Bendelow NLE in N. Michigan

[Buck Wolter]

I am a frequent visitor to Northern Michigan near the Sleeping Bear Dunes west of Traverse City. A few years back while snowshoeing on Alligator Hill in the National Lakeshore I came across the remnants of an abandoned golf course that I have been curious about ever since. This winter my wife received a book that highlights some of the history of the area through it's Cottages (Historic Cottages of Glen Lake by Barbara Siepker) and there was an fairly extensive discussion of this golf course, it's history, development and downfall.  The course was part of a 2000 acre development called Day Forest Estates planned by D.H. Day that had both Lake Michigan and Glen Lake frontage. lots were to be between 5 and 35 acres. The site is about 25 miles North of Crystal Downs.

 

Here's a Google Map aerial of the current site with the holes fairly apparent.

http://tinyurl.com/2yre4r

Look a bit west and you'll see this was a curious site selection.

 

"A ... sporty course opened in 1927. It was an 18 hole course designed by American Park Builders, a Chicago golf course development company, whose lead designer was Tom Bendelow."


The course was built but no lots were ever sold as the stock market crashed and nearby lakefront lots were readily available. The entire 2000 acres looks to have been purchased for $100K in 1949 and then sold to the national park in 1976. The course lasted into the 40's according to the book.

 

Map of the development:





Zoom of the routing:



Buck

[Nathaniel Amrine]

Mr. Bendelow also designed the Muskegon Country Club in the early 20th century. MCC was then redesigned by Mr. Donald Ross in 1920.

[George Freeman]

Very interesting Buck.

Are you aware of any pictures of the actual course?

I bet it would be pretty interesting to walk the old routing after almost 70 years of neglect.  Have you done this by chance?

[Brian Cenci]

I grew up in Lake Ann (10 miles south) and never knew there was a course there.  I used to go fishing on Glen Lake all the time.  It's a great area for a course that's for sure (anywhere near Sleeping Bear Dunes would be).  The only courses near there are like Homestead, Sugar Loaf and King's Challenge.

-Brian

[David Neveux]

Nathaniel,

I did not know that about Muskegon CC.  That is one of my favorite courses in the state.  How extensive were the changes?  Are any of the original holes still "in-tact"?  

I had heard of this course from a friend at work, who is from Traverse City.  I think he went up there to try and "discover it" again.  I will ask next time I see him, and post a more thorough account.  

[Buck Wolter]

George-
There's one picture in the book of the course but it's not worth posting -- I've never seen any other photos of the course

I haven't gone off the trails and really looked around for greensites or anything -- probably would need a machete as it's gone pretty native. The trails here take you right through a good portion of the old course and you can easily see the corridors --especially in winter.

http://www.leelanau.com/dunes/trails/alligator-hill-map.shtml

[RJ_Daley]

As many courses and documents at Stuart Bendelow cites in his book on Thomas Bendelow, "the Johnny Appleseed of American Golf", he doesn't seem to have these documents.  

Nice find, Buck.  

[JC Jones]

Fascinating and sad, all at the same time.

[Chris_Blakely]

Here is a website with some of the following: mulitiple aerials of the old course, several pictures of the course before it was abandoned / present day pics, course seal, old scorecard, and caddie testimonials.

http://www.nwmichigan.com/dfgc/index.htm

[Buck Wolter]

Good stuff Chris -- looks like there are a few people trying to archive the details.

[JC Jones]

Here is a website with some of the following: mulitiple aerials of the old course, several pictures of the course before it was abandoned / present day pics, course seal, old scorecard, and caddie testimonials.

http://www.nwmichigan.com/dfgc/index.htm

Thanks Chris.  You beat me to it.

Also, for other archived aerials, you can check out:

http://www.rsgis.msu.edu/archive/countyindex.php

There, you can order aerials dating back to the 20's for some counties, 30's for all counties.

[Chris_Blakely]

Looking at some of the later aerial photos, it appears 9 to 10 holes (the closest to where the clubhouse was going to be) were maintained through the 70's.  They appear to be holes 1, 2, 3, 4, of the front 9 and holes 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.

[Tom_Doak]

Buck:

On the home movie of Crystal Downs which a member shot in 1933 -- which gave the club its only real document for proceeding with restoration of the bunkering -- there were a handful of shots of a different course which we surmised to be the course on Alligator Hill (just guessing from the long-range views).  We didn't know who had designed it, though.

[RJ_Daley]

When in doubt, count on Bende...

[Steven_Biehl]

There is not much on the site to see now.  Trees are grown up and it is difficult to follow a routing.  From the pictures I have seen and the video Tom talks about, there wasn't anything that appeared to be of any architectural merit.  They did have lofty goals for the Day Forest Estates development as evidence shows from the Traverse City Record Eagle, July 19, 1927:

"Located near the nation's center of poplulation, between Glen Lake, Leelanau County, one of the most beautiful inland lakes on the continent, according to many eminent authorities, and the senic Lake Michigan coast, in the vicinity of the Manitou Islands and historic Sleeping Bear Point, the far famed Day forests are undoubtedly the best site available today for the summer White House of the world's greatest nation.  The superb water setting, the great natural forests, and the Riviera climate of Western Michigan, tempered by prevailing westely winds over Lake Michigan combine to make this site without a peer."

There was a special session of congress in 1928 to discuss a proposal to make the Day Forest Estates the permanent summer home of the US president.  Obviously, nothing came of it.
 

[Buck Wolter]

The book I  referenced quoted a woman who had played the course saying  'I'm exhausted as you simply have to be a mountain goat to play that course'.

There really is some nice terrain nearby that wouldn't have needed nearly as much tree removal -- there's an amazing picture on the site Chris found of construction.

I guess even then golf course views were thought important to a housing development.

Stuart Bendelow's interview with Ran he mentions that Bendelow's best designs were when he was at American Park Builders as he could spend more time on the designs and sites.

[SBendelow]

Buck Wolter,
Great find and great listing.  I very much want to add it to Tom Bendelow's course listing.
Can you give me the name of the course?  I will assume its address was Glen Arbor, MI. ??

Since I published Tom Bendelow's biography, I have continued to revise and add to the listing of golf courses he designed.  Accurate documentation is important to me and I really appreciate obtaining information like you presented here to recount Bendelow's contributions. 
For those interested, the latest listing of Bendelow courses can be found at www. golfarchitects.lib.msu.edu/pre-ASGCA/bendelow.

Thanks.   Stuart Bendelow

[Buck Wolter]

Stuart - I sent you an IM -- glad it's of interest.

The course looks to have been called The Day Forest Golf Club, it's listed as Glen Haven MI on the American Park Builders document. Glen Haven is sort of a ghost town now that's part of the Nat'l Lakeshore and has been turned into sort of a museum.

Buck