The course in question, Green Park - Norwood is located in Blowing Rock, NC (elevation 4,000 ft!!). The Green Park Inn was a “resort hotel” dating back to the 1880's. In 1915 “a 9-hole course of sorts was constructed on the grounds” - later Ross (perhaps 1922) came in and redesigned the 9 and added another 9 (as noted, he was very active in the area)
In the 1880 it was one of “the” places in the area - visited by such luminaries as El Roosevelt, Margaret
Mitchell, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and J D Rockefeller - even had gambling (illegal) and drinking -
cool.
The key to the Raynor involvement here - and there nearly always one that traces back to NGLA and/or Macdonald - was when the founders, who parlayed $$ made in livestock in Statesville to a auto dealership to the resort hotel and then came the connection - they purchased a piece of property from on Rufus Patterson. Bingo! Rufus Patterson also owned a huge estate in Southampton Long Island once
the estate of Jos P Knapp, founder and great friend of C B Macdonald where Raynor built a 3-green practice course (for Mr. Knapp).
Interesting town - there is an overhanging cliff which causes a terrific updraft - in winter it snows “upside
down”
The town officials and the local “HYSTERICAL” Soc were extremely cooperative and helped fill in a lot of blanks for me. They turned up a great piece that even had a hole by hole of the original home-made course and the history of the Grn Pk Hotel and the legend of Blowing Rock - I’ve included it below. I understand a new master plan Spencer Robbins. (anyone have info on him?)
1940's scorecard gives the following caddie fees:
40 cents for 9 holes
80 cents for 18 holes just like Garden City - hah
There is a course there still - Blowing Rock Country Club - under it someplace is a portion (or even more than that) of the original Raynor course - due to its remoteness I haven’t been there yet but will do so one of these days.
Historical Information is sketchy but in a few years Seth Raynor was called in to once more re-design the course. Given the Ross date of 1922, unless some disastrous events took place - (lost greens, storms, washouts) the Raynor design may not have been completed until 1925, to in 26 or 27 and perhaps completed by Banks who was building a course in nearby Statesville, NC.