The Donald Ross "booklet" - Ran?

[Mike_Cirba]

All,

In the recent interview with Richard Mandell, and related threads about Southern Pines, there was referenced the finding of a booklet circa 1930 in which Ross personally listed his most important works.  

For a number of historically and research-related reasons, I've been trying to find out the contents of the booklet...well, primarily to see if it lists Pocono Manor and/or some of the other courses purportedly designed by Ross that have been in dispute in recent years.

In that regard, someone on this site sent me the following link which details the story of the finding of the Booklet at the Tuft Archives. as well as makes the case that Southern Pines was designed by Ross in 1907-1910.   For those of you interested in good architectural sluething, it makes for a very interesting read.

www.donaldrossmystery.blogspot.com

However, despite reaching out in this regard, I've not been able to directly communicate with the blog author, and someone on a related thread recently pointed to a link which indicates  that the booklet went on sale on EBAY and garnered $395, which seems to me to be on the cheap.

I'm not sure what I'm asking of this group, except to potentially find out more about the contents of the book, and/or to share them here.   I'm thinking that Ran Morrissett might be the person who can come through here.

One of the greatest things about this website is the ability to dig and research and share collaboratively our findings and understandings of golf architectural history.   I believe this site in the future will be seen as the forerunner to the USGA Architectural Archives, and recent threads such as the one on Cobb's Creek show the value of our collective efforts here.

So, I think for historical interest Ran, it would be very interesting to see the courses that Donald Ross felt were his most important, as well as potentially clear up any attribution questions.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Mike

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

In that regard, someone on this site sent me the following link which details the story of the finding of the Booklet at the Tuft Archives.

What do you mean "someone?" Does he work for Blackwater and beat the info out of some guy who turned out not to be a terrorist? Fess up, who sent you the link?

Anthony

[Neil_Crafter]

Mike
Thanks for the link to Lee's blog - it was a very enjoyable read and just shows you how sometimes things can be hidden in plain view. Who knows how many copies there are of that booklet that have survived the years since 1930? If anyone has a copy it would be Mike Hurdzan.

One can imagine Ross printed them up in their hundreds or even thousands to give away to people and future clients as part of his marketing. It would not be a shock if more than a few survived but I had not heard of it myself. And $400 or so on eBay is about what you would need to pay to be a copy of Tom Doak's Sleeping Bear Press edition of the Confidential Guide, thousands of copies of which are still out there - go figure.
cheers Neil

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mike,
I sent him an email three months ago about the contents of the booklet and have yet to receive a response.


edit: Mike, didn't Richard Mandell say that you could call the Tufts Archive, and that they might be willing to have a look at it and answer your question?

[Brad Klein]

Mike,

I'm looking at an original of the 1930 booklet and there's no reference to Pocono Manor.

[Neil_Crafter]

Mike
Just searched back sales on eBay, found the listing for the booklet.
Sold by someone with the name of Antikgolf in Greenville South Carolina. It sold on a Buy it Now listing for $350, so it was first come first served.
Here are the pics from the listing.







Also found an early 1915 Southern Pines photobook about the town, with information as listed below. Different seller, but seems to have some reference to Ross in there. This sold for $40

ca. 1915 Southern Pines photobook. Includes views of legendary golf architect Donald Ross' Southern Pines Country Club, street views of Southern Pines, views of private residences and more. See complete list below. Note that golf course, built in 1906, was 9 holes at this stage in its history.



Photographs Include:

Broad Street Looking North Showing Part of Capital to Capital Automobile Route (Roadbed Is Equal to Any and Far Excels Most of the Roads in South)
Country Club One of the Finest in the Middle South (Spring Practice Grounds of the Philadelphia National Baseball Team the Past Two Seasons)
Another View of Country Club Showing Magnificent Golf Grounds (Absence of Moisture after Rains Makes This the Most Ideal of All Southern Links)
Bennet Street Looking South Showing Another Section of Capital to Capital Highway (Note the Hard Smooth Roadway Excelled for Automobiles)
Broad Street Looking South Showing Stores on Business Side (Dry Goods, Shoe, Grocery, Drug, Jewelry and Hardware Stores Are Located Here)
Looking North over Private Golf Links at Weymouth Woods (One of the Finest Private Parks of the South)
Residence of Dr. W. C. Mudgett, Just Completed
Winter Home of Mr. Munroe, Now in Course of Construction
Residence of W. H. Goldsmith, Secretary Board of Trade, Nearly Completed
Vineyard Scene, Niagara, Moore County
Weymouth Woods -- Residence of Owner
Scene from Orchard of J. Huttenhour -- Peach Growing Is a Large Industry Here
Entrance to Weymouth Woods
The Burleigh Corner
First Congregational Church

Publication Data
TITLE: Come to Southern Pines, North Carolina
AUTHOR: n/a
ILLUSTRATOR: n/a
PLACE: Southern Pines, NC
PRINTING DATE: (1915)
COPYRIGHT DATE: n/a
IMPRINT: Privately printed
FORMAT: n/a
PAGINATION:24 pages
EDITION STATEMENT: n/a
ISBN or LCCN: n/a
ILLUSTRATIONS: Black-and-white
BINDING: Softcover

[Mike_Cirba]

Thanks for the info, fellas.  

Tony,

The name of the provider of the link is classified information.  

[Richard_Mandell]

Mike:

The guy that wrote that blog contacted me out of the blue the day before he put his info up for me to review and give a reaction.  Obviously the booklet exists and gives some evidence to Ross being involved with SPCC.  But the rest of the guy's thesis has no basis.  The years he says Ross was involved have absolutely nothing behind them.  I pressed him on this and he gave no decent argument (although he said he was a retired Attorney from NY).  He told me to read his blog and call him the next day at SPCC, he would be working all day in the shop.  

I called and the pro said he no longer works there.  No one has seen him since, including the people at the Archives.  

[Mike_Cirba]

Mike:

The guy that wrote that blog contacted me out of the blue the day before he put his info up for me to review and give a reaction.  Obviously the booklet exists and gives some evidence to Ross being involved with SPCC.  But the rest of the guy's thesis has no basis.  The years he says Ross was involved have absolutely nothing behind them.  I pressed him on this and he gave no decent argument (although he said he was a retired Attorney from NY).  He told me to read his blog and call him the next day at SPCC, he would be working all day in the shop.  

I called and the pro said he no longer works there.  No one has seen him since, including the people at the Archives.  

Richard,

That might be the strangest golf course architecture story I've ever heard.

This guy was so into researching the story of Southern Pines that he moved there, took a job, did extensive research, sought out Ran Morrisett , published a blog that is suddenly seeming to be golf's equivalent to a Clifford Irving tale, and then disappears off the planet??  

In the meantime, someone made a retire-able fortune of $395 selling the booklet on EBAY.  

Man...we've got to elevate the cache of golf course architectural research around here or all of us will be working til we're 95!!    

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

The plot thins!

According to story in the Milford (N.H.) Cabinet - yes, it's a real newspaper - a man was found on the side of a road, dead after ingesting a mashie niblick. The man had no identification but he did have $395 in his pocket and a tattoo across his chest that read "Discovering Donald Ross."

Anthony

[Marty Bonnar]

Curiouser...

http://keepbreathing.tripod.com/onelovestory/OneLoveStoryold.htm

...and Curiouser.

Foodie Loner indeed.

FBD.