Interesting Historical Quotes/Tidbits or Cobbs Creek Cribnotes

[Mike_Cirba]

I'm sure by now it's become quite daunting for non-Philadelphians to wade through the umpteeth pages to keep up with our research and related restoration issues;

However, I think that some things that we've uncovered could be topics unto themselves.   To wit;

* It was reported in 1917 that "Hugh Wilson, who built the two fine courses at Merion believes every club would have better putting greens if it were not for the craze for lightning-fast greens.   The reason why it is necessary to seed the greens every year is that excessive cutting prevents the grass from seeding, and it is necessary each year to put seed into the green.  He says clubs would be much better satisfied if the grass on the putting greens were allowed to grow a little longer instead of having them like the surface of a billiard table."

* Tillinghast relates that CB Macdonald, the creator of the wonderful National Golf Links, is quoted as saying that Pine Vallley is the greatest golf course in the country.

* Under the pen name of Billy Bunker, a writer who Phil Young believes might be Tillinghast's father writes in 1917 that Donald Ross "has laid out more and better golf courses than any architect in the country."

* George Crump is reported to have not only planted thousands of pine trees at Pine Valley, but evidently quite a floral collection around the property as well.

* Completely shocking to me, blueblood Hugh Wilson evidently got down and dirty in building municipal Cobbs Creek, where he is reported to have been onsite for a period of six whole months!!

* George Crump, Ab Smith, and George Klaudner were credited with helping lay out Cobbs Creek with Hugh Wilson.

* George Crump and Hugh Wilson were also among those who selected the site of Cobbs Creek for the city in 1913.

Oh...and some of are going to work to see if we can get it restored before the 2013 US Open at Merion.   Wish us luck.  

[Joe Bausch]

FWIW, in my literature search of the history of the first public course to be built in Philly, I came upon an article from 1900 which indicated that Harry Vardon was supposed to come and evaluate Fairmount Park for a golf course.  Something fell through on that it seems.

[Mike_Cirba]

For those who still wonder about Hugh Wilson's trip abroad, Tillinghast reported in December 1914;

"Hugh I. Wilson, for a number of years Chairman of the Green Committee at Merion Cricket Club has resigned.   He personally constructed the two courses at Merion and before the first was built he visited every big course in Great Britain and this country.  He also laid out the new course at Seaview."

[Mike_Cirba]

Contrary to my prior understanding, as well as the Torresdale Frankford history book,  the original nine holes at the present site (Frankford & Grant) of Torresdale-Frankford CC were not built around 1920 by Donald Ross, but were laid out in 1915 by Merion pro George Sayers for what was then known as Torresdale Golf Club.

[Joe Bausch]

Contrary to my prior understanding, as well as the Torresdale Frankford history book,  the original nine holes at the present site (Frankford & Grant) of Torresdale-Frankford CC were not built around 1920 by Donald Ross, but were laid out in 1915 by Merion pro George Sayers for what was then known as Torresdale Golf Club.

Do you know which 9 holes it was at T-F?

[Mike_Cirba]

Joe,

The article is pretty in-depth and shows the yardages for all of the holes, but I'm thinking that although Ross may have used some of the routing and greensites, he pretty much built a new course when his opened around 1922.  

It's just that prior accounts, including the club history by Dr. Joseph Martin from the 1980s seemingly assumed that no course had previously existed on that site.

[Phil_the_Author]

Mike,

Just a correction. Change "Under the pen name of Billy Bunker, a writer who Phil Young believes is Tillinghast's father..." to MIGHT have been Tilly's father B.C.

After I take a look at more of the articles I can be more definitive...

[Mike_Cirba]

Philip,

Done.  Did you get my email?

[wsmorrison]

Given that there is no overlap between Joe Bunker and Billy Bunker, is it possible that they are one and the same?

[Phil_the_Author]

Mike, yes I did.

Wayne, there is little doubt that the articles by "Joe Bunker" were probably written by Tilly. The style of writing and especially how he refered to work being done by him were identical in many aspects to similar ones written for The American Golfer during that same period.

The "Billy Bunker" articles that I have seen are quite different. They are far more gossipy with very little information about new construction or designs. And yet this alone, because of the information contained in the gossip, shows that the writer had to have been someone with deep connections into the Philadelphia golf scene.

Much of the "local fluff" from Tilly's "hazard" articles were as a result of his father's research and writing. Tilly would mention this in 1918 in his column about his father's death.

The "Billy Bunker" articles end in 1917 and this makes sense if they were penned by B.C. Tillinghast. What has some considering that both "Billy" and "Joe" were pseudonyms for the same writer is, I think, a product of the last name "Bunker" rather than anything stylistic.

That both used the last name "Bunker" also lends credence to Billy" having been B.C. for why would someone else use the name "Bunker" in the Inquirer during this time frame?

All that having been said, I am still not convinced that "Billy Bunker" was a pseudonym for B.C. Tillinghast as there are a number of stylistic contrasts to what we definitively know that he wrote.

Finally, it must be remembered that Tilly was traveling around the country designing and building during these years. It would have been impossible for him to write both sets of articles, especially where one would require much time to have been spent at many local events.