The first share of stock issued by the Club was to Thomas F. Byrnes, Jr. on August 10, 1911
Charter to the State of Kansas filed by then Secretary of State, Larry Ryan on August 1, 1911 and was signed by Secretary Larry Ryan.

The Charter Stated

That the purposes for which this corporation is formed are the promotion of social intercourse among its members, and to provide a suitable place with buildings and grounds where its members may meet for social purposes, and to own and hold such grounds and appurtenances thereto.
No dividends or profits shall be paid on the Capital Stock of this corporation.

While many sites were viewed it was March 9, 1912 when the Register of Deeds Office recorded deeding of what was to become the country club site. The property was west of Highway 99 and north of 18th avenue and involved nearly 500 acres for $47,767. It was bought by Anton Ptacek with a deed dated the same date for a 105.34 acre tract to the Emporia Country Club from Mr. Ptacek, selling for $1,948.
The original nine-hole golf course was completed in 1915 and work on the club lake was completed in 1912. The golf course was described as a king-sized miniature golf course with sand greens. Golfers had no clubhouse so they met under a large tree before teeing off.

Built at a cost of $15,000, the Clubhouse opened in 1912 with a New Year’s Eve party on December 31st. Strictly a dress up affair it was noted by the Gazette the fancy terminology on the menu and the gowns worn by the women. The toast called the “The Club and the Town” was delivered by William Allen White. Mr. and Mrs. Peebles were hired to manage the Club. From Scotland both had experience in the management of Country Clubs. Mr. Peebles was a professional golfer of national reputation and had been golf pro for 15 years. History tells us that in 1913 or later a tennis court and baseball field was planned with two clay tennis courts eventually being built.

The Club has gone through many through many changes over the years with the construction of Emporia’s premier swimming pool in 1955, the renovation of the “19th Hole” in 1964, remodeling of the first floor in 1969 and the expansion and remodeling of the building in 1979.

Finally, it has been rumored that the Country Club is haunted by two former managers, a chef and a golfer. Many stories have come up about staff and members hearing or glimpsing figures in the shadows. No one knows for sure but the legends of the ghosts still continue at Emporia Community Club.

Emporia Community Club

In late 2022, the Emporia Country Club was struggling financially under a large debt burden and with declining membership over the years, was forced to make some tough decisions. Ultimately, the decision was made to sell the club and the remaining stockholders evaluated two proposals and voted and approved one, resulting in the formation of Emporia Community Clubs LLC by a group of community members willing to commit their time and resources to make the club viable once again. On January 30th, 2023 the new group took ownership and the improvements began.

Champions Landing Established Feb 1, 2024

After a year of ownership under the Emporia Community Club, things weren’t progressing as the group had hoped and they made the decision to sell the property. Jeremy Rusco purchased the property under Dynamic Brewing Company and renamed the facility as Champions Landing.