The railway, the railway.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Two recent threads have prompted me to put down something I been musing on for a while.  How much does the development of GCA owe to the Railway?

Jason Topp speculated that golf course development had come in waves as cheap land became available and Tom Doak asked where next?  Tom’s question could easily be answered as “wherever cheap flights make accessible to us”.  Since leaving linksland golf has for the most part been played by city folk in the ‘the country’.

However the impact on society of the Railways was unprecedented in all of history.  They were a part of the driving economic force in the industrial revolution. As well as turning man from being a land based animal it created the great cities of the world. This created the wealth that was needed to expand the playing of golf, both in monetary terms to develop the courses and in the time for leisure to play the game. Railways were built mostly to bring workers and merchants into the cities, but they also served to take golfers out of the city to play.  I think it’s significant that the courses that railways directly made possible and popularised followed on some years after the great railway building frenzy.  It was this gap that allowed for the wealth to be accumulated.
 
Below I’ve listed some of the courses that appear to have been most directly conceived or developed because of the railways, please feel free to add to the list or say if I’ve overstated the connection.  Would it be a gross exaggeration to say that all the golden age courses in Florida and Long Island owe their existence to the railway? I’ve only listed those where I know of a direct connection.  As you will see it’s a formidable list.


Most of the following is extracted form the Shell Encyclopaedia of Golf, I’m sure there are many others.

1890’s Hunstanton
1891 Sheringham  “what train”
1884  Formby
1886 Aberdovey. Reading Darwin he writes as if it was a necessity to enjoy the train ride before playing here.
1886 Lytham & St Annes – Committee approved the ground because it was close to St Annes Station
1887 Notts Golf Club.  Charles Hemmingway discovered the land while surveying for the Great Central Railway
1887 Royal St Georges.  Dr Laidlaw Purves and Henry Lamb, a pair of transplanted Scotsmen, travelled the south coast of England in search of ideal golf land that could easily be reached by train from London. The realised their dream on the dunes they saw from the top of Sandwich church Tower.
1893 Woking.  In 1852 an act of parliament was passed to allow for people to be transported out of the city for burial as the old grounds were filling up fast. A commercial venture, the Necropolis Company, obtained 2300 acres of land at Woking but this supply exceeded the demand in the short term.  So a group of lawyers leased some land for a golf club at the extremely reasonable price of one shilling a month.  This was the first time anyone tried to use heathland for golf and it remains the model.
1894 Ashburnham GC
189? Atlantic City
1895 Pinehurst resort must have been almost entirely dependant of the railway for its customers.  Woodhall Spa would be the equivalent in England.
1899   Detroit GC – no influence at all! Set up by captains of the Automobile Industry
1900   Sao Paulo GC Brazil English and Scottish engineers working for the Sao Paulo railway co
1900    Sunningdale.  It has often been said it was a financial success compared to Huntercombe because of the formers proximity to Virginia Water station.
1901   Pine Valley Crump saw his ideal land from the train
1904 San Francisco gc had UNITE RAILWAYS convert a funeral troly into a spacious club bar.
1905 Apawamis
1905 Woodhall Spa there were two previous courses here prior to the coming of the railway.  However the trains brought visitor’s to take the cure, in sufficient numbers that this sleepy Lincolnshire town was economically enriched and the Hotchin family invested in developing the finest course they could with many more consultations from the best architects than one would normally expect in such a backwater.  The influence of the railway is credited in the excellent Centenary Book.
1906 Prince’s founded by a group of golfers from Mitcham GC.
1907 Turnberry developed by Glasgow and south western railway
1908Northamptonshire County GC
1909   Sandy Lodge.  Denham.  Both had their own stations
1911 Vancouver “a group of hardy Scots travelled from the city by railway, climb a rugged embankment and hike a considerable distance...staying in tents set up in a clearing in the woods.
1913/9 Gleneagles.  Caledonian Railway co
1923 Southport and Ainsley one of half a dozen clubs built either side of the Liverpool Southport line

Are there any others where the railway made them possible? Would it be a gross exaggeration to say that all the golden age courses in Florida and Long Island owe their existence to the railway?

[Andy Levett]

Here's a few more:
1851 Prestwick
1873 West Lancashire (Blundellsands) - the first of the Lancashire coast courses built alongside the railway
1876 Machrihanish (steamer from Glasgow to Campbeltown, train from Campbeltown)
1891 Ganton (‘halt’ 400 yards away)
1895 St Andrews New (this and subsequent courses in the town were built to cope with demand fuelled by (then) easy rail access)
1897 St Andrews Jubilee
1899 Cruden Bay - commisioned by the Great North of Scotland Railway
1914 St Andrews Eden

It's ironic how marginal (or non-existent) the role of the railway is for these courses in the present day.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tony,

Golf followed the population centers and the wealth centered in them.

