A Open And Shut Case For Tom Bendelow

[Kevin Drum]

Tom Bendelow should be in “World Golf Hall of Fame” (WGHF) for many reasons, but I write this today because I think I found the smoking gun in the form of a 1902 “letter to the editor” by him to the Biloxi Herald that sheds some light on why he is called the “Johnny Appleseed of Golf.” There are many routes to the WGHF. Contributions in the areas of playing, teaching, writing, business and course design are all means by which one may enter the WGHF. I find it ironic that Tom Bendelow, who accomplished everyone one of those qualifiers at a time when the game needed him is not in the Hall of Fame.
He literally couldn’t do any more for the game. His skill in writing might have come to him as a young Scottish immigrant typesetter at the New York Herald. While he did many things for the game proficiently – his hiring by the AG Spaulding Company in the 1890’s arguably changed the game of golf forever. He built over 600 courses - many of them in places where there were none prior. His objective was not only build the course, but to build support for this fledgling game. He was smart enough to build courses for these newcomers on a level that wouldn’t discourage them and thus hinder the growth of the game.
Golf owes him a great deal for this foresight. However, it is probably in the realm of public relations that he made his greatest mark. Since his first US job was with the New York Herald – he understood the role of newspapers and media and used them with proficiency. Mr. Bendelow arrival in a town would be quickly followed by a visit to the newspaper where he would talk to them about the great golf course he was building in town and also give a general overview of the game for the largely unfamiliar audience.
The groundbreaking 1981 book "The Golf Course", by Geoffrey Cornish and Ronald Whitten, was perhaps the first attempt to systematically examine the role of golf course architects in the sport's development. The book included a biographical section on prominent golf course architects, and listed the courses which they had designed. Bendelow’s work was researched quite thoroughly by Cornish and Whitten, and the book has since been updated with further editions. Prior to 1981, Bendelow's contribution had been all but forgotten by the golfing community.
Bendelow was inducted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame in 2005, reportedly the result of years of efforts by his grandson to restore Bendelow's name to the annals of American golfing history. Why he is not in the WGHF is almost a travesty of justice. But don’t take my word for it, please read the previously mentioned letter to the editor he wrote in 1902 and also note that this is so early in golf that the history of golf in the US was not clearly defined yet. But it’s a beautiful piece of writing by a man who not only literally built the games courses, but promoted it tirelessly. This letter is just one of the thousands he wrote promoting the game. He was much more than a early architect, he was a golf evangelist preaching the gospel of the game he loved and everyone he encountered heard that enthusiasm he had talking about it at a time the game needed him. This board in particular should rest until Mr. Bendelow gets his seat in the WGHF next Donald Ross.

[Gary Slatter]

Thanks Kevin, I'll try to find more about Tom Bendelow because of your lead!

[Rick Shefchik]

Kevin,

I support your premise. Tom Bendelow clearly belongs in the World Golf Hall of Fame. The number of golf courses he designed was staggering, and there was obviously quality work among the sheer numbers.

But I think the reason he is not recognized along with Ross is that a much higher percentage of Ross's work remains intact. Bendelow did much of his work in an era when the game was new and standards of quality were not widely understood or appreciated. Most of the work he did in Minnesota, for instance, was redone, and fairly early on. I'm still trying to determine for certain whether Bendelow expanded Northland Country Club in Duluth from a 9-hole, member-created course to an 18-hole course in 1912. Whether or not the work was his, it was almost totally redesigned a decade later -- by Donald Ross. The same is true at Golden Valley, where he was brought in to design their first 18-hole course in 1916. He said at the time that it would be one of the best courses in the country, but a decade later Golden Valley brought in A. W. Tillinghast to completely redesign the course.

His original course Edina Country club has been reworked so many times that I'm not sure current architect Tom Lehman would know what to restore even if he wanted to.

