[JR Potts]

I was recently reviewing an aerial from one of my home courses taken sometime in the 30s.  What are now tree-lined parkland courses, were once farmland courses with minimal trees and eccentric bunkering. (Sans the Championship Course)

I was wondering, in open farmland courses that Bendelow seemingly quite often designed in the upper Midwest, what types of grasses did he use in the rough?  Did he plant/harvest/use fescue roughs or did he plant/harvest/use Kentucky bluegrass?

The rough is now all bluegrass but I wondered if my club switched it over or let it take over when the trees were planted and/or began to grow?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[DMoriarty]

I was recently reviewing an aerial from one of my home courses taken sometime in the 30s.  What are now a tree-lined parkland courses, were once a farmland courses with minimal trees and eccentric bunkering.

I was wondering, in open farmland courses that Bendelow seemingly quite often designed in the upper Midwest, what types of grasses did he use in the rough?  Did he plant/harvest/use fescue roughs or did he plant/harvest/use Kentucky bluegrass?

The rough is now all bluegrass but I wondered if my club switched it over or let it take over when the trees were planted and/or began to grow?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks.

No definite answer from me, but my guess is that he used bluegrass or whatever had a history of growing well locally.  I guess bluegrass because I've read in the Western Dept. articles in AG that when bents and fescue were introduced in this area (meaning the mid-west, I think) blue grass would win out anyway, so I assume that it was considered a "native grass" or at least one that grew well in the area. 

As for Bendelow's preference for the native grass, this is from the Western Dept., American Golfer, February 1916: 

"Mr. Bendelow is now engaged in giving a series of lectures on golf course construction at the University of Illinois. He asserts that "grass is the science of a lifetime," and in this particular feature of his lectures has impressed upon the students that the best kind of grass to grow is that which is indigenous to the soil. For this reason he does not believe in taking it for granted that a high priced imported grass seed will always produce good results, climate and soil differing so much in this country that local conditions must be taken into consideration."

[RJ_Daley]

Nice catch David.  Stuart Bendelow has the same quote about 'science of a lifetime" and use of indigenous grasses on page 149 of his book on his grandpa, Bende.

I've often described my early childhood living next to and old Bende 9 holer, with a second Bende upscale CC nearby.  The name of the course next to our house was called Burr Oaks.  It was of course greatly populated by old burr oak trees that Bende deftly routed around.  And, those trees were old and huge.  It seems all the other Bende courses here in the Wisconsin area that I've seen were also designed among the trees.  This isn't a case where trees grew after design, because most of them were big enough to be 100+ years old in the 50s.  I think of Bende often when I walk among groves of burr oaks.  I believe we share an affinity for them, even on golf courses... 

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