seniors and $0.50 for juniors.
The first clubhouse and equipment shed consisted of a World War II POW barracks. In 1970, the present day clubhouse was opened to the public.
In 1971, the Strattons opened a driving range south of 800 North and finished blueprint designs for Cascade's second nine holes, also south of 800 North. In response to the Orem City's request to obtain the land so the Osmonds could build Osmond Studios, the Stratton's expansion plans south of 800 North were changed when they sold the lease on that portion of the land back to the city.
The Stratton's received no profits from the Golf Course during the first 10 years of operation. In fact, the Stratton family subsidized the course to keep it going during this period.
During Cascade's 30 years in operation, the course has gone through a series of modifications. These changes included moving the tee box on hole No. 1 to the west to make room for the present day driving range, adding a fourth set of tee boxes and additional water hazards and bunkers and planting hundreds of trees.
Herb's son Keven, who began managing the golf course in 1986, became the proprietor in 1989.
Mike Smith served as the PGA Golf Professional from 1968-1969 followed by John Evans from 1970-1982.
Randy Anderson, who has worked at Cascade for 16 years, began his current job as the course's golf professional in 1987. In 1992 he became a Class A PGA Golf Professional.
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