Willie Rusack: 'World Renowned'?

[Marty Bonnar]

I have to admit, this one has me scratching my head:

http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/st-andrews-news/East-Germans-bag-Rusack-golf.3662462.jp

No mention of the fine fellow between Alex Russell and Roger Rulewich in Cornish and Whitten...

Anyone able to shed some light on Mr Rusack?

FBD.

[RJ_Daley]

Martie me gud laddie, me thinks yer victim o' a poorily edit'ed peece o' sribblin.  Per'aps tae writer means tha' tae gawf club fount in'ta bag of Mister Rusack, belongt t' tae auld master o'tae links desiegn, auld Tom.  Me thinks thay coa' uest a gud man like Dan Kelly ta cleen up thaer scriblin.  

Ba' eyie culd b'rrrong.

[Phil_the_Author]

Martin,

Didn't the fact that the article stated that, "One of the golf clubs has the Tom Morris cleek mark..." Followed by, "all have wooden hickory shafts which means they were produced before 1930, most probably in the 1920s..." make you question this?

Old Tom was pretty old, after all he lived to 86, but by dying in 1908 it meant that he never saw the light of 1920...  

[Marty Bonnar]

Philip,
old golfers may die, but the possibility of making a buck off their name forever liveth on....

I have/had possessed a good few 'Tom Morris' branded clubs with - eek! - steel shafts. The Wee Shop doth liveth on....

Uncle Dick,
ye are seldom ever wrang. I fear howe'er auld meester Roozak wull mebbe be foond oot tae be the grate undeescoovert arkietek o scoatlan'...then y'ell skoowal oan the ither side o' yer face....

neffers,
F.

[RJ_Daley]

Martie, eiy 'ear tae oonly undeescoovert ting en Scoatlan' is tae strrraei an' unfount an' unspint bawbee, fore thair' aer noon.  an eiy can oanlie smieil vehrrticawly oan tae itther siede.  

Me ithir coosins oan tae itthir siete o'tae poond sint me this mooovie fer ye ta perrruse:  Thair lingo is'a wee bit strrrange...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1gVrSgW88Y&feature=related

[Melvyn Morrow]

Just spotted this

Willie was one of the sons of the Rusack Hotel family of St Andrews.

Willie was also my great uncle, he was married to Agnes, one of Elizabeth Hunter’s daughters. Elizabeth was Old Tom Morris’ daughter.

Willie was a well know course designer (many in Germany and I believe one or two in North America) between the wars and had to leave Germany well before WW2. Andrew Rusack, his nephew lives in England.

Trust this gives the information that you seek.

 

[Christoph Meister]

Hi,

as odd as it might sound do some of you - Wm Rusack from the Rusack Hotel family actually designed Germany's first championship
course after WWI in Bad Salzbrunn, Silesia (now Poland and defunct) in 1924. In 1926 he designed the new course of my home club at Wentorf-Reinbek. Some of his original holes are still remaining and they are not too bad - have a look for yourself.....

World Renowned is probably a exagerated - Rusack certainly is one of these forgotton architects......but at least he left traces of his work.....

CM

[Melvyn Morrow]

Christoph

Thanks for the information, being his great nephew its great to know, I will pass the information on to Andrew Rusack later tonight.

The following is an old photo of Willie in 1902 on his car in St Andrews with Old Tom and his wife standing in front Agnes Hunter Rusack (Old Tom granddaughter).

[Christoph Meister]

Christoph

Thanks for the information, being his great nephew its great to know, I will pass the information on to Andrew Rusack later tonight.

The following is an old photo of Willie in 1902 on his car in St Andrews with Old Tom and his wife standing in front Agnes Hunter Rusack (Old Tom granddaughter).

Hi Melvyn,

say hello to Andrew from me - we have been in contact for some years allready over Wm Rusack and Oberhof,
where plans exist to reopen the former golf course which Wm loved so much and which was closed down by the communists in 1952
see also: http://www.herzoglicher-golfclub-oberhof.de/

I hope you both like the new Tom Morris book by Crabtree and Malcolm....

It's just that I wanted to put some things right here.....

Greetings,

Christoph

[Marty Bonnar]

Christoph,
vielen dank!
Wentorf-Reinbek looks to be on a really interesting-looking piece of landscape. Does the rest of the course play over such FUN contours?
Tschüss!
FBD.

[Rich Goodale]

WJ Rusack drove the first ball off of Colt's Eden Course at St. Andrews in 1914.

[Christoph Meister]

Please find enclosed some photos of Bad Salzbrunn Golf Course, designed by Wm Rusack in 1924.

The course was closed in 1945 and Silesia including Szczawno Zdroj, as Bad Salzbrunn is called today, are part of Poland.

Theoretically it would be possible to reopen the golf course, as the land remained unchanged and unbuilt since 1945, except for a BMX Mountain bike track set up around the 18th tee.

Following you'll find pictures for holes 1 to 5 from my own archive

Regards, Christoph

[Christoph Meister]

Following are holes 6-10 of the Rusack designed course at Bad Salzbrunn.....

[Christoph Meister]

and here we go with holes 11 to 15 at Salzbrunn - all holes long gone....

[Christoph Meister]

following are holes 16, 17 and 18 (two pics) as well as a pic of the 18th fairway as it looks today.....Rusack's design long gone...