[Phil_the_Author]

Have you ever wondered about the actual origins of well-known names, titles or hole and feature types? For example, the "Redan" has been discussed a great deal in the past few months including its history as both hole and military feature.

There is currently a topic for discussion on the origin's of the "BIarritz" that I think will also prove enlightening.

So, what about the feature called "Hells Half Acre?" Where was the first use of this feature, on what course? What was the inspiration for both the original feature and naming it such?

[TEPaul]

Phil:

I'm not sure but it's always been my feeling that "Hell's Half Acre" emanated from the name given the massive sand area across Pine Valley's #7 even if some also include the massive sand area on #16.

My feeling is also that the idea of that type of feature at Pine Valley was inspired by Tillinghast to Crump via the idea of how he described the concept (perhaps later) in his article "The Real Three Shot Par 5".

[Tom_Doak]

Philip / Tom:

Tillinghast certainly seemed to believe that he inspired Crump to build the feature on #7 at Pine Valley.

However, you could certainly make the case that it wasn't an original idea.  There were examples in Scotland of big-carry cross hazards long before Pine Valley.  The Cardinal bunker at Prestwick is probably the most famous.  It didn't preclude anyone getting to the green in two in the modern era, because the hole is much shorter overall, but it sure stopped them from doing it in the 1850's when the hole was conceived.

[Thomas MacWood]

Phil
Like TD the Cardinal at Prestwick was the first thing that came to mind. Didn't Tilly often refer to the hazard on these holes as the Sahara? The original Sahara was at Sandwich -  a shortish par-4 or a very long par-3 depending how you look at it. Perhaps he borrowed from the original hole (at least the hazard from that hole) and modified it into a par-5. He suggested the hazard should be broken up with clumps vegetation like the large sandy hazards he observed in Britain.

[ChipOat]

As I recall, Hell's Half Acre is either much bigger or much smaller than 1/2 an acre (I forget which although I think it's bigger) but the name stuck because it sounded better than Hell's Quarter Acre and/or Hell's Acre.

Either way, if you don't hit a good drive on that hole, you can't get across it without a lay-up so it serves its purpose regardless of the name.

Anybody know how big it really is?

[Tom_Doak]

Chip:

It's about an acre and a half.  One acre = approx. 200 feet by 200 feet.

[Phil_the_Author]

I have always believed that the first "Hell's Half Acre" was the one at Pine Valley and was deeply interested in finding out if that was so because of an intriguing piece of information I came across this past Friday while researching at Temple's Urban Archives with Joe Bausch. The information has to do with the source of this title and therefor why it was used by PHILADELPHIA area architects first!

This is what I came across...

On August 29th, 1921, the death of William West Frazier was reported in the Philadelphia newspapers. He was a "millionaire sugar refiner and financier who established and maintained the "Eighth Ward Settlement House" in secret from everone and demanded that it be kept that way during the course of his life. This information came out at the time of his death because of the rather large bequest he left to fund this charity.

The Eighth Ward Settlement House, also called "Happyland," was the lone oasis of safety and social purity that could be found in Philadelphia on Locust Street around 8th & 9th Avenues. This was a section of the city that was so dangerous that, as Miss Francis M. Bratholomew told it in the articles, "People today are apt to forget the great need we had for a settlement house here at 9th and Locust Streets fifteen or twenty years ago [1901-06] in the dyas of 'Hell's Half Acre' a name which I gave to that section..."

She related that, "I've lived here day and night [at the settlement house] for all these years... I have heard screams as murders were committed in front of my windows at night in the days when a respectably clothed person walking through here would have caused a sensation...

"I received almost daily threats then that I would be murdered and in turn warned of plans slay me by such characters as 'Irish Max', the 'Kennedy Rosebud' and other notorious characters..."

