This story first appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Northern Ohio Golfer Magazine, the official print publication of the Northern Ohio Golf Association. NOGA members who provide a mailing address in their GHIN account receive a copy mailed to their home twice per year. Not yet a NOGA member? JOIN NOW >
Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Links, located just south of Akron in the town of Green, marks its 100th anniversary in the summer of 2025. The golf course, set among the Portage Lakes, has a history tied to the Thornton family and their land, with a story that starts long before the first hole was built.
In 1840, John Thornton bought the property. It was a rural spot back then, with a stagecoach inn from the 1820s already on it. He turned the inn into a family home and settled in.
The Thorntons kept the land for decades, passing it down through the family as the area slowly changed. By 1925, over 80 years later, one of John’s descendants — likely the grandfather of Mary Thornton Mozingo — decided to do something new with it. Golf was growing in popularity across America, and the Portage Lakes seemed like a good fit for a course. That year, the family opened Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Links with 18 holes, a public course built for locals to play.
The course layout followed the land’s natural topography, with tree-lined fairways and greens working with the sloping hills that ran down to the water nearby. The routing made it fun to play, and the course caught on.
In the 1930s, the Thorntons added nine more holes, the “Water Nine,” directly along the edge of the lake across the street in New Franklin. That brought the total to 27 holes, making the course unique for its time. The family-owned facility became an integral part of the Portage Lakes community.
Over the years, the property stayed in Thornton hands, even as it split among more family members. By the late 20th century, 22 heirs, including Mary Mozingo, shared ownership. The course built a solid reputation as the years went by — Golf Digest consistently gave it a 4-star rating — and the always well-maintained turf conditions kept the tee sheet full.
But the success of the Portage Lakes region made the golf course a target for development. With its long lake views, the Water Nine drew interest from many real estate speculators. In 2023, a national homebuilder offered to buy the entire property for $8.5 million, looking to close the course and build 450 houses. The extended Thornton family had to decide what to do.
Mary spoke for the ownership group, saying they hoped the course could stay in operation at least until its 100-year anniversary. That’s when Tim Adkins, a local businessman, stepped in. He already owned the old Thornton Inn property – better known as the Upper Deck bar, which sits kitty-corner to the Turkeyfoot clubhouse – and he bought the golf course from the extended family. His plan: save and run the original 18 holes, then develop the Water Nine into upscale homes.
The deal went through in 2023. The original 18-hole course remains open and as successful as ever.
Now, in 2025, the Turkeyfoot Lakes Golf Links celebrates its centennial. Thanks to Adkins ‘ purchase, the 18 holes from 1925 are still in play. The Thorntons and Mozingos who grew up there might look back to 1840, to that raw plot of farmland by the lake, and to the decision in 1925 to “try something new.” That idea, that golf history, has hit the century mark on the shores of the Portage Lakes.