In Herbert Warren Wind's New Yorker piece on Trent Jones that Tom Doak referred us to, Wind talks about these early course designers (though not Bendelow specifically), calling them, if I recall, "Sunday architects." They would arrive at a pasture, put a stake in the ground for the first tee, put another stake where the middle of the fairway should be, and a stake for the green, then proceed to stake the next hole and the next. The entire process would take a few hours, for which the architect would pocket $50 and be on his way. I'm not saying Bendelow was that kind of architect -- there are some terrific courses on his resume, and for them alone he belongs in the Hall of Fame -- but at 600-plus courses, he had to be closer to a "Sunday architect" than those designers who are more widely celebrated today.

Bendelow seems to be paying the price for being just a bit too early to the game. Had he arrived in America a decade later, he would surely have benefited from the same advancements in technique, budget and philosophy that Ross and the other Golden Agers profited from.  

[Phil McDade]

Here's a neat little 9-holer I came across a couple of years ago that, to me, symbolizes Bendelow's work (and is largely untouched, I'm told, from when he first laid it out some 80 years ago):

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,39987.0.html

I've always wondered about the "18 stakes on Sunday" moniker that often is attached, somewhat derisively, to Bendelow's courses (ironically, as Bendelow -- devoutly religous -- probably avoided working on Sundays). I have yet to play a Bendelow that doesn't reveal, in some way, a quite sophsiticated use of the land, in an era when earth-moving was quite rare. Take a look at the Country Club Estates course, and you'll find -- time and again -- quite interesting uses of the land to create blindness, shots of interest, and importantly thoughtful play from the golfer.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Stuart Bendelow sent me this article just before Christmas, some may be interested - Tom should be in The Golfing Hall of Fame too.




Melvyn

PS If you can't read the article, contact me & I can e-mail you another copy.

[Doug Wright]

Here is a GolfClubAtlas interview with Stuart Bendelow from 2002 that sheds light on Tom Bendelow:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/stuart-bendelow-september-2002/

[Bill Brightly]

This is Kevin Drum's second post and it gets elevated to a sticky topic! That is some batting average and a helleva start!

Great post. I must admit that I always looked down on Bendelow for building simple courses that lacked interest. You have nade me re-evaluate that position.

[Kevin Drum]

Thanks for reading this post - I also agree with your posts on why he is not more admired. But that "Letter To The Editer" in 1902 says it all to me - he was the hardest working guy in golf if he did this at every stop. It would be nice to see him in before the US Open at Medinah which is a Tom Bendelow design. Any help you can gvie him will be a help for the game.  Stuart Bendelow , Tom's great grand son, emial is bendelowsr@hargray.com and I am sure he would like to hear from you all too, He published a book which is still available called "Tom Bendelow - The Johnny Appleseed of Golf."

[Melvyn Morrow]

Stuarts book

Front


Back


Melvyn

[Tom MacWood]

In your opinion what are the criteria for an architect to be inducted into the GHOF? TB was a pioneer no doubt, and has the quantity of designs, but does have the quality? What are his greatest design accomplishments?

[Tom MacWood]

These are the architects in the HOF strictly for their design accomplishments:

Pete Dye
RTJ
Alister Mackenzie
Donald Ross

The next group are in for golfing and architecture (CBM could easily could placed in the first group):

CB Macdonald
Old Tom
Willie Park Jr
Walter Travis
JH Taylor
James Braid

Colt and Tillinghast are missing, as are about half dozen other deserving names (Fowler, Thompson, Simpson, HGH, Raynor, Alison, Flynn, etc). IMO it would be a crime if Bendelow made it before Colt or Tilly.

Why isn't Horace Hutchinson in the HOF?

Is the HOF even a legitimate entity?  

[RJ_Daley]

Halls of fame.... They can't ever completely reflect the full recognition for the many founders and major contributors of the various sports and other activities that 'halls of fame' seek to commemorate.  No doubt that MacWood's observation that Tilly or Colt, may be placed on a higher rung of quality achievement than Bendelow.  Even that is still arguable.  Bendelow's tireless efforts, as has been noted, were in the area of golf journalism and editing for a while the American Golfer, and sporting equipment design and manufacture, promotion and PR efforts to fledgling clubs, refereeing golf in an Olympics, and included the very creation of the fields of play.  He did it all!!!

