Old US Ryder Cup venues

[Shane Gurnett]

Reading through Colin Jarmans "The Ryder Cup" today and wondered what happened to these old Ryder Cup Venues?

Are they still in play largely as they were when the hosted the event?

1935 Ridgewood Country Club NJ
1939 Ponte Vedra Club FL (matches were cancelled due to WWII)
1947 Portland GC OR
1955 Thunderbird Ranch & CC, CA
1959 El Dorado CC CA
1971 Old Warson MO
1975 Laurel Valley PA
1979 The Greenbrier WV

Thanks.

[Rich Goodale]

I played Ponte Vedra several times in the 80's (once in a USGA qualifier) and it was OK, but nothing special.  I did play it in the late 50's too, but all I really remember from then is the famous island green and the fact that my father roped a 3-iron that hit an overhead telephone line and pragned back at him.

This was a Herbert Strong course that was revised at some point post WWII.  Tom Macwood would know more.

[Jim Nugent]

I caddied once at Old Warson, in the 1960's.  Located in a wealthy St. Louis suburb.  Seemed like a pretty typical RTJ course.  Hale Irwin is a member.     

[BCrosby]

Ponte Vedra -

Bobby Weed did a good deal of work there about 10 years ago. I can't tell how much of it was a restoration. But PV is now a better course in many respects. Highlights are his changes to the consecutive par 5's on the back, 13 and 14.

Like Rich, I first played PV in the late 50's with my father. One of my proudest moments was when he thought I was good enough to tee it up on the island 9th.

Bob 

[Bill Shamleffer]

Reading through Colin Jarmans "The Ryder Cup" today and wondered what happened to these old Ryder Cup Venues?

Are they still in play largely as they were when the hosted the event?

1935 Ridgewood Country Club NJ
1939 Ponte Vedra Club FL (matches were cancelled due to WWII)
1947 Portland GC OR
1955 Thunderbird Ranch & CC, CA
1959 El Dorado CC CA
1971 Old Warson MO
1975 Laurel Valley PA
1979 The Greenbrier WV

Thanks.

Old Warson hosted the 1999 USGA men's Mid-Am, and is scheduled to host the 2009 USGA Women's Am.

It annually hosts a local match-play tournament in May.

[Tom Jefferson]

Portland Golf Club is alive and well!

Tom

[Dan Herrmann]

Tom - you beat me to it.  Portland GC is a really wonderful course that had some fame in the late 80's when it hosted the "Fred Meyer Challenge".

If I recall correctly, some have said that post-war PGC Ryder Cup was the match that saved the Cup. 

[Tom Jefferson]

Dan;
I had the pleasure of attending a USGA Green Section presentation at Portland GC this spring. 
The pres of the club gave a talk on the '47 Ryder Cup there, and the pride of the membership and the club's role in 'saving' the cup after the war was evident in both the remarks he made as well as the memorabilia/photos on the clubhouse walls.
Pretty cool stuff.

Tom

[Pete_Pittock]

  I played at Portland GC a number of times in the 50s and sixties. My father was a member. It has undergone some changes with the usual irrigation and drainage stuff. It revamped bunkering about ten years ago. John Fought started that, I don't know who finished the project.
  Holes 1 and two are intact.
  Holes 3, 4 and 5 have new greens and green surrounds, but the greens were not moved. There is new back tee on five.
  Holes 6-9 are intact.
  Hole 10 has a rebuilt green.
  Holes 11 and 12 are the same, with more tee options on 12.
  Hole 13 has a new green, with added depth, more contour.
  Hole 14 is the same.
  Hole 15 has been lengthened by about 40 yards and a new green built.
  Hole 16 has new tees and has be lenghthened significantly.
  Hole 17 has a new green, probably 40% bigger.
  Hole 18 is unchanged.

  Portland GC has a club history book, but I have not seen it.

[Scott Stambaugh]

I attended the USGA Green Section Conference at Portland GC as well, a fine effort by the Club in recognizing the importance of the '47 Ryder Cup.  Portland also hosted the 1946 PGA Championship, won by Ben Hogan.  He still holds the couse record there.  There's also a plaque on the 3rd tee that reads 'Hogan's Gate,' named for a white gate far off in the distance that he aimed his tee ball at during the PGA.  Pretty neat stuff.

I think El Dorado went under the knife with Fazio last year.

[John Kavanaugh]

I've seen Wigler lurking all day so I'm gonna ask...Where is Plum Hollow on your list?  From what I understand, if you live through the car ride to the course you are in for a treat.

[Sam Morrow]

Does anyone know how many courses turned down hosting the Ryder Cup in the days before it became what it is today?

[Chuck Brown]

Regarding the Ryder Cup's WWII history:

"With the outbreak of World War II, The Ryder Cup was suspended from 1939-45, and the US retained the trophy from its 1937 victory. However, the United States continued the spirit of The Matches by selecting a ten-member team that participated in "challenge" matches to raise funds for the American Red Cross, various service organizations and other war-related efforts. With The 1939 Ryder Cup cancelled, challenge competitions were arranged from 1940- 43, with two at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield, Michigan, in 1940 and 1942: at Detroit Golf Club, in 1941: and at Plum Hollow Country Club in 1943. The Ryder Cup Team, which had various members during that period, won four of the five challenge matches.
Walter Hagen captained the 1939, '40 and '41 Ryder Cup Teams, while Craig Wood captained the Team in 1942 and 1943. There was no competition in 1939, though The Matches were set for Ponte Vedra Country Club in Florida in November of that year. The 1939 US selections were repeated in 1940 in a challenge match at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, against Gene Sarazen's Challengers. Sarazen, who was left off The Ryder Cup Team, challenged Hagen by assembling a team that included Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret and Craig Wood.
In 1939, The Professional Golfers Association of Great Britain had selected eight players and Captain Henry Cotton before war interrupted further plans. The eight players named were: Jimmy Adams, Dick Burton, Sam King, Alf Padgham, Dai Rees, Charles Whitcombe and Reg Whitcombe. The remaining two members were never filled.
During the war, the exhibition matches brought together the greatest players of the era, including amateur Bobby Jones who led his team to an 8 1/2 to 6 1/2 upset of the Ryder Cup Team, August 23-24, 1941, at Detroit Golf Club."

[Justin_Zook]

Shane,

Nice post.  FYI, Ridgewood in New Jersey has never been played "that" much.  I've heard that the general rule is about one big tournament a decade.  That has mostly rung true.

They are hosting The Barclays this year and I assure you, regardless of whether Tiger shows up, it will be an absolutely phenomenal event.

[PCCraig]

I have played Old Warson a couple of times. It is generally a very prototypical RTJ layout with big greens and long tee boxes. I believe it was built in the same time frame as Bellerive, but I would say Bellerive has the better piece of rolling / hilly land while OW is built in a low lying wetland type area. The majority of the holes are solid but forgettable, however there is a par-5 (the 13th or so) that is fantastic. Hale Irwin is a member and there are some HUGE homes on the course.