Books on Golf Club Histories

[Dale Jackson]

What makes a good club history?  Do you want to read about the history of the club?  The notables, players and characters who have been members.  The significant tournaments held at the club.  The construction, architecture and evolution of the course itself?  All of the above?

Can you list your 3 favourite club histories.

[Scott Stearns]

Pictures of the golf course.  first and always.

Favorites are Finegans Pine Valley book-solely for the pictures

Garden City - ditto above

Klein's Desert Forest -this one i loved reading as well as the pictures.  The history of the area, and the Red Lawrence history were great.

 prefer histories that focus on the history of the property and the design evolution, and perhaps the reasons the club was founded.  Too many simply list out the happenings at the club over the years.

The Golf Club's history has some material on why Fred Jones founded the place and the traditions-i nice way to try to preserve the values of the club.  Also has some color from Pete Dye -

Lastly, and i get a lot of argument on this one, i prefer pictures the show the hole from where a better golfer would play a tee shot or approach shot, or perhaps a shot from a ladder placed at this point-gives a feel for what the golfer faces.  the shots backwards or from way over in the rough dont show much of the strategy.

Anybody have an opinion on Goodner's Shinnecock book?

[BCrosby]

If you are looking for a club history that stresses the evolution of the course, the best I've ever seen is Oak Hill's. Transparent overlays of changes on a hole by hole basis. Beautifully done for a course with a fascinating evolution history.

Bob

[Sean_A]

 I like all aspects of the club/course and their history discussed.  This is how one can connect dots between other events, people and places. 

Some of the better ones have read are

Woodhall Spa
Burnham & Berrow

Rye's and Pennard's are fairly good, but one has to do a bit of piecing together. 

Ciao 

[J_ Crisham]

Our own Tim Cronin has done a couple of very nice historical books on clubs in Chicago. His latest on Beverly with some help from another GCAer Paul Richards turned out very well. Great coffee table book that gets alot of use every time it snows and I dream of Spring in Chicago!                    Jack             

[Patrick Kiser]

Can you list your 3 favourite club histories.

Geoff's Rivieira is one of the best in my opinion.

[ed_getka]

Garden City has an excellent one
Riviera is also outstanding.
North Berwick's has the best title ever. "In the Wind's Eye"

What I want is a picture of every hole, an overall schematic, and some commentary about what is going on with the hole. NOT the golf pro crap that ends up in yardage books typically. After that, some older pix that show the evolution of the course (if that is the case) are nice. Some info regarding the founders original intent for the course/club. Finally I don't mind seeing some "social" history stuff, but I don't think that should be the primary focus of the book.

[Joe Bausch]

Atlantic City Country Club has a very good
one.  Well written and researched.

[PCCraig]

Pine Valley's is by far the best I've read. I also have one from TCC brookline that was written in the 1980's that I found on e-bay which isn't bad...but it's not great.

Club histories generally reflect the priorities of the subject club, IE if the club is a men's only golf club...you're going to see alot on the evolution on the golf club and various stories of notable rounds or if it's primarily a family country club you're going to read alot about the pool and the families that have been members over the years.

One fantastic history is of the Western Golf Association by our Tim C. while not a golf club, it's a great read.

[James Boon]

I find that most golf club histories I've read don't have enough about the history of the courses design, layout changes etc as well as a good insight into the designer and his work at the time. I therefore often end up reading the one small, almost token chapter regarding this and speed reading or just missing the rest.

Having said that I enjoyed all of the Burnham & Berrow history, but then it did have added interest as I'm a member, but also the changes to the course and the people invloved gives plenty of material to discuss.

Two of my favourites are the Richard Latham's "Definitive Guide to Woodhall Spa" and also his "Definitive Guide to Royal County Down". Plenty of history of the courses, their designers, and the various changes made over time. Also they are very well illustrated.

I have both the Swinley Forest and Sunningdale historys in my library ready to be read, so I'll see how they match up. Also, the current thread discussing a Tom Morris book, mentions the Herbert Warren Wind awards and that Walton Heath's history "Heather and Heaven" won this a couple of years ago. I've not been able to read a copy, so can anyone comment on its award winning status>

Cheers,

James

[Jon Spaulding]

Riviera
Seminole
LACC

Riviera's is easily the best that I own. The golf course section is very good, and Yeff's prose always entertains.

