Overview of Penn State Golf Courses by Kyle Harris

[Ran Morrissett]

..is posted under My Home Course.

A hole by hole analysis of each course will follow in a month or two.

In the meanwhile, who knew that Willie Park did the original course here? According to Kyle, it was essentially in tact as late as 1969. Did any of our wily veterans ever see it? Since then, the Park holes have been chopped up into different courses with six of them finally biting the dust   in 2000 when the six hole Nittany practice course was shut.

Willie Park would certainly be amongst my five favourite architects of all-time – how good was his work here? Did he have good property with which to work? Kyle writes that ‘The fairways were wide and rolling, and the bunkering was dramatic in both presentation and difficulty’.

Sounds most promising and I can’t wait to find out more as Kyle presents his analysis.

Cheers,

Ran

[Doug Braunsdorf]

This is a nice addition.  Thank you Kyle, for the work you have put forth!

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Ran

As a Penn State alum, vintage 1966, I played the Willie Park version of the now White Course. I was a novice golfer then and didn't know who Willie Park was, let alone care. I was more interested in learning the game from my room mate, a scratch golfer who learned the game at Bethpage Black. I do remember the wide fairways,bunkering and greens with character though. It would be neat if Kyle could find and post pics of this course.

Kyle

I look forward to your course analysis with pics.

Steve

[Kyle Harris]

Steve,

In the next few weeks I'll be making some trips up there when I find the time and I hope to bury my head in some of the archives sitting in Pattee. There are some pictures and the original routing plan still exists (it's on display in the clubhouse). I'll see what I can get my hands on.

In the head pro's office, there is a large aerial picture probably taken in 1998 that shows ALL the holes before the Nittany turned into buildings.

If anybody ever wants to take a trip up there, let me know, it's a neat place.

 

[Kyle Harris]

Ran,

To answer your question about the property: yes, it is a great piece of ground for golf.

The ground is rolling and has significant elevation changes. However, most people who play the course swear it's flat! The routing of the Park holes especially fit the land well. Unfortunatey, the narrowing of the fairways has softened the appearance of the rolling features. As per Terraserver, the different between the highest and lowest point on the White course is about 120 feet - all in about 110 acres.

In that picture in the overview of the 10th on the White, the entire bunker on the right side was encompassed in the fairway as per the Willie Park plans. There are dips and swales as deep as 5-7 feet that are now covered in 4 inch rough. That green pad itself sits about 4-5 feet above the fairway at its highest point.

[wsmorrison]

Kyle,

Will you please explain what effect the Arts and Crafts movement had on the PSU golf course?  

Please site specific examples and cross reference them with the appropriate articles in Country Life Magazine.

Is it true that Joe Paterno is endowing the Willie Park, Jr Chair of Arts and Crafts Golf Course Architecture and that Tom MacWood has been selected to sit on it?  Just kidding    

Good job, you young Turk!  

[Kyle Harris]

A Buckeye in Nittany Lion country!

Better bring some refs with him...  

[T_MacWood]

Kyle
A very interesting report. Thanks for sharing what you found.

How many of the original Willie Park II holes remain? I understand Flynn or Valentine taught at Penn St (I can't remember which)...is there any evidence either man advised?

I'd love to those old plans and pictures.

[Kyle Harris]

Tom MacWood,

There are 8 fully intact Willie Park holes and 9 greens. (The approach/green on the sixth hole is Willie Park, but the tee was moved in the 1994 revisions).

I am not sure of the timing of things, but I have yet to find anything about a possible Flynn or Valentine collaboration with Park. The routing on display at the PSUGC clubhouse attributes everything to Park. (The routing even has a drawer and cabinet number on it, when I get a better picture, I'll post).

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