H Chandler Egan

[Tony Dear]

I just played Indian Canyon in Spokane, WA, and can say without much doubt that, at $27, it's the best value course I've played in the States. H Chandler Egan designed it (and a few others in the northwest I'm told), but I don't know much about him past the fact he went to Harvard, played golf in the Olympics and helped Mackenzie with the redesign of Pebble Beach.
Does anyone know much about him?

Tony

[Garland Bayley]

Do the following search on Google
"chandler egan" site:golfclubatlas.com
You will find this site has a lot to say about him.

[Michael Dugger]

Dude is pretty much our connection to the "gilded age" around here in the NW.

Designed a slew of courses around Portland, not that any of 'em really resemble what he designed.

Usually a good solid routing, however....

[BCrosby]

Tony - I know a little about Egan.

Grew up in Chicago. Went to Harvard. Played against Behr, Langford. Won the NCAA's couple of times. Won a US am (maybe two). Was on the US Oympic team in only year golf was played. Came in second to a Canadian unknown. Played on several Walker Cup teams.

Moved to Oregon, became an orchard owner. Designed a lot of courses in the NW. Got back into competitive golf in the mid-20's. With others, redid PB. Got to be close friends with Bobby Jones and played on at least one Walker Cup team with Jones.

Played in the first Masters. Designed the hidden gem North Fulton in ATL.  Died suddenly of pneumonia in '35(?). Jones traveled by train to Oregon for his funeral.

Someone recently posted some pics of Egan from his days as a Chicago youth. He was movie star handsome.

An interesting character. Anyone who became good friends with both MacK and Jones would have to be.

Bob

[Pete Lavallee]

Tony,

Althgough H Chandler Egan retrofitted (see I learned a new word today) Pebble Beach for the US Am, he did not partner with the Good Doctor. MacKenzie was responsible for the 8th and 13th greens in a sort of audition for the retrofit. Apparently bad blood between him and the Super (Joe Mayo?) allowed Egan to get the work. His artificial dunes there were stunning but unfortunately very short lived.

[Michael Dugger]

FWIW

Of all of Egan's courses, if I had played Indian Canyon first I'd be mighty impressed too.

But don't expect the majority of everything else to be quite as good.

[Kalen Braley]

I used to live in the Spokane area and can confirm that IC is a real treat,a blast to play, and an awesome value.  I'll be heading up there in a couple of weeks and plan on getting a round in.  I suppose a review with photos is in order.

Tony,

How did you like the 5th and 13th greens?  Those are something else huh?

[Sean_Tully]

Egan has been getting my attention as of late. The more information I find the more i find myself getting interested in the man.

Regarding Pebble, Hunter and Mackenzie made the changes to 8 and 13. there is the infamous letters between mackenzie and Morse disscussing Joe Mayo. It has been my contention that Mayo and Mackenzie did not get along for some reasons that are not so obvious until you look at some background info. Mayo worked with raynor and would have seen and already started the work there. Mackenzie, Hunter, and Egan(yes he had some ideas that were used in the design of the course and was also a member) would have made changes to the course that Mayo would not have liked. It makes some sense, but has a couple of holes.

Egan and Mackenzie did partner up in 1929 and did some work together at Sharp Park, a course that was not built near Pebble, and possibly at Sequoyah.

Egan was wild off the tee and was one of the longer hitters of his day. He did play out of Exmoor and at Harvard as already stated. I have some other info on him, but I have to run.

BCrosby-- I have heard the mention of Jones at Egan's funeral, but have not been able to verify it. Looking at both men, to me at least, I see a similarity in some of there major life choices. It may be possible that Egan was a mentor of sorts to Jones. There had to be something special there if Jones did go all the way across the country on the drop of a hat to be at his funeral in the middle of the depression.

I have seen a number of photos of Egan and they are some of the more interesting pictures of a person in profile that I have seen. There is more to the man than what we will ever get to know.

Tully

[Tony Dear]

Thanks Sean, Kalen and everyone else for posting. Seems like an interesting guy.
The 5th is a fun green. The pin was right at the back and my lame approach found the front edge - about 50ft short. The putt teetered at the top of the ridge before slowly making its way down to a spot about halfway between me and the hole. Three more putts and I was in for six. The 13th I don't remember so well because I stuck my tee shot to about three feet. I did manage to make that one.

[Dan Herrmann]

He's credited for my old club in Portland, OR - Riverside.  

Really nice course in need of tree management.

[BCrosby]

Sean -

There is indeed much more to Egan. He raises all sorts of questions. A few:

- why does a guy from a wealthy Chicago family and at the pinnacle of the golf world circa 1910 set up business at an apple orchard in Oregon?

- he may have been the greatest amateur golfer in the US pre-1910, respected by all apparently. So why did he drop out of competitive golf for about 10 years?

- what's a guy from Oregon doing designing a low budget public course in ATL in the depths of the Depression?

- what was in it for MacK when they partnered up in the late '20's?

Jones had great affection for Egan. No doubt partly as a mentor. Egan was a generation older and an obvious role model as the gentleman, amateur golfer. Egan and O.B. Keeler were good friends as well. The story about Jones going to Oregon for Egan's funeral came from Keeler, iirc.

I once spoke with his daughter. She didn't have much to add other than that Egan and his wife (her mother) had divorced and that he lived alone at one of his orchards. She said she spent time with him there in the summers. She recalled that he was very formal and that they all dressed up for tea and the evening meal.

Egan, I think, was one of those important background figures that got largely by-passed by accounts of the era. That's too bad. He was probably much more interesting that the foreground figures that got all the attention.

Bob

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