Seminole was impressive, nice mix of history and golf course info......even if the course section is narrrated by the evil Dr. Jones.....

LACC is a bit weak on the golf course side; the history is fascinating, especially for a native whose family landed here a couple years before the club was founded.

[Steve Burrows]

I recall the book about Royal Cinque Ports to be quite entertaining, perhaps not because it was the best written or researched "history," but rather on account of how each hole description was in the form of a poem.  To me, this leant an eloquence to the book and an almost romantic longing to see the golf course.  Very engaging.

[John Foley]

The best of the bunch I have seen are Maidstone by David Goddard & Fishers Island by Ferguson & Rafferty. Great details about the course and their evolution.

The most recent Pine Valley (Finegan) & Merion (Galyean) books' are fantastic as is the Centenary book on Baltusrol. Smith's book on Winged Foot is good, but way too much details on tree's & shrubs than the course! The recent Crooked Stick book by our own Chris Wirthwein is very good. Brad's book on Desert Forest & the building of Sebonack are both excelent.

I have the 1968 version of the Kittansett which has some good data, but I have heard there is an update out there, but I have yet to confirm it. Anyone else know?
 
Have not seen the Oak Hill one w/ the overlays, need to check that out.

Scott - I have the Centenial book (1991) on Shinnecock by George Peper which says is based upon original text from Goodner in 1966. The course details are very weak. Does anyone know if the original has more course details?

Have they every done one at NGLA?

[Chris Wirthwein]

John -- Thanks for the kind words about the Crooked Stick book. My back-of-the-mind model for it was "Perry Maxwell's Prairie Dunes" by Mal Elliott. This book is a beautifully designed horizontal layout -- which seems to me how a golf book should be done.

I learned this many years ago while working on a marketing project for the Pete Dye designed Brickyard Crossing course. (I am an advertising guy and we were creating a marketing brochure for the course many months before it actually opened for play.)

Our initial design sketches for the piece were in traditional U.S. 8 1/2" x 11" vertical format, which our client approved. From there we proceeded with course illustrations and brought in a noted Indiana landscape/outdoor photographer, Darryl Jones, to do the shooting.  Early on during several days of shooting, Darryl rather casually mentioned that it was a bit challenging to get the shots we wanted. I can remember him telling me that landscapes (and golf courses) are horizontal and that vertical photos didn't capture the way the course spreads out before you as the player sees it. Darryl's photos, although vertical, turned out great and really made the brochure. But I made a note that any future golf work I would do would be horizontal to allow for photos to appear as horizontals at their maximum size. Later we created another golf marketing piece, this one for Heartland Crossing, Camby, Ind. (Nick Price & Steve Smyers design) -- in horizontal format (also with Darryl Jones photography). The difference between the two brochures is an interesting contrast. As a golfer, I prefer the horizontal version. In my mind, it just looks more like the course.

To this day, I am surprised at how nearly all golf books, club histories, etc. are done in vertical format. In many/perhaps most cases it costs more to print horizontal (as was the case with the Crooked Stick book). I suppose that is what's dictating the design. For my money (literally) I prefer the horizontal.

You can take a look at a few chapters from the horizontal Crooked Stick book at : http://www.crookedstickbook.com/bookexcerpt.html

Any GCAers (photographers, book readers or architects) care to weigh in on the horizontal vs. vertical question on depicting a golf course ? (Maybe this is a new topic.)

[Dale Jackson]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, I appreciate your views and suggestions.  If anyone is wondering I am writing the 100 year history of Royal Colwood in Victoria and am looking for some examples to draw from, good and bad.

Chris, I agree completely with you about the landscape format, I had it rattling around in my brain and your words crystallized it for me.

Almost everyone mention wanting to read about the evolution of the course, hardly surprising I suppose, given this is a DG about GCA!  But that certainly mirrors my thoughts and confirms my approach.  I don;t have easy access to most of the histories mentioned but will seek some out.

Any other views certainly welcomed.

