Oakley Country Club’s Board President, John Verderese, walks through a refurbished dining area damaged during a fire in December 2024. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
A place with much history, both locally and in the sports world, faced near disaster in late 2024. Less than two years later, the Watertown’s Oakley Country Club has rebuilt and welcomes golfers and others to the first place where the “father of American golf” worked in the United States. John Verderese, President of the Oakley Board of Directors, vividly remembers when he learned about the fire that occurred early in the morning of Dec. 6, 2024.
