The idea for a Stillwater Golf Club came at a Stillwater Rotary Club meeting in July 1924. Even though this is where the idea sprang up, it was probably burning in the minds of those from Stillwater that would travel to St. Paul and play on Phalen Park's nine-hole course. "It was so crowded, you had to be there by 6am, and if you were lucky, you might tee off by 8am," according to J.E. (Ed) Slaughter who made the trip regularly with Jim Rowland and Harold Rothschild.

On September 24, 1924, Slaughter was chosen chairman at a public meeting in which 50 people sat down and made plans for a local golf course. At the meeting the group appointed a seven-member committee to investigate possible sites for the course. The committee included Slaughter, C.E. Nelson, F.C. Andersen, J.D. Bronson, K.M. LeVine, Ronald Parkhurst and Harold Rothschild.

The committee found four possible sites: the fields west of the city, a tract of land near Fairview Cemetery, an area a mile south of town near Stillwater Junction, and a farmer's field on the North Hill. The committee then received the help of Tom Vardon, the golf professional at the White Bear Yacht Club and the brother of the famous English golfer Harry Vardon, to advise the committee on which site would be best for a golf course. After looking over each site Vardon told the committee that without a doubt the best site for the golf course was the farmer's field on the North Hill, which was called Atwood's Field.

Henry B. Vollmer owned the field. He was willing to sell the land for $8000. A contract was signed in November 1924 with $500 down and $3000 to be paid by March 1925 and the rest to be paid on a $1000 annual basis. Over the winter of 1924-25, 103 shares of stock were sold at $50 per share, raising a total of $5150.

The Stillwater Golf Club was chartered in February 1925. Slaughter became the club’s first president, Harold Rothschild vice-president, K.M. LaVine, treasurer; and Carl Nelson served as secretary. The other charter directors were Fred Andersen, J.D. Bronson and Ron Parkhurst. The club acquired the title to “Atwoods Field” one month later. Stillwater now had its own golf course.