Bunker Hill

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

In The American Golfer, was the writer Bunker Hill ever unequivocally identified?

Thank you for your assistance.

Anthony

[Mike_Cirba]

Tony,

Not to my knowledge, but I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts, even if, heavens forbid, we end up speculating.   

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Mike:

I have no idea. My general sense is that the authors might have changed over time with the pseudonym remaining the same. While researching The Minikahda Club history, I came across this piece in the 1916 August edition and I'm wondering who this pro - most likely eastern based - might have been. I can't see it being Ouimet, but I could be wrong.

“I will not mention the name of the professional who said:
   ‘What’s the use of wasting time and money going to play in a national open on a course like Minikahda? Any man might win there. It isn’t any test of real golf, for it demands nothing in variety of shots or in knowledge of execution beyond the drive, mashie and putter. Or wait, -- I might add that the player has to have some ability in hitting a tee shot with the iron, on holes where wood is over long. I’m speaking truthfully,’ he went on, ‘when I say that had I personally gone on the course with no clubs other than a brassie, mashe and putter, and been as well acquainted with the layout as I was at the completion of the championship, I haven’t a doubt that my score would have been lower by many strokes.'

It goes on from there and gets more scathing.

Anthony

[Mike_Cirba]

Tony,

That would be a good general sense and probably an accurate way to look at this, in my opinion.

For instance, I'm not sure that not only might one person use multiple pen names, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that multiple people used a singular pen name at different times, or that multiple people contributed to a the writing of an article under a single pen name, even within the same month in different sections of an article.

If we're asserting that 100% proof is needed to identify any of these men to their pen name writings, even the claim that "Hazard" was Tillinghast hasn't met that burden of proof, even though I do believe that it was him.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Whoever it was, it appears he was right:

The USGA made its first stop to Minikahda back in 1916, as amateur Charles "Chick" Evans captured the U.S. Open. What was even more amazing, is that Evans carded a two-over-par 286 to defeat Jock Hutchison by two shots, using only seven clubs. That's right, seven wooden-shafted sticks enabled Evans to post a score that would last for 20 years.

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

The club hired Donald Ross even before the event was played. They knew their course needed to be drastically upgraded and Ross turned out a wonderful layout, renovating 17 holes and creating one of his own.

Anthony