In My Opinion - Woodside CC (Mackenzie) by Gordon Ratliff

[John Kirk]

For many years, Gordon Ratliff has been recognized as the unofficial golf course historian at the Stanford University Golf Club in Palo Alto, California.  I've known Gordon a long time.  My father was also a member of the Stanford club.

I called Gordon a couple months ago to ask him about early course photographs featured in his Stanford Golf Club history book, which show the intricate bunker work of Billy Bell in its full glory.  During our chat, he also discussed his latest research, the aborted plans to build a golf and country club in Portola Valley, California.  The Woodside Country Club was launched in 1926, and Alister Mackenzie was hired to build the golf course.

Gordon was preparing a story on Woodside CC for a local newspaper, and I encouraged him to present his work on GolfClubAtlas.  His essay is the newest addition to the "In My Opinion" section.

Portola Valley is relatively remote, just west of Stanford University, but still east of the steep coastal range mountains which separate the ocean's influence from the calm mediterranean climate of the Bay Area.  Although quite dry in terms of rainfall, Portola Valley is often foggy, and the unique climate is suitable for two beautiful native trees, the California live oak and the coast redwood, the world's tallest tree.  Not surprisingly, it is some of the most desirable real estate in the country.

[John Kirk]

I'm bumping this just once.  I'm surprised there aren't any comments.  Maybe there's nothing to add.  I have heard that the existence of Woodside CC was rediscovered a few years ago, but Gordon took the trouble to investigate and prepare an essay.  Enjoy.

[Garland Bayley]

Local rules for a course on the San Andreas Fault. Amazing.

1.  The earthquake is to be treated like a weather delay.  Mark your ball and return when the ground stops shaking.

2.  Fissures in the fairways and greens are to be treated like GUR.

3.  Trees across the fairways are to be treated like GUR.

Thanks John

[Bill_McBride]

John, I didn't really have anything to add.  Thanks for tracking this down and posting it.  It's a shame it never was built.

Redwood trees on a golf course?  Sounds like Columbia-Edgewater!  I've never seen anything quite like those Giant Sequoias on a golf course.

[Mark Bourgeois]

John, thanks for bumping this. It seems like a lot of time passed between the announcement in Dec. 1927 and the Oct. 1929 crash for them to have gotten only as far as preliminary grading.

Did something else hold them up?

Mark

[wsmorrison]

John,

Thank you for bringing this archival material to the website.  I love these sorts of lost treasures.  While it is a shame the course was never built, at least we have MacKenzie's intent to study and learn from.

[ForkaB]

Thanks John (and Gordon)

The picture at the top brings back some great old old memories--drunken revelries at Searsville Head when I was an undergraduate, more civilised parties at some of the nearby estates, my last reunion at the Family Farm.......Sic tranist gloria goodie.

If a golf course couldn't hack it in that nest of Robber Barons, there must have been problems other than finances.  I, too, find it fishy that only grading was done in the 2-3 years between incorporation and the stock market crash.  How does all this fit into Mackenzie's timeline?  Was he throwing wobblies those days?  I also wonder why the artist flipped the picture 90 degrees?  Was he into flask art too?

Slainte.

Rich

[JMorgan]

Great stuff.  Thanks, John and Mr. Ratliff.

[scott anderson]

Wow, what a great find.  As someone who played golf at Woodside High the thought of a course on such a location gives me the chills.  Thanks for the post.

[Tom Roewer]

Thanks for pointing this out John.  An interesting connection is that at the same time, Mackenzie built the Northwood Golf Club(now public) for the Bohemian Club of which Hait Patigan was president from 1920-1922.  NGC was opened in 1928.

[Dan King]

This piece seems suspicious, since one of the earthquake rules on the Woodside Card in the 1930s says:

9.  If someone is injured, call 911?  The person is to post an adjusted score in accordance with the rules.

I'm not sure of why there is a question mark after 911.

Emergency calls to 911 weren't implemented in the U.S. until the late 1960s.

Fri. Jan. 12, 1968:  AT&T announces their designation of 911 as a universal emergency number at a press conference in the Washington (DC) office of Indiana Rep. Ed Roush, who had championed for Congressional support for "one number." AT&T's plan affected only the Bell companies, and not any of the independent telephone companies. Up to this point, the number "911" wasn't mentioned in any literature, and apparently wasn't identified until the press conference.
 
Cheers,
Grandan King

I have left  orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting.
 --Ronald Reagan

 

[Garland Bayley]

...
Redwood trees on a golf course?  Sounds like Columbia-Edgewater!  I've never seen anything quite like those Giant Sequoias on a golf course.

We have one one the corner of the dogleg on #9. It is known as Willie after Willie Mays (it catches everything).
 

BTW, Good catch GrandDan. What's up with that John?