[Tom MacWood]

"During the last summer, I had the opportunity of playing over an exceedingly interesting courses--one that smacks strongly of the real article. In fact, there is only one other that I can recall in this country (Myopia) which even remotely suggests any resemblance to the 
seaside links of Great Britain, and even that is confined to but a few holes, notably the sixth, eighth, tenth and eleventh. Shinnecock Hills, on one or two of the holes, has certain characteristics which differentiate it from the usual run of our courses, and lend a suggestion of similarity to the foreign links, but not the same extent as does Myopia.

The course, however, to which I am about to refer possess these peculiarities in far greater degree than either Myopia or Shinnecock. It is in Massachusetts, on Great Island, near Cape Cod."

Walter Travis wrote this 1905. Great Island is near West Yarmouth on Cape Cod. It was the private golf course of CB Cory, a good amateur golfer who I believe was from Chicago. From what I understand Cory designed the course, though I'm not sure about that. Does anyone know anything about Cory or the golf course, and what became of it?

[Chris_Blakely]

I have never heard of the course, I would love to hear what you find out about it.

Chris

[Mark McKeever]

Very cool find Tom.  Hopefully some others can chime in.

Mark

[Tom MacWood]

Here are three links to the lighthouse on Great Island; all three say Cory was from Boston. The golf course was built around the lighthouse.

http://lighthouse.cc/pointgammon/history.html

http://www.cyberlights.com/cgi-bin/showlight.cgi?id=ma39

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=485

This is a link to the Travis article, hopefully it works:

http://books.google.com/books?id=laNMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=%22great+island%22+and+walter+travis&source=bl&ots=vXachVZW_l&sig=uVizZfHZ6UynqibvTD5o8erCRv0&hl=en&ei=iKMvTanJEcP6lwf2tdSRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22great%20island%22%20and%20walter%20travis&f=false

[Mike Sweeney]

As you come out of Hyannis Harbor, Great Island is a great looking piece of property to the East.

Complete guess, it was owned by a family and they sold this piece on the beach:

http://www.greatislandoceanclub.com/Reservations.asp

and then put the current neck/peninsula into some sort of trust.

This says there is a "10 hole golf course"

http://www.unusualvillarentals.com/us/massachusetts/greatisland/index.shtml

[Tom MacWood]

Here are links to a couple of bios on Cory. In the early 1900s he played out of Oakley in Boston, later around in 1908 he is playing out of Calumet in Chicago. The one bio says he lost his fortune in 1906, and that is probably when he moved to Chicago. He won the North & South Am in 1902. Donald Ross was the pro at Oakley and Pinehurst during that time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_B._Cory

http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v039n02/p0151-p0166.pdf

[Brad Tufts]

Looks like the current 10 hole course is a pitch + putt, or a par 3 layout.  If you look on Google Maps, it's just east of the red tennis courts.

[Tom MacWood]

This is interesting. I wonder if that 10 hole course has any relationship to the original 18 holes. The original course extended to the lighthouse, which is the southern most point of the island. From the old photos it looks like there weren't nearly as many trees back then.

[Randy St John]

I played the course several times years ago.  It is 10 holes ranging from about 70-185 yards, most around 120ish.  It is an amenity for those who live on this private island reachable by causeway or boat.  My host (basically the owner of the island) says the rule is 3 clubs plus putter for adults.  We always played as a warm up before lunch and 18 at Hyannisport.  A couple of the best holes run along the water facing Hyannis Harbor.

[Mark McKeever]

Tom,

Lets see these pictures!

Mark

[Tom MacWood]

They aren't great photos, but they do give some perspective.

http://books.google.com/books?id=laNMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=%22great+island%22+and+walter+travis&source=bl&ots=vXachVZW_l&sig=uVizZfHZ6UynqibvTD5o8erCRv0&hl=en&ei=iKMvTanJEcP6lwf2tdSRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22great%20island%22%20and%20walter%20travis&f=false

[Tom MacWood]

The more I look into the history of Boston golf the more I find an interesting tradition of amateur architects. Everyone knows Leeds, but there was also CB Cory; JG Thorp, who designed NE Harbor on Mt. Desert Island and who also played out of Oakley; Quincy Adams Shaw, who designed Cedar Banks on the Cape; Arthur Lockwood, who was probably the most prolific of the bunch. You can probably throw in Arthur Fenn from Connecticut, Leeds rival at Palmetto, who designed Palm Beach in Florida, Poland Springs and Oquossoc in Maine, Allston and Fall River in Mass, Waumbek, Portsmouth, Fabyan House, Twin Mountain, Crawford House and Profile House in NH, Bryn Mawr in Pa, Bristol in RI, and quite possibly was involved in the expansion at Palmetto. That is quite a legacy.

[Mike Cirba]

Tom,

Thanks for sharing the information on Great Island...it looks to be a fascinating place.

Arthur Lockwood also designed the first nine holes of a course not far from my last house...Brookside CC in Pottstown, PA.   I found that attribution for them a number of years back when Mark Fine was working with them.

Your list of amateur architects around Boston should also include Herb's Windeler and Jacques, both of whom did so much for over a decade to bring The Country Club up to championship caliber by the 1910 Amateur and 1913 US Opens, and perhaps we'll find more information on those early guys at Myopia at some point, as well.

[Tom MacWood]

You right about Windeler. He should definitely be included, and his impact on golf architecture goes far beyond Brookline due to his connection with Carters.

[Tom MacWood]

JG Thorp was a professor at Harvard, I'm not sure his area of study. He was a member of The Country Club and Cambridge GC.

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