Lehigh Valley sports fans at the mid-point of the 20th century might have thought that Fountain Hill was spelled B-A-S-K-E-T-B-A-L-L.

Indeed, during a 12-year period, the Hiller cagers produced seven District 11 Class B championships, three Eastern Pennsylvania crowns and two Class B State championship titles. The teams amassed a record of 258 wins and only 66 losses.

More than a half century earlier and 21 years before James Naismith hung his peach basket on the wall of the YMCA in Springfield, Mass., and established the basic rules of the game of basketball, 19th century residents of the Borough of Fountain Hill began quite a different sporting tradition. West Fountain Hill, as it was informally called, was an area of leisure and recreation for the residents of what is now defined as the Fountain Hill National Historic District. The wealthy entrepreneurs of South Bethlehem frequented the Lechauweki Springs Resort hotels and created other recreational opportunities through the development of a tennis club and the establishment of a golf course as early as 1870. This was almost 25 years before the formal incorporation of the borough.

Information on these ventures is sparse. While the tennis club was a fleeting affair, the golf course was longer-lived. Initially called the Country Club, it was later named the Linderman Golf Grounds. Situated on 19 acres owned by Garret Linderman, president of the Lehigh Valley National Bank of Bethlehem, on what is now Delaware Avenue between present day Lynn and Hoffert streets, the southern boundary was marked by the gently flowing Fountain Valley Creek. Bookending the course were two structures, still in existence, with architectural similarities. The house at 1105 Delaware was the home of Linderman's sister Emily and her husband Charles W. Anthony. The building at 1269 Delaware served as the clubhouse for the golf grounds. The northern edge of the course was at what is now Russell Avenue.

The course itself was a nine-hole affair on fairly hilly terrain. It is reported that in favorable weather there was a weekly "Ladies Day" on the links. In addition, there are records of baseball and football being played on the western edge of the course which later became part of the Fountain Hill playground. In the true spirit of the people of Fountain Hill, there was also a time when tents were erected on the western boundary to serve two poor families, a total of seven people, who were seeking open air treatment for tuberculosis.

It is difficult to establish when the course was retired, but records show that by 1912 the land had been conveyed to the Secured Realty Company and developer James L. Elliott, who was later elected mayor. While Elliott laid out what was titled the Wilbur Lawn Suburb, he did not abandon the concept of developing open space for recreation and, as mayor, provided the leadership needed to develop a park-like playground on Stanley Avenue.

Golf had left Fountain Hill, but the playground thrived under civic pride and the leadership of a series of creative supervisors and managers, including the short-lived Fountain Hill Athletic Association and the Fountain Hill Hose Company. From 1961 to 1975, Mario Donnangelo, a highly respected Lehigh Valley educator and much-in-demand official for a variety of sports, was a part of the supervisory team at the Stanley Avenue park. While basketball was king, Mario took time every summer to encourage his charges to explore other sports. This included introducing them to golf through periodic field trips to local courses.

The young Hillers loved these adventures and after Mario moved on to other pursuits they would often talk of getting together with him for another summer excursion. This never panned out and many of them simply pursued the sport on their own.

After Mario's death in 2010, a group of those who had benefitted from their association with him thought that a golf outing would be one of the best ways to honor his passing. Initially, it was just a group of old buddies looking for a day in the sun. As plans transpired, the outing turned into a tournament with a limited guest list: Basically, you had to have lived in Fountain Hill, attended one of the schools in the borough or been married to a real Hiller. The appeal was to those who had a long-term interest in the borough and in the playground.

A committee was convened to set the parameters and procedures and the first event was held in 2013 at the Wedgewood Golf Course. Eighty-six players vied for honors including a coveted "Pot-Of-Gold." Funds were also raised by entry fees and individual hole sponsorships. Unfortunately, the players were not of PGA quality and after awards were presented at a post tourney picnic at the Fountain Hill Hose Company, there was money left in the pot. It was decided that $500 should be donated to the Fountain Hill Bacchanalia, a wine and food-tasting event held to raise funds for maintenance and improvements at the playground. In 2014, the number of participants rose to 112 and the pot money became a healthy $3,000. Again, $500 was given to the Bacchanalia. The remainder, $2,500, was donated to Fountain Hill Borough Council for use in further developing the playground and the swimming pool areas.

The third annual golf classic will be held Aug. 8, this time at the Locust Valley Golf Course in Coopersburg. A sizeable growth in participants is expected. Achievements of the Fountain Hill basketball teams will not likely be forgotten. Golf may not be played on Delaware Avenue. But golf may be as significant a driver in keeping sports and leisure alive on the Hill as it was in the borough's seminal years.

Golf tourney late registration: Bob Spirk, 610-674-2363