Adios Namesake
Originally, the club was to be named “Dog’s Run”, but was later changed to Adios Golf Club in memory of Delvin Miller’s great racing trotter, Adios. Adios sired hundreds of champion racers, studs and broodmares, and dominated harness racing more completely than any other male in any other sport.
Founders Vision
As the decade of the 1970’s came to a close, a small group of men, successful gentlemen from the worlds of business and sport all with a shared passion for the game of golf joined together to consider a common dream. They wanted to play golf in an “uncluttered” environment, free from conventional condominium and home lined fairways so prevalent in South Florida. The group was led by Delvin Miller, a horseman from Pennsylvania, known as the “Babe Ruth of Harness Racing” and an avid golfer. Delvin envisioned a South Florida club that offered championship golf and the ultimate in comfort in a collegial, unregimented atmosphere. To that end, Delvin enlisted the help of friend and real estate developer Charles MacCallum to locate a piece of property between Palm Beach and Miami suitable for a golf course. Charlie MacCallum looked for the better part of eight months until one day while viewing aerial photos from county records, he found what he was looking for. There it was, one of the few tracks of land large enough for a golf course and located conveniently bordering the Florida Turnpike, and Hillsboro Blvd. in Coconut Creek. Charlie learned that the property was held in Trust at the Sun Trust Bank in Fort Lauderdale-he also learned the property came with quite a story.
Beginning of Adios GC
The property that became Adios Golf Club had been owned Eleanor Ritchey, the daughter of Claude and Sophie Ritchey and the grand-daughter of Philip John Bayer, founder of the Quaker State Oil Refining Company. Eleanor never married and never had children, but she had lots of dogs. At the time of her death in 1968, Eleanor had 150 dogs on the property that is now Adios Golf Club. When her will was recorded two weeks later, it was learned that the dogs got everything. Broward National Bank of Ft. Lauderdale was named trustee of her estate and instructed the bank to supervise the dog ranch. Delvin Miller, together with Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, Arnold Palmer, Yankee’s Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford, Boston Celtics Owner Harry Mangurian, Orvis Milner, Henry Martin and nine others formed the founding membership of Adios Golf Club. Arnold was asked to design the course and construction began in 1982.
