I have been encouraged by many to continue posting and so will give it one final try.
Tom, you wrote, "Phil, Your story makes no sense." Actually it simply makes no sense to you. Yet it is exactly what happened.
"A complete overhaul or redesign to most objective viewers is not lengthening a course by 200 or 300 yards. It is moving greens, moving fairways, moving holes, creating new holes.....why in the hell would they do that one year after the course opened? When they overhauled the course did they also rip out the new watering system and re-install a completely new one? Please explain what exactly was overhauled."
As I previously stated, there were too many changes to detail them all on here. In a nutshell, every green was rebuilt with many being changed, fairways were realigned and in a few cases drastically because of the new tees installed on nearly every hole. 300 yards were added overall with as much as 50 yards on individual holes. Numerous bunkers were relocated and a number were added. And all this was done just one year after it opened for play...
You stated, "By the way that is not an aerial...that picture is a drawing, and it was attached to an unattributed article in Golf Illustrated in 1934, when Tilly was the editor. I'd say there is a 50/50 chance he was the author. In the article he talks about the course being inspired by PV; he talks about only nine holes being finished and in play in 1922; he talks about the full 18 being ready in the fall of 1923; he talks about the condition of the turf being well-knit once the course matured; he does not talk about the course being completely overhauled a year after it opened."
Lets see how many ways this is incorrect, though some are understandable. It IS an aerial. It was taken in 1926 and is in possession of the club. I am assuming the article you refer to is found in the November 1934 issue on p. 20-21 and is titled "And They Built A Course By The Trinity River." I also believe that you referenced this article from the book "Gleanings From The Wayside" on. p.27-28. The reason I believe this is because there is photograph in question IS NOT PART OF THE GOLF ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE.
When the trilogy of books on Tilly's writings were compiled, a layout problem occurred for many of the articles requiring 'fillers' to be added so that the entire page would be complete. This is an example. They included the aerial even though it wasn't in the original article. By the way, the book titles the photograph "Airplane View Of Brook Hollow G.C., 1926"; no mention anywhere that it is a drawing.
This aerial had been published previously in several places including the Dallas Morning News. Again, I have seen both the original photograph and its negative. The club has them.
Yes, Tilly wrote the article and yes, it states, "Although complete plans were drawn, only nine holes were finished and played during 1922, but the fall of the next year found the eighteen completed."
Tilly was WRONG. He wrote this article from memory and simply remembered it incorrectly. Let me show you the proof.
First of all, this wasn't the first time that an incorrect date for the club opening for play has been given and accepted. At one time it was reported that the front nine opened for play in October 1920. How do we know that is incorrect? The proof of this can be found in an article found in the Dallas Morning News on December 7, 1920. Tillinghast is quoted as saying, “Brook Hollow is coming up to every expectation. Nine holes will be ready for play next May and the remaining nine should be completed by next fall.” In this same December article he stated that “fine turf was underway” intimating that the grass was not yet ready for play.
On June 19th 1921, the Dallas Morning News reports on the continued progress being made at Brook Hollow. After stating that, “Nine of these holes have been completed and are being played upon Saturday afternoons and Sundays,” it goes on to report that the Club announces further course and club improvements. These will include the opening of the second nine holes, “Which are laid out and will be ready for play soon,” will be opened after the grass is grown-in. Also, the Club will be getting a new clubhouse that will cost an estimated $30,000 replacing the current one upon which the Club spent approximately $8-10,000.
It turns out that this report was only partially correct as the clubs own board minutes state that play was severely limited and allowed for but a very short period of time. Still, in celebration of the 4th of July in 1921, the Dallas Morning News reports that on this date a single day of play on the entire unfinished 18 hole golf course commences with a flag tournament which was won by Cameron Buxton. Collett Munger finished second. The entire course is in rough condition and play is still limited to the weekends primarily on the first nine holes only.
On October 28, 1922 the entire 18 holes of the Brook Hollow Golf Club is officially opened for play for the first time that afternoon. The opening ceremonies included the club President driving a ball from the first tee down between the caddies who were lined up on both sides of the fairway. The one who recovered the ball was rewarded with being allowed to “draw down five berries.”
A membership tournament is held with prizes awarded for best net and gross medal scores and a blind bogey.
The article mentions that “C.H. Munger holds the current course record with a 33” and then that, “There are no two holes at brook Hollow alike. Each has a distinctiveness of its own. There are no parallel holes. The holes range in distance from 125 to 575 yards in length. There is only one water hole on the course. No. 8 hole is only 150 yards in length, the tee situated on a high bluff, and the shot is played over a small lake, the green being right at the bank of the lake. The course is 6,300 yards long and the par is 70.” A complete list of yardage and par by hole is shown in the appendix to this document.
Here is the article:
So Tilly simply got his dates mixed up. I imagine it was the 1922 date for the opening of the first nine holes as that happened in 1921. He correctly remembered that it was in the fall of the following year (October 28, 1922) that the course was officially opened for unlimited play to all of the membership.
Finally, you are correct. Tilly did not mention the overhaul of the course the following year. SO WHAT! It happened and the proof can be found in numerous other Dallas Morning News articles, and FAR MORE IMPORTANTLY, in the minutes and notes of the board meetings.
You make a big deal out of the idea that course changes were done so soon after the course opened as if that never occurred. C'mon Tom, you know full well that occurred at any number of courses back then and even today. If someone doesn't like the way it turned out they are quite willing to make changes, including dramatic ones.
In fact, that was actually the case at Brook Hollow. Though they weren't considering the major changes that the drought and floods would allow them to do, on February 2, 1923, in the minutes of the annual meeting of the Brook Hollow Golf Club, the following note is found:
“Mr. Buxton, for the Ground Committee, made a verbal report of the work of that committee, referring to the changes on the course, and the expenditures for ground improvements, etc…” [bold and italics mine]
They were already tinkering with the course on their own! These were minor changes, yet the course was only open for play LESS THAN TWO MONTHS and they were making changes.
Tom, your understanding of what happened at Brook Hollow is incorrect. In fact there are many more documents, notes, meeting minutes and newspaper accounts to back all that I wrote and more.
Its time you simply accept the truth of what happened whether you "understand" it or not...