I've heard the story that Crump saw Pine Valley from the train, I just don't believe it.

Theres a huge ridge that runs along the left side of # 18, another ridge that runs along the right side of # 17 and another huge ridge that runs from # 14 tee, back along # 13, that when combined with the other ridges screen off most of the golf course from the railroad tracks.   Not to mention the trees that screen off the golf course.

A photo, circa 1922 shows # 14 and the tracks behind it.
The view from the tracks wouldn't show much in the way of land fit for golf.

I think Crump became familiar with the land by touring it.

[David_Tepper]

Tony,

I think this has been discussed here once or twice before. As I recall, there have been at least two books published in the UK about the link between the railways and golf in Britain. If Mark Rawlinson reads this thread, he may be able to post the names of those books.

DT

[TEPaul]

Around Philadephia back in the old days proximity to a railway line was huge---in many cases almost the determinng factor for selecting the golf coures's site. Merion East and my own club GMGC are perfect examples of that as is Pine Valley.

Scott Nye, the head pro of Merion, seems to be most interested in that old railway/golf course nexus.

[ForkaB]

The completion of a railway spur into Dornoch in 1902 led to a tripling of club income over the next 10 years.  By 1907, there were so many members from down south that in alternate years the annual dinner dance was held at Simpson's in the Strand in London.

[TEPaul]

If you want to investigate another old fashioned very common nexus with golf and golf architecture in early America it would be the nexus with golf (and golf architecture) and the entire world of the horse, particularly sport with the horse such as horse racing, equestrianism and polo.

[TEPaul]

Another interesting nexus with early golf and things perhaps unimaginable today was the connection with things that went on in, around and over the so-called "Commons" in Scotland and Europe with early golf.

The early Rules of Golf were pretty short and simple compared to today but back then the rules of golf mentioned provisions for such things as "wash tubs" and clothes that were drying!  

[TEPaul]

Early golfers also took a certain amount of abuse from fellow railroad travelers when they took trains to the early golf courses. The reason being many early golfers wore some form of uniform such as bright red coats apparently leading fellow railroad travelers to make fun of them for being sissies and the like!  

When I take the NYC subway through Harlem in my red coat and carrying my sticks I'm never too sure what some of the street gangs I run into may say about me but I'd rather take on their guns and knives with my 1 iron than take them on with nothing at all.  

[Tyler Kearns]

Tony,

Here in Canada, the railway directly financed three of Stanley Thompson's great masterpieces to complement their fine hotels - Banff Springs, Jasper Park and St. George's.

TK

[Jeff_Brauer]

Chicago had that influence as well.  Both to the south - Olympia Fields - and to the north, for several courses along the Des Plaines River.  There was even a railway stop named Golf, IL.  In that case, geography really worked to force them together - the railroads followed the creeks to have the flattest grades and the golf courses were also built in floodplains, as they were fairly useless for other land uses.

[TEPaul]

And then we can't forget the influnence on golf of railways such as the East Coast lines that actually hired early architects like Alex Findlay to build courses at logical stops up and down the Eastern seaboard.

One such important influence was certainly Mr Flagler who probably owned the Florida East Coast railway and was responsible for all the watering spots with early golf courses for the rich that were created up and down the East Coast of Florida (most all of which he owned at one time!!!).

[T_MacWood]

In some cases you have the railway directly involved in developing golf resorts (hotels in Scotland, Canada, Florida). In some cases the railway was indirectly involved in development of golf. Railways were responsible for summer resorts popping up all along the British coast: St. Annes on the Sea, as an example. The established seaside resort were hotbeds of golf development in the 1880's and 1890's when golf's popularity in England first took off. In some cases the railway had nothing to do with the start of golf in an area: St. Andrews, Prestwick, Musselburgh, Dornoch, Westward Ho!, Blackheath, Liverpool, etc.

There is no doubt the development of a rail system was major factor in Britain's economic explosion during the Victorian era (and the industrial revolution). By 1850 there was extensive rail network in place. Not only was the railroad very important in the development of Britian, but also America and the other developed countries.

As a result, ease of transportation made it possible for city dwellers to travel to the sea on holiday and it made it possible for city dwellers to relocate into the country side (two places golf would eventually flourish), so in the least the railroad was indirectly inolved in the development of golf....without the railroad we wouldn't have had many of these prime locations for golf's incubation.

I believe the Hamptons were first connected by rail in 1869-70....golf came a decade or two later.

