[Phil_the_Author]

I'm pleased to announce that this year's first issue of Tillinghast Illustrated is up on the new Tillinghast Association website (www.tillinghast.net).

Especially with the news that North Shore was not designed by Tilly, the story about a course that now CAN be attributed to him and has been unknown till now is both exciting and timely! There is a partial course evolution history of Shawnee and, as usual, much more...

Hope you enjoy it!

[Mike Cirba]

Phil,

Terrific work!

It was interesting to me to read that J. Franklin Meehan had done all the grow-in turf work at Shawnee in 1909.

As you know, he later did/contributed to a number of designs, and was on the committee who designed Cobb's Creek.   

His wife also took about 46 shots on the Binniklll hole at Shawnee if memory serves. 

Fascinating stuff.   Thanks for sharing.

[Phil_the_Author]

Mike,

Thanks for the kind words. One correction, Meehan did the turf work in 1910-11. The portion of the cited article (written by Tilly) begins with his walking the property for the first time [for the purpose of designing the golf course] in late 1909 and after that the course was planned and developed.

After Tilly redesigned, re-routed and lengthened the course, Robert White was hired to care for the grow-in of the turf late in the fall of 1913.

If memory serves me correctly, I believe you are also short-changing Mrs. Meehan by many more than a few strokes! Now I'm going to have to look it up as it was an unbelievably high score!

[Joe Bausch]

If memory serves me correctly, I believe you are also short-changing Mrs. Meehan by many more than a few strokes! Now I'm going to have to look it up as it was an unbelievably high score!

I think her score was well north of 100, IIRC.

[Phil_the_Author]

Joe,

Yes you remember correctly. I believe it was 147 but I need to look it up. To understand how this could be, she kept hitting her tee shot short and into the waters of the Binniekill. She did not lose her golf ball doing this as they actually ahd caddies who waited in the water to retrieve the golf shots of those who failed to reach land!

Imagine that happening today? How would you like to be the foursome BEHIND hers!

[Mike Cirba]

Phil/Joe,

I believe the author is Mr. Tillinghast;

[Joe Bausch]

Any chance that original tee for the hole after the Binniekill will be restored?  Or is that a lawsuit waiting to happen with the dwellings along the road?

[Jim_Kennedy]

Nice find Phil. 

I had heard this news about 1 1/2 ago and also saw it in the club's newsletter. 

AWT was $175.00 involved, does anyone know what that bought, i.e. a sketch, a visit, etc. ?

Does anyone know how much of the existing routing was kept? That's a pretty tight property and I can't believe he'd have much latitude to make many changes.

Outside of the 1st and possibly the 7th greens, and the way the 3rd was played back then, the sketch looks like what's there today (I'm assuming that the sketch was done to just show someone the general idea as none of the bunkers are on it).

Again, good work Phil and Mike Kelly.

   

[Phil_the_Author]

Jim,

It appears that $175.00 bill was for a portion of the job and work done to that point. From what we can gather he visited the site, designed the course and staked it out. The club managed the building of it.

By the way, our next issue, hopefully out before the summer, will contain news of another new Tilly find!

[Nick Campanelli]

Philip, thanks for the update and link to the latest edition.  I now have interesting reading material for the train ride home tonight!  I'll be sure to reply with comments tomorrow morning.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Phil,
So no one is privy to the routing of the course that existed before Tillie reconstructed what is there now. I do think he would had to keep the holes running in a similar direction, given the size and topography of the property.

p.s.
Nice layout on your site.

[Phil_the_Author]

Jim,

Despite Abel Smith's use of the word "reconstruction" there is nothing to indicate that there was ever a true golf course on the property. There is the possibility that some founding members tried to build there own but after seeing how their best efforts weren't the quality they had hoped for that they then got in touch with Tilly. In any event, according to everything that we've been able to find, Tilly started from scratch and designed as if nothing was there.

Interestingly, it is adjacent to where the Norfolk Downs Golf Club was and when Tilly visited Norfolk CC during his PGA tour he recommended that the club by it and create a true 18-hole course. They never did...

Nick, we look forward to your comments!

[Jim_Kennedy]

Gotcha. Thanks.

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