Cogswell Brook Golf Club-Ellington, CT (NLE)9 Holes.
Designed by: Unknown. Established in 1933.
This is a new addition to the original list. Sven discovered this course yesterday. He sent along this small piece of information and the aerial below. This course was located in Ellington, close to Rockville and no longer exists.
Hartford Courant., June 23, 19331934 Aerial
Connecticut State Library, State Archives Record Group 089:11a, Records of the Department of Transportation.Harrisville Golf Course-Woodstock, CT. No listing in 1930-1931.
9 Holes, 1,908 Yards, Par 30: 1960 article below
Designed by John Salvas. Established in 1927.
Harrisville was started and run by the Salvas family. Aimee Salvas has been noted as the architect in a few publications and the original list, but this story from 1960 claims John Salvas laid out the course around 1927. This story was sent to me from Anthony Pioppi.
Hartford Courant., September 18, 1960As the story states, the course was extended around 1960. Today, the course occupies a larger footprint than the 1934 course.
1934 Aerial
Connecticut State Library, State Archives Record Group 089:11a, Records of the Department of Transportation.Modern Aerial
Hartford Golf Club-West Hartford, CT27 Holes:
1930-1931 American Annual Golf Guide18 Holes, 6,490 Yards, Par 71
9 Holes, 2,130 Yards, Par 32
Designed by Devereux Emmet in 1921, Alfred Williams (1915). Established in 1896.
Hartford Golf Club is one of the oldest clubs in the state, dating back to 1896. The club moved around in the early days eventually settling on a site between Asylum Avenue and Albany Avenue in West Hartford. As the years passed the club gradually worked their way north, acquiring more land across Albany Avenue. The golf course first crossed Albany Avenue in 1916, and the design of these 1915-1916 holes (which still exist in some form) had always been credited to Donald Ross. However, several articles from 1915 and 1916 claim the design and construction of the new holes, north of Albany Avenue were the work of Alfred Williams.
More information on Alfred Williams can be found here with some information on his remaining holes at Hartford.
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,64126.0.htmlAlfred Williams had studied under Peter Lees at Mid-Surrey in England before coming to Hartford. He spent time at Garden City and would later construct several courses for Willie Park, Herbert Strong and at least one other design of his own, Maplewood Country Club in New Jersey. In the late teens and early 1920’s Williams advertised Hartford along with a few Strong and Park courses he constructed.
I haven’t completely ruled out this could be a Donald Ross design that was built by Williams, but I have yet to see evidence that suggests this was the case. Donald Ross did visit the club in 1917 and perhaps earlier, but the 1917 visit was just to assess whether they should buy the land Emmet eventually designed his course on. In 1921, Devereux Emmet put together a plan that includes 32 holes. He had offered two options for today’s 3rd Hole with a Par 4 and a Par 3. He also designed four holes in the northwest corner as a proposal for how to start and end the golf course, once the clubhouse is moved. As you can see in the 1934 aerial, the clubhouse had not been moved by 1934 and these four holes in the northwest corner were never constructed to Emmet’s plan. It is interesting that Emmet’s first, second and eighteenth holes aren’t all that different from what exists today under Ross’ plan.
In 1946 Donald Ross put together a 27-hole plan for the Hartford Golf Club. The club was ready to abandon the land south of Albany Avenue and move the entire course north. Ross put together a plan that would accommodate the new clubhouse location and he would add a new nine-hole course to the north of the new clubhouse. Ross incorporated many of the Emmet and Williams holes into his 18-hole design, while adding today’s first, second, seventeenth and eighteenth holes while making modifications to a few pre-existing holes. The additional 9-hole course designed by Ross was constructed in 1956. The Hartford pro at the time was Sidney Covington, who had designed and built nine holes at Wethersfield Country Club in the 1920’s.
There have been many architects to come through in the years since, so I will just say: what’s left is a little complicated. I have included several routing maps through the years and various aerial photographs to help determine which section of land you’re looking at. One interesting connection I found while looking into Hartford relates to the Club’s first Captain in 1896, named John Carolus Stirling. John Carolus Stirling had recently moved from Chicago in 1896 and helped get the Hartford club started. Stirling was formerly a founding member and the first President of the Chicago Golf Club.
1901 Layout
1910 Alexander Findlay Layout
1915 Alfred Williams Layout
1916 Alfred Williams Layout
1921 Devereux Emmet Layout
1934 Aerial showing portion north of Albany Avenue. Site of today’s 18-hole course.
Connecticut State Library, State Archives Record Group 089:11a, Records of the Department of Transportation.1934 Aerial showing portion south of Albany Avenue. These holes no longer exist.
Connecticut State Library, State Archives Record Group 089:11a, Records of the Department of Transportation.1934 Aerial of 27-hole course.
Connecticut State Library, State Archives Record Group 089:11a, Records of the Department of Transportation.Modern Aerial showing today’s 18-hole course.
1946 Donald Ross 27-Hole Layout:
Modern Aerial showing todays 27-hole course.
Highland Country Club-Middletown, CT (NLE)18 Holes, 6,010 Yards, Par 71:
1930-1931 American Annual Golf GuideDesigned by Robert D. Pryde. Established in 1910.
Highland Country Club was founded in 1910 and designed by Robert Pryde. This course has been discussed on here before, so I will redirect you to a prior thread for more information. The thread starts by discussing the Highland Country Club, but gradually turns into a thread on Robert Pryde. I will include a routing map from 1914 for reference. This course no longer exists.
Old thread on Highland Country Club:
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50804.msg1157637.html#msg1157637Postcard Photo of the clubhouse:
Story from Middletown Press 2018:
https://www.middletownpress.com/middletown/article/Lost-links-to-golf-courses-unearthed-in-Westfield-12714551.php1914 Routing with 1934 Aerial below:
Connecticut State Library, State Archives Record Group 089:11a, Records of the Department of Transportation.