But, these debates about who belongs in some Hall of Fame (first inducted, higher on the ladder of fame, etc,) are just grist for the endless prattle that takes place in all these questions of who deserves what in all these sports and vocations that have a hall of fame.  Bendelow holds a place of distinction at the ASGCA as a distinguished fellow prior to the Society's founding.  That is deserved honor. 

What is most important, and is memorialized in Tom Bendelow's grandson Stuart's great book, are the many diverse achievements of Tom Bendelow.   Anyone with any serious interest in the subject of the game's history and the history of the manner in which its fields of play have evolved in design and development, must encounter the subject of Tom Bendelow, and why he is rightfully called, "The Johnny Appleseed of Golf".  If you don't know that, haven't read Stuart's book, and don't fully understand that, you aren't a serious student of the subject and haven't made it past the grille room 19th hole blabbermouth phase of the pursuit of understanding the depths of the subject of golf, IMHO.

[Tom MacWood]

 Bendelow's tireless efforts, as has been noted, were in the area of golf journalism and editing for a while the American Golfer, and sporting equipment design and manufacture, promotion and PR efforts to fledgling clubs, refereeing golf in an Olympics, and included the very creation of the fields of play.  He did it all!!!

I've always thought the hall of fame was reserved for outsanding achievement, being the best of the best. Was TB an outstanding golf journalist? No, not to my knowledge. Did he contribute anything to golf's or golf architecture's literature? No. Was he one of the great clubmakers? Not to my knowledge. Was he a great golfer? No. His greatest contribution in promoting the game were the hundreds of golf courses he laid out, and certainly he had the quantity, but is that enough for inclusion in the hall of fame?

What are his greatest design accomplishments?

[RJ_Daley]

You ask: "Is the hall of fame even a legitimate entity?" 

Joe Torre isn't in the baseball HOF, yet.  He wasn't the best in any of the various hitting, fielding, coaching, categories.  So what?  It doesn't diminish his enormous impact on the game.  You can find these examples in every HOF of various sports.

The HOF debate is like best course rankings and all similar futile efforts to rank things.  Put me down for one not in need of outside validation of what I know to be true, due to making an effort to study research and understand a fair amount of material on the subject (like you do to an even greater extent of studying and arguing historical aspects of the game).  This constant need to rank 'the best' most holy, best aspect of everything is an affectation of people's personal needs to associate themselves with an aura of credibility that their values and understandings are superior to others.
 
Tom Bendelow was a seminal figure in the development of American golf for his foundational work in many aspects of the game.  I don't care where he ranks or if he is in some or any HOF. 

Which HOF is the best HOF; baseball, football, hockey, golf?  Whose criteria has more validity.  There are unquestionably historical figures missing from all of those HOFs that cause debate (for those that do care about ranking who were the best of the best). 

Tom Bendelow made enormous foundational contributions to the game of golf.  In or out of HOF doesn't change that.

[Tim Nugent]

Tom - I understand where you're coming from and it's good to see someone question the premise. Just because an ODG roduced a lot inexpensive courses doesn't automatically qualify him as an icon.  It is evident that TB was a Jack of All Trades.
But was he a Master of any?  Isn't that what is being questioned?  
Being from Chicago, I have experienced more than a few TB courses and worked on redesigns of them.  The fact that so much of his work is NLE stems from the simple fact that he simply put out a course on a given piece of property.  As the Biloxi article states, "the course will be ready in 10 days time" and 9 holes.  Many 9 holers where expanded to 18 later when demand warrented it and this led to a lack of continuity and sometimes, circulation issues.

Perhaps the greatest of his achievements was simply being a vehicle for the growth of the game.  In that role, I wouldn't expect his work to stand the test of time.  He was designing for the lowest common denominator.  His courses had to be cheap and quick to create.  This means taking the path of least resistance.  He couldn't be producing "tests" of golf, he needed to produce golf learning venues for the masses that had never picked up a club.
It wouldn't surprise me if remodeling work on one of TB's courses wasn't responsible for putting food on our table in some of the stretches of lean years.

[Niall C]

 Bendelow's tireless efforts, as has been noted, were in the area of golf journalism and editing for a while the American Golfer, and sporting equipment design and manufacture, promotion and PR efforts to fledgling clubs, refereeing golf in an Olympics, and included the very creation of the fields of play.  He did it all!!!