[Kyle Harris]

I, too, have an interest and a budding essay on this topic. Philadelphia, especially saw golf course development guided by the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroad's regional lines.

Philmont Country Club's location was selected due to its proximity to a Whistle Stop in souther Montgomery County called "Philmont."

Follow any of the current SEPTA regional rail lines, especially northwest of the city and you'll see much club development along them. Sunnybrook, Philly Cricket, etc.

[Tony_Muldoon]

You'll have to trust me on this one but I've been thinking about this for some time.  About a month ago I went to Woodhall Spa and purchased their centenary book which credits “Golf and the Railway Connection" by Ian Nalder and says it’s an eloquent discussion of the importance of rail travel to the development of golf in general.  I haven't yet tracked down this book.

I just believe that the huge impact the railways had on society was also reflected on the development of the game. It wasn't just that more people could easily access land further away but...

Obviously it allowed people to use land that was more suited to the game.  However it wasn’t always just a case of using the trains to find free draining land. Woking claim no one had considered heathland as suitable before this cut price opportunity was presented to them. It was the railway that directly made this possible.

If I had time to research this I would love to look at the development of Golf in Victorian times in all its social manifestations.  Golf had existed long before and I believe most would agree its traditions survived this period and the game grew stronger all the way thorough to WW2.  During this Period nearly all of the other major sports as we know them today started but Golf somehow remained independent of the rest.  The railway had a different effect on Golf than the other sports. It's just a hunch but I believe that as team sports developed on a local basis.  IE Rugby at a school or Polo in the British Army.  As these games grew in popularity teams were formed as part of local organisations.  Football in England was organised on local leagues for many years and fro many years your chance of playing rugby for England if you were from the North was non existent  There another recent thread about sports stadia and, again I'm guessing, the great old ones are all probably near a station.  Mostly these other sports were urban games for urban players. (It’s the countryside that links golf to the huntin’ fishin’ set.  TE I think you need to write that one up).

Golf has always been the individual game par excellence and in so many ways the railways suited the individual.  Again speculating lets say the average Victorian golfer would be happy to get on the train to Richmond, but the predecessor of the GCA member travels on to Sunnigdale or Woking.  He hears about Scottish golf and in the winter travels to Pau. As more people travel the already good course continues to invest and becomes a really great course.  Like today if you want to attract people to come a long way to play your course you’ve got to build something really fantastic – and the railways companies commissioned a lot of top class even ground breaking work. The average course on poor land near the city gave in to economic pressure and became housing.  (Nb I admit I’m on thin ice here because particularly near Wimbledon there were good inner city courses, and at Chiswick an excellent course went to Housing.)


The railways allowed early GCA's to play all the great courses and to learn.  Braid Taylor and Vardon meet all over the country for exhibition matches - always by train.  As I think my original list shows railways had some effect on golf wherever they were built.   Railways turned society on its head and my question is how much did it change/develop the game of golf?

[Peter Galea]

In the early days of Burlingame Country Club, players and guests were brought from San Francisco and points elswhere to a train stop on the present Oak Grove Ave. and California Dr. intersection. To provide shelter from inclement weather the members erected a shack.
Feellng that the "shack" was not really appropriate for their guests, members pooled their resources and built the present station on Californa Dr. at the foot of Burlingame Ave in 1894.
Burlingame Station is the oldest continuously operating train station in California.

http://spectrum.best.vwh.net/history/train.html

[Wayne Freeman]

  Following up on Golf,  Il.  -  Glen View is the course that was developed from 1897- it hosted the U.S. Open in 1904-  apparently some big railroad owner used to bring his private car to that area and wanted to develop a residential area with a golf course- he brought the property and for lack of a better name used Golf - the town then sprung up around the course.
              Also-  I'd like to hear more about the rails and Long Island- several of the courses are right along the Long Island Railroad are they not?  

[T_MacWood]

There were a number of factors (incuding the railroad) that contributed to the explosion of golf in the 1880's and 1890's...not only in Britain, but also in Scotland. An economic explosion as a result of the industrial revolution; the agriculture depression and the downfall of aristocaracy which led to the breakup of their large land holdings; the new upper and upper-middle class that benefited from the economic explosing and bought up the land; more free time for leasurely pursuits due to ecomomics and technology; the advent of the guttie, better clubs, and eventually the haskel which made the game easier and cheaper; avid golfer Arthur Balfour entering the public eye and leading by example...illustrating that golf could be enjoyed by the well-educated and intelligent; the Amateur championship; the development of magazines; Hutchinson's Badminton Library volume on golf...are a few other factors that come to mind.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Not to take this a different direction regarding the great courses and the need to get people to them via rail:

I was reading in Wethered & Simpson's The Architectural Side of Golf, just yesterday, the importance of utilizing railroads IN the golf architecture itself--as well as any other man made features of the given site--and that it adds to the charm and NATIVE experience of the site itself. (or something like that)

This recalled a conversation of the day before, I had with one T.E. Paul, and how Pete & Alice Dye utilized the more artificial aspects of the EXPERIENCE to their architecture; and how they were influenced by it. It's what caught their eye.

