[Mark_Fine]

Wayne,
Ok we agree.  We can talk more next week.

Mike,
I'll see you on Tuesday as well.  If I remember I'll bring the master plan for the golf course.  By the way, I spent hours at The Golf House as well.  You almost have to stumble on the stuff as nothing is indexed but those old Golf Illustrated magazines have some amazing stuff in them (as do the letters to the Greens Section).

Tom P,
I tend to agree with you but then again, then architects who designed the courses don't need to study their own architecture - they built it in the first place.  

See you next Tuesday.
Mark

[Craig_Rokke]

Anyone familiar with any school building a course prior to this one, which was built in 1915?

[Mike_Trenham]

Woodberry Forest School in Culpepper VA has a 9 hole course that was designed or redesigned by Donald Ross in 1911.  It still exists on the school property although it is minimal at the maximum.

[Mark_Fine]

Craig,
Its a shame Gordon obliterated most of what was originally done in 1915.  From the photos, it looked like there were some interesting holes and the bunkering was impressive.  

Gordon had a style and that's what he seemed to employ regardless of who or what was there before him.  Look at that aerial again that Tommy posted and you will see some vintage Gordon work.

Those of you who know of or have played other Gordon courses will know what I am talking about.
Mark

[Mark_Fine]

Mike,
I just got information from a contact at The Hill School this morning.  They told me that the course was designed by "Albert G. Lockwood" in 1915 at a cost of $8,000.  Albert (not Arthur) was from Boston.  That was all they knew.

As least we're consistent with the last name  
Mark

[Mike_Cirba]

Mark;

I'm glad I got that part right..phew!  

Although, I'd have to say, "Arthur" sounds so much more dignified for a proper prep school like THS than the more common "Albert", don't you think?    

Now, who the f*** was he and where did he learn to create bunkering like that?!  

[Mark_Fine]

Mike,
Actually, I think the historian at The Hill School is wrong and you are correct.  It turns out Arthur G. Lockwood was the inaugural champion in 1903 of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship which is the oldest event conducted by the MGA.  Arthur won in 1903 at Myopia Hunt Club, in 1905 at The Country Club and again in 1906 at Brae Burn CC.  

After spending some time on links like these, you could see why he had some clue when he came down to The Hill School to design a golf course.  

I wonder what else he designed?
Mark

[Mike_Cirba]

Mike,
Actually, I think the historian at The Hill School is wrong and you are correct.  

Mark;

I'm sending that quote to my mom and dad, who thought I'd be dead or imprisoned by now.  

[Mark_Fine]

I'm sure they always knew you had some potential  

See you tomorrow.

[Craig_Rokke]

The Hill School appeared to be pretty forward-thinking about sports, back in the day. Do I also see 3(!) football fields in the aerials?

Trump's kid and Harry Hamlin attended the school in more
recent times.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Anyone familiar with any school building a course prior to this one, which was built in 1915?

Lawrenceville Prep has 9 holes, if I remember correctly...might be 18.  I never played it, as I wasn't into architecture at the time.  It does look to be a basic course, and rather old, from the appearance.  

[Mike_Cirba]

For those of you keeping tabs on courses designed by J. Franklyn Meehan in the Philly area during the teens and twenties, I forgot to mention that he also designed the original nine holes at Berwick Country Club.

I hadn't realized he worked that far north, but obviously he had.  

I wonder if that puts him in contention as the original designer of Schuylkill Valley CC?

[Kyle Harris]

Mike,

Jim Rattigan and I are torn on that. Meehan was contracted to do some gardening for the club according to budgets, but we have no evidence that he did that course. I've been loosely researching this as well, but he is linked to Schuylkill CC in some way.

[Mike_Cirba]

Kyle,

Meehan was a pretty prestigious and well-to-do fellow.  The land that North Hills CC was built on was HIS property and he was probably the local kingpin in terms of local golf in his time, certainly on par with Flynn, Wilson, Tillie, etc., in the teens and early 20s.

Hiring him for "gardening" sounds a bit odd, particularly since he'd already designed a number of courses at that point.  I can't imagine someone of his ilk driving up above Reading to plant flowers.  

[Kyle Harris]

I am inclined to agree, also, the bill was for $19.00, at least that's how it was itemized in the SCC Budget... Seems to be a small amount of money to get for driving (or taking the train) up the Schuylkill.

[Kyle Harris]

Here is the budget page:

[Mike_Cirba]

Kyle,

I'm thinking in reading the page that Meehan dinged them for both the architect's fee as well as some tree planting.  

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