She also remberred how, "When I was a little girl my mother used to say to me: 'Francis, if you have to cross Locust Street at 8th or 9th, for heaven's sake run!' Now the district is changed entirely. Not one of the old population that made the courts and the alleys of this section a perilous place for a man or a woman to enter after dark remains. But when Mr. Frazier opened the doors of the settlement house and set out work on this work of social reform, it was actually a village of vice..."

So it appears that "Hell's Half Acre" was named after this place that neither man nor woman should ever find themselves in and that if so, they should run out of it as fast as they could...

One last bit of info... It appears that Mr. Frazier was a golfer and a member of Huntingdon Valley...  

So, with that as an inspiration, WHO was the Cardinal and WHAT was the name of the Principal and how big was his nose? 

[Mark_Fine]

Philip,
Actually, the name Hell's Half Acre is thought to have originated in the small town of Webberville, Texas, before Texas' statehood.  Webberville, known for its lawless an immoral reputation, was dubbed Hell's Half Acre as a result.  Eventually, the name became generic for the red-light district in any number of frontier towns. 

The Cardinal was the nose of monk of Crossaguel Abbey and the Principal's Nose has several possible origins which you can read about on page 93. 

Most of the top hazards in the world have fascinating origins (or at least stories that go with them).
Mark 

[Bill_McBride]

Since almost all golf design seems to originate from the Old Course, is it possible the Hell's Half Acres are based on the area including and surrounding the Hell Bunker, with the other bunker such as the Kitchen included?  Those bunkers were much fiercer in the old days when tee balls didn't travel 300 yards like they do today. 

At least some tee shots do.  I still have to tack around Hell, and it's something I look forward to the entire round!  Watching the 2005 Open from the bleachers by the 14th green, it was depressing to see how little Hell impacted play, even with the tee on the Eden course.

[Phil_the_Author]

Mark,

That may very well be and may be the reason that the area in Philly was named "Hell's Half Acre" but it seems far more than conincidental that Crump & Tilly, both from Philly and would have known of this area, would give name to a feature from a town down western way when it was the same as a terrible area in Philly.

I tend to think that they were inspired by the Philly usage of it...

By the way... You're right! It's about time I used my own research library and the wonderful books it contains!

[TEPaul]

I do know that HHA is just around 100 yards across (even though the right side is a tad farther) and I guess one could estimate its general width as around 60 yards. You all do the math, I'm not good at that.

I don't believe Tillinghast ever said he invented the concept just that he introduced it to Crump at Pine Valley and/or convinced him to do it on #7.

I'm sure most remember me saying that had Crump lived that hole would be a bit different than it is. HHA would still be there but app the left half of the second fairway would be waste area too and the fairway area it encompasses would've been flipped over to the right of the right side of the second fairway basically creating a par 5 that would've been something of a double dogleg.

The green had already been somewhat altered while Crump was alive and that's why it basically orients to the right of the second fairway.

Oh yes, and one of the primary features of the double dogleg alteration and concept was that the golfer would need to hit the ball across HHA and over what was considered to be an Alps mound on what is now the far side of HHA on the right. When you walk around HHA on the right today you can still see what is left of that ALPS mound just as you approach the second fairway.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

As I was walking through 'Hells Half Acre'  I saw a 4 inch PVC sticking out of the ground.  I asked our host, who will remain nameless, what that might be there for?   

"The pipe," he mused,"that would be the vent for the womens locker room."

So much for being PC.

[TEPaul]

W.H.

You can tell your PV host that Crump said when he was finished with the golf course he was going to build another one right next to it JUST FOR WOMEN!!!!   

He had already begun to interview women such as Alexa Stirling for ideas.

The article in which he is either quoted saying that or reported to have said that also says that is exactly why he bought another app. 400 acres at PV in 1917.

When I mentioned this to my wonderful PV friend, Mayor John Ott, very sadly now departed, his response was;

Jeeessus, I love George Crump but if I'd known that I would've shot him myself!

That may sound incredibly politically incorrect but I should add just after he said it he did fall out laughing.

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