[T_MacWood]

The railroad had nothing to do with golf first coming to Aberdovey. The first golf course laid out by the Ruck family in the early 1880's...they were locals.

[wsmorrison]

Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway enabled the coastal town explosion in the late 19th and early 20th century.  The number of golf clubs that were developed in conjunction with these planned towns were numerous.  Flynn built a course for Glen Curtiss of aviation fame for his planned community in Opa Locka near Miami airport.  Flynn also built Normandy Shores and Indian Creek in Miami, Floranada for another planned city that is now Oakland Park, FL.  He designed the two Ritz Carlton courses for Mizner that were never completed and also the two Boca Raton courses for Clarence Geist.  Mizner planned Boca Raton once the railroad committed to moving further south.  I'm sure Gulfstream, Seminole and a host of other golden oldies relied upon Flagler's efforts as well.

[Alfie]

Tony,

The expansion of the rail network from around 1850 - 1900 was critical to the formation of many a club in Scotland and the UK in general. Many on here, when it comes to GCA, can't see past all the top courses (TOC, Prestwick, Muirfield, Sandwich, Royal Liverpool etc...) but the case for the smaller and less affluent golf clubs is all too often understated.
The so called boom in golf during the 1890's in particular, included hundreds of small villages all over the UK who saw golf, not only as a personal leisure activity promoting greater health - but also a boon for their tourism interests !
The railways had created affordable travel for almost everybody in the country, and these people were itching get out and about.
Usually, the first thing that was assessed was the viability of setting up and forming a club, finding suitable land, and laying out the course. Sometimes a course would be deemed fit for play in a matter of a few months (no manicuism required in those days). Another factor which was highly important, was that of the local train "station"? The course would be placed at a convenient distance from the station - if they had one ! If not, they would petition the various rail companies to rectify the matter. This was not always successful with expense being prohibitive where they might have required a bridge to cross a river etc..
Villages became tourist resorts thanks to the railways. Houses would be let out in the summer months with whole families living in their attics to accomodate the visitors. Attractions were neccessary to keep the customers active and happy so bowling greens, public parks, and essentially the local golf course was a must ! Any town or village in Scotland by 1910 which didn't have it's own golf course was regarded "an old world place !"
Tom MacWood makes relevant points and to add to his I'll say that ill health was to act as a spur for the popularity of golf ! The consequences of the industrial revolution had played havoc with the nation's health, especially those in the urban areas. TB was still a killer ! With golf beginning to catch the eye of the wanabee sprortsperson, they were conveniently prompted to partake in the sport for their own good, by city doctors and ministers of the kirk. Scotland's ministers (and doctors, lawyers, bankers etc) can be found at the formation of almost every single club in the country !
So the railways and their respective companies were "massive" to the development of golf in the UK.
But damn that Caledonian Railway Co. They went and built Gleneagles at Auchterarder instead of on my back doorstep at the village of Symington near Biggar, Lanarkshire !

Hope this helps and explains a few other angles concerning the railways & golf.

Alfie

[Alfie]

Tony,
 Just to add to the list from my patch in Clydesdale, Scotland ;

Crawford,
Biggar,
Symington,
Thankerton,
Roberton,
Carnwath,
Leadhills (Lowthers),
Douglas,
and, of course, Abington (Arbory Braes) were all "dependant" upon the railways for their existence.

Alfie

[T_MacWood]

"Aberdovey must surely be on the list.  How bout Conwy and N. Wales?  The railway is quite near both of them."

The railway is near St. Andrews and Prestwick....should they be on the list as well?

[Alfie]

Sean,

"It would be difficult to argue that the railway did not help expand Prestwick.  St. Andrews I am not so sure about."

That's right, but help is the operative word here. All the earliest clubs were formed in their own right, so to speak. Whereas "most" of the clubs formed during the 1890's - early 20th century, came about as a direct consequence of the railway network. As the railway expanded, then so too did golf !
I did not include Lanark GC in my own list a couple of posts back. Lanark being a Royal Burgh and market town had a population of around 2000 + when the club was formed in
1851. This club, like all the other early clubs, was formed on the strength of populus and not the advent of the railways. St Andrews, Prestwick etc didn't NEED the railway - where others DID.

Maybe Tom MacWood might agree with this ?

Alfie