I've always thought the hall of fame was reserved for outsanding achievement, being the best of the best. Was TB an outstanding golf journalist? No, not to my knowledge. Did he contribute anything to golf's or golf architecture's literature? No. Was he one of the great clubmakers? Not to my knowledge. Was he a great golfer? No. His greatest contribution in promoting the game were the hundreds of golf courses he laid out, and certainly he had the quantity, but is that enough for inclusion in the hall of fame?

What are his greatest design accomplishments?

Tom

If I take your quote quite literally then the Hall would be a pretty small room. How many different golfing categories could you be best at, best golfer, best architect, best golf journalist, then what ?

Also, would you throw out Nicklaus if Woods passed his records in numbers of majors won ?

Bendelow may not have achieved the highest pinnacle either in playing, course design or journalism but he would appear to have been very influential for the good of the game. But then what do I know as I haven't read the Bendelow book which makes me, according to RJ, a complete novice 

Niall

[Melvyn Morrow]

Tim

I believe the Island Green inventor certainly qualifies for that title you seem to be pushing toward Tom Bendelow – that of “a Jack of All Trades, But was he a Master of any. Yet the mindless energy that went into thinking up those Greens is IMHO not worthy of calling himself a designer let alone golfer. If that is all that a designer can come up with then I question if he is in the right job. Why not just kill the game at the first Hole

As for TB he deserves to be there for what he has done and it should not be compared to the achievements of others.

Were you there when his Clients gave him their brief and budget for the course, no so you do not know what was asked of him. Was he paid for all his courses, if so then seems his clients were happy. Seems some feel that he did not achieve much but then like beauty it’s in the eye of the beholder.

I think Tom Bendelow should be acknowledge for his work and the HOF seems a good starting point.

Melvyn

[Chris Buie]

Did Kevin claim that Bendelow was the best or even brilliant at any of the particular aspects of the game?  He said he was proficient at them.  I think his premise is that he did a phenomenal and perhaps unexcelled job of growing the American game in its critical early stages.  It is for his extraordinary efforts in growing the game that Kevin recommends his entrance into the WGHF.

[Tom MacWood]

Did Kevin claim that Bendelow was the best or even brilliant at any of the particular aspects of the game?  He said he was proficient at them.  I think his premise is that he did a phenomenal and perhaps unexcelled job of growing the American game in its critical early stages.  It is for his extraordinary efforts in growing the game that Kevin recommends his entrance into the WGHF.

Chris
Based on that criteria should Tom Dunn be in the GHOF? Do you place any importance on quality of design? What are TB's greatest architectural accomplishments?

[Tom MacWood]

Tim

I believe the Island Green inventor certainly qualifies for that title you seem to be pushing toward Tom Bendelow – that of “a Jack of All Trades, But was he a Master of any. Yet the mindless energy that went into thinking up those Greens is IMHO not worthy of calling himself a designer let alone golfer. If that is all that a designer can come up with then I question if he is in the right job. Why not just kill the game at the first Hole

As for TB he deserves to be there for what he has done and it should not be compared to the achievements of others.

Were you there when his Clients gave him their brief and budget for the course, no so you do not know what was asked of him. Was he paid for all his courses, if so then seems his clients were happy. Seems some feel that he did not achieve much but then like beauty it’s in the eye of the beholder.

I think Tom Bendelow should be acknowledge for his work and the HOF seems a good starting point.

Melvyn

When and where did TB invent the island green?

[Tom MacWood]

 Bendelow's tireless efforts, as has been noted, were in the area of golf journalism and editing for a while the American Golfer, and sporting equipment design and manufacture, promotion and PR efforts to fledgling clubs, refereeing golf in an Olympics, and included the very creation of the fields of play.  He did it all!!!

I've always thought the hall of fame was reserved for outsanding achievement, being the best of the best. Was TB an outstanding golf journalist? No, not to my knowledge. Did he contribute anything to golf's or golf architecture's literature? No. Was he one of the great clubmakers? Not to my knowledge. Was he a great golfer? No. His greatest contribution in promoting the game were the hundreds of golf courses he laid out, and certainly he had the quantity, but is that enough for inclusion in the hall of fame?