[Tim_Cronin]

Jack and Pat,
    Thanks much for the kind words on the Beverly and WGA books. You're too kind.
    I'd be interested in finding out how much it cost to do overlays of the hole changes at Oak Hill. We looked into that for Medinah, to cover the many changes on the No. 3 course, and decided it would be too costly. We settled for a series of maps showing the evolution instead.
    And yes, the "landscape" format – I've learned that oblong is the technical term for printers – is the way to go, unless you've going with a very large page size. Spotlights the photography very effectively.
Tim

[Andrew Mitchell]

What makes a good club history?  Do you want to read about the history of the club?  The notables, players and characters who have been members.  The significant tournaments held at the club.  The construction, architecture and evolution of the course itself?  All of the above?

Can you list your 3 favourite club histories.

I prefer to learn about the golf course and how it came into existence and how it evolved rather than how many times Mr A N Other won the annual medal.

Bearing the above in mind my three favourites are:
Scott McPherson's Evolution of the Old Course.  Admittedly, in strictness this isn't a golf club history as the thread title requests but it satisfies my requirements.

Richard Latham's Definitive Guide to Woodhall Spa

Mark Rowlinson's Centenary history of Alwoodley GC


I've my eye on the Swinley Forest history but can't decide whether to buy it as a souvenir when I'm there next month or get it and read in advance of my visit.

[PThomas]

Merion's by Desmond Tolhurst is excellent

[Melvyn Morrow]

Club Histories, There are many in GB&I that are very interested and well worth reading.

I attach examples course designs from just three clubs, starting with Royal Quebec in Canada, then Baildon (which once was Bradford St Andrews course) England and Royal Guernsey Channel Islands.

Royal Quebec GC 1927  Kent Golf Links


Royal Quebec GC 1882 Cove Fields


Baildon GC 1996


Bradford St Andrews GC now Baildon Old Tom’s course 1896


Royal Guernsey GC  L’Ancresse Links 1886 (OTM mods) – 1914


Royal Guernsey GC  L’Ancresse Links 1914-1928


Royal Guernsey GC  L’Ancresse Links 1929-1940


Royal Guernsey GC  L’Ancresse Links 1949-1990


Royal Guernsey GC  Aerial photo of L’Ancresse Links 1990


Hope they have been of interest, however the history is far more detailed and worth getting their books..

Melvyn

[Dale Jackson]

Melvyn, you are a source of amazement at times.  How did you come by the history of Royal Quebec?

[Melvyn Morrow]

Dale

The club contacted me a few years ago to tell me that James Hunter and his wife Elizabeth Morris (Old Tom's only daughter) had stopped off in Quebec in 1874/5 before travelling down to Darien & Mobile to James lumber business. It was through James Hunter that Barclay decided to set up the club. James left for Darien but returned 6 months later to play and won their first competition, before returning back to Georgia. James Hunter is my great grandfather thus for some reason the club invited me to visit but as yet not taken them up on their offer, but did get a verbal history plus their book which followed a week or so later.

Melvyn   

[Dan Moore]

Ross Goodner's Chicago Golf Club centennial book which features a hole by hole description by Ben Crenshaw is as good as I have seen.  It strikes a wonderful balance between the early history of the club, the course and the day to day activities and history of a members club.  Having read many Chicago area club histories I find that many spend too much time on club activities that only club members (and probably only some of them at that) have any interest in and often ignore the architecture of the course.  

[Andrew Mitchell]

Melvyn

I'd be interested to know what you've got on Baildon, given that's where I live and have played on numerous occasions.  On my fairly regular visits to the club I've seen little or no memorabilia on display.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Andrew

I'll dig out the booklet and e-mail you some details. The course started out as Bradford St Andrews who then moved to a new site in I believe 1896/8 leaving Baildon the course. Old Tom designed the Bradford course. Also I believe that peter Crabtree one of the authors of Old Tom's latest book is a Members and lives close by.

I e-mail you some of the interesting pages relating to the early years, expect it will be tomorrow before you receive my mail.

All the best catch you tomorrow

Melvyn

[Tom_Doak]

I got a terrific new club history in the mail this weekend ... "Crooked Stick Golf Club," by Chris Wirthwein, who posts here sometimes.

There is a lot of anecdotal history about the golf holes and how they got to be that way from Mr. and Mrs. Dye themselves, plus an early routing of the golf course that is nothing like the final version, but which does provide an eye-popping look into some of Pete Dye's design thoughts circa 1965.  That plan alone was worth more than the cover price to me.