Fort Mitchell CC 1904 (KY) GCA - Bendelow - Photo Tour

[Richard Hetzel]

Last week I knocked off another course in my quest to play every golf course within 60 miles of Cincinnati, Ohio. (In case you were wondering, all I have left is Kenwood CC, Western Hills CC and Miami View CC). I played Fort Mitchell Country Club which is located approximately 1/2 mile off of Interstate 75, just South of downtown Cincinnati. The course is quietly tucked away in an older, upscale neighborhood. Fort Mitchell (the town) was named after civil war Union General Ormsby Mitchel (the correct spelling). The area was fortified to defend against the confederacy during the civil war. It was one of many forts in the area. Although not advertised as such, Fort Mitchell CC was designed my Tom Bendelow in 1904-05. Mr. Bendelow was very active in the Cincinnati area designing new courses in the early 1900's. The course presented a unique (to me anyway) design feature whereas the 1st and 9th fairways actually "criss-crossed". Although the course sits on a compact, hilly parcel of land, it was generally speaking, a fairly easy walk. The course was in great shape, considering our almost 4 months without rain. The course is very short by today's standards and tips out at 5878 playing 2 different sets of tees/tee markers for the front and back nines.

Here are 2 aerial shots (1956 and 2006) from Historicaerials.com.


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Hole # 1 crosses over the 9th fairway and plays slightly uphill to 330/337 yards. The fairway has natural movement and slopes from left to right.



#1 fairway looking back




Hole #2 is a par 5 that plays short and straight away to 485/402 (par 4 on back 9) yards.





Hole #3 is a 320/331 yard par 4 with a hilly fairway. Out of bounds (street) on left.





Looking back.


Hole #4 is a 247 yard par 3 on the front and a 300 yard par 4 on the back 9.





Hole #5 is an uphill, 470/477 yard par 5.


Looking back.






Hole #6 was my favorite hole on the course and is a great par 3 hole. 145 yards uphill, anything left feeds down the bank and OB into the woods. Anything short is collected by a crescent shaped bunker the guards approximately the front 2/3rd of the green. The green has a nice ridge running through it as well. Anything long can also be considered gone here as well.






Hole #7 is also an uphill par 3 that plays to 150/165 yards. The tee box is tucked about 15 feet below and behind the previous hole's green. I thought this hole was ho hum until I went back and looked at the pics and liked the bunkering down the slope to the left of the green. Good hole.




Hole #8 was also a cool hole with great movement in the fairway and a nice view from the tee. Par 4 451/444 and is a tough par without a VERY solid drive. Hit is long and high and you can cut the corner, but the green is back in a chute ( I wonder if this is the original location, or was it moved back to gain some yardage?) Perhaps the tee box was moved back as well. My camera died after the 3rd green and I had to go with my iphone 4 since the walk back to the car was too far. These pics came out nice!




Looking back to the tee.




Looking back again.



Hole #9 finishes up as a short 330/360 yard par 4. The fair way crosses over the number one fairway. The green lies in close proximity to the clubhouse.


Looking back down fairway.


All in all, a very interesting, fun, older 9 hole country club this is definitely worth a look see.

[Matthew Sander]

Richard,

Thanks for the tour. I really like the look of a few of these holes - 1, 5,6,7,8 stand out in the photos. Are the bunkers on 3 staggered or recessed from the green some? Also, do you like #4 better as a long 3 or short 4? Is there anything that would keep you from hitting driver (other than the property line left)?

I, for one, truly appreciate your tours of these smaller local courses that deserve a look. It looks like you'll summit your mountain sometime in the near future. What will be your next undertaking ?

[RJ_Daley]

Richard, thanks for that great effort to share a look at what appears to be a museum piece.  I noted that even from the '56 phot to 2006, a great number of what are mostly apparently those infernal conifers were planted as typical of that era of late 50s-60s.  I imagine that the tree inventory on that course has turned over a couple of times in 100 years.  Looking at it and trying to imagine about 80% less trees is intriquing to try to visualize. 

There seems to be a few green side bunkers that were segmented into what I imagine were the snarly little lipped designs that I have seen of Bendelow, and now (probably for ease of sand-pro raking) are one big bunker.  This course look definitely has strong visual similarities as to how Bendy used the terrain of long FW runs without much grading and softening or melting down, yet a few rampart like fortress green sites.  This is highly similar to Bendelow courses here in Wisconsin, Quic Qui Oc front 9 and Old Hickory back 9.  I don't thin anyone would get the archie mixed up if these were seen in successive days of play.

I will have to dig out my "Johnny Appleseed of Golf" book by Stuart Bendelow to see any specific mention of Ft Micheal.

Thanks for the great tour.

[Criss Titschinger]

Rich, when you said 9-holer in Northern Kentucky in the Chillicothe post, I suspected this was going to be Fort Mitchell. Never saw pictures from this course. I'm really appreciating and enjoying your posts on the small courses in the area.

As for Western Hills CC, in 2008 and 2009, the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association (GCGA) did open play days at Clovernook and Western Hills. It was my opportunity to play WHCC, which is less than a mile from my childhood home. They didn't do them in 2010, but I hope they do them again in the future. I think the turnout for them was less than GCGA had hoped.

The only other "fairways" I've seen criss-crossed are at Fernbank down in Addyston/Sayler Park, but that's not quite the level of golf course that Ft. Mitchell is.

[SBendelow]

Richard,

Thanks for posting your report and nice pictures of the Fort Mitchell CC.  It is a course I did not have on Tom's list but will add it.
That listing is now nearly 550 courses, with additions and corrections provided to me by several GCA members and others.  Thank you all.

I am currently searching for additional documentation on some 40 course that may have a Tom Bendelow history.   Hoping to have a revised listing of Bendelow courses available in 2011.

I research continues to benefit from your input.  Thanks

Stuart Bendelow

[Richard Hetzel]

Richard,

Thanks for posting your report and nice pictures of the Fort Mitchell CC.  It is a course I did not have on Tom's list but will add it.
That listing is now nearly 550 courses, with additions and corrections provided to me by several GCA members and others.  Thank you all.

I am currently searching for additional documentation on some 40 course that may have a Tom Bendelow history.   Hoping to have a revised listing of Bendelow courses available in 2011.

I research continues to benefit from your input.  Thanks

Stuart Bendelow

Stuart,

I have an idea that Tom also designed Avon Field GC in Cincinnati, but I am having a tough time proving it! If you would, PM me your mailing address and I will mail you a scorecard from Fort Mitchell and a CD of all the pics I took.

Rich

[Tommy Williamsen]

I love the terrain and how he routed the holes on it and the green sites look fairly interesting.  Who'd think it at a little course like this.  Thanks for sharing.