What are his greatest design accomplishments?

Tom

If I take your quote quite literally then the Hall would be a pretty small room. How many different golfing categories could you be best at, best golfer, best architect, best golf journalist, then what ?

Also, would you throw out Nicklaus if Woods passed his records in numbers of majors won ?

Bendelow may not have achieved the highest pinnacle either in playing, course design or journalism but he would appear to have been very influential for the good of the game. But then what do I know as I haven't read the Bendelow book which makes me, according to RJ, a complete novice 

Niall

It should be a small room, but not one bedroom. Why would you throw out Nicklaus when Jones, Hogan, Braid, etc, are all inducted. It is reserved for the best of the best, plural.

There is no Bendelow book. Horace Hutchinson reached the highest pinnacle in playing, journalism and course design, and he is not in the hall. Based on that I don't take the WGHOF that seriously.

[Tom MacWood]

Tom - I understand where you're coming from and it's good to see someone question the premise. Just because an ODG roduced a lot inexpensive courses doesn't automatically qualify him as an icon.  It is evident that TB was a Jack of All Trades.
But was he a Master of any?  Isn't that what is being questioned?  
Being from Chicago, I have experienced more than a few TB courses and worked on redesigns of them.  The fact that so much of his work is NLE stems from the simple fact that he simply put out a course on a given piece of property.  As the Biloxi article states, "the course will be ready in 10 days time" and 9 holes.  Many 9 holers where expanded to 18 later when demand warrented it and this led to a lack of continuity and sometimes, circulation issues.

Perhaps the greatest of his achievements was simply being a vehicle for the growth of the game.  In that role, I wouldn't expect his work to stand the test of time.  He was designing for the lowest common denominator.  His courses had to be cheap and quick to create.  This means taking the path of least resistance.  He couldn't be producing "tests" of golf, he needed to produce golf learning venues for the masses that had never picked up a club.
It wouldn't surprise me if remodeling work on one of TB's courses wasn't responsible for putting food on our table in some of the stretches of lean years.

That is all true, but when your career spans thirty years shouldn't you have something to hang your hat on. You can write off his early design career to growing the game, but what about his designs in the 1920s?

[David Kelly]

Regardless of whether Bendelow deserves to be in the World Golf Hall of Fame, what kind of nominating process do they have that he would be nominated before H.S. Colt??

[Tom MacWood]

You ask: "Is the hall of fame even a legitimate entity?" 

Joe Torre isn't in the baseball HOF, yet.  He wasn't the best in any of the various hitting, fielding, coaching, categories.  So what?  It doesn't diminish his enormous impact on the game.  You can find these examples in every HOF of various sports.

The HOF debate is like best course rankings and all similar futile efforts to rank things.  Put me down for one not in need of outside validation of what I know to be true, due to making an effort to study research and understand a fair amount of material on the subject (like you do to an even greater extent of studying and arguing historical aspects of the game).  This constant need to rank 'the best' most holy, best aspect of everything is an affectation of people's personal needs to associate themselves with an aura of credibility that their values and understandings are superior to others.
 
Tom Bendelow was a seminal figure in the development of American golf for his foundational work in many aspects of the game.  I don't care where he ranks or if he is in some or any HOF. 

Which HOF is the best HOF; baseball, football, hockey, golf?  Whose criteria has more validity.  There are unquestionably historical figures missing from all of those HOFs that cause debate (for those that do care about ranking who were the best of the best). 

Tom Bendelow made enormous foundational contributions to the game of golf.  In or out of HOF doesn't change that.

What are TB's greatest architectural accomplishments?

Would you induct TB prior to Colt, Tillinghast, Hutchinson, Fowler, Simpson, Flynn, Thompson, Low, Thomas, Watson, Raynor, Strong, Emmet, Maxwell or Alison? And feel free explain why his qualifications are more deserving?

[mike_beene]

my home course was originally laid out by Bendelow in 1912 and 15 of the holes exist today,the only routing change occurring later when the club last some land to a road and bought another piece.I have tried for years to think of a better way to route a very tight property.I can't come up with a better one than he did almost 100 years ago.