Waverley Country Club - Portland, OR

[Brett Wiesley]

Does anyone know more about the architectural history of Waverley CC?  Looking into it I've found credit given to a Jack Moffett?, Chandler Egan, AV Macan.  Hanse finished a very nice restoration/renovation in 2012 which I've heard is great.  Looking at satellite maps the course has a flavor of CB MacDonald and Raynor, but certainly were not involved in the original design.

[Sven Nilsen]

The club website has a bunch of information, but doesn't appear to be complete.  Here's what I have:

-The 1899 Golf Guide notes the first course was laid out in 1896.

-Dec. 10, 1899 New York Times notes club purchased land to lay out an 18 hole course.

-The 1900 Harper's notes an 18 hole course was laid out in 1899 by committee.

-Sept. 1909 American Golfer notes work by Barker as a new layout.

-April 23, 1916 Oregon Daily Journal notes improvements decided on by Gordon Voorhies and H. Chandler Egan to be made including changing the 2nd, 9th and 11th greens and adding 15 bunkers and altering 31 old ones.

-Moffet is credit with doing some work around 1918, but it may have been much earlier.  He was noted as the pro early on, with J. Martin Watson the pro of record from as early as 1916 to 1920.

-Nov. 12, 1922 Oregon Daily Journal notes plans to add a second 18 hole course with A. Vernon Macan having surveyed available ground.   Not sure if he did work to the existing course at this time.

-Egan designed new greens on 9 holes in 1924 and supposedly did some work in 1930.

[Dan Herrmann]

I played Waverly back in 1992.  Fantastic course that uses the Willamette River well.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Thanks for posting that info., Sven. I knew that Macan worked on the existing course, but hadn't heard that he surveyed land for a second course in 1922. That's very interesting.


Waverley is one of the coolest places I've visited. Its history, location, setting and golf course design mix so well to create a great place. And, Gil Hanse and co. enhanced that greatness more recently.

[Sven Nilsen]

Jeff:

Here's the Nov. 12, 1922 Oregon Daily Journal article discussing plans for the second course.  Do you have anything that notes Macan doing work on the existing course?

Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

The April 23, 1916 Oregon Daily Journal article copied below has some pretty interesting diagrams of some of the bunker changes contemplated by Egan and Voorhies.  The move from a very rudimentary geometric formula towards the more en vogue natural look is evident.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Sven,


Mike Riste's A.V. Macan bio. notes that Waverley directors appointed Macan as the club's consulting architect in 1922. Curiously, Chandler Egan designed eight new greens on the course a couple years later. Riste's book also notes that Macan was the club's official architect into the 1950s.


It seems Macan rebuilt the 5th green (one of my favourites at Waverley) in 1950. In the same year, Riste's book also notes: "Extensive earthmoving on the 17th and 18th fairways was approved in July ... on hole seventeen earth was taken from the east of the big Cedar of Lebanon tree and used to fill the hollow of the fairway from the front tee to the green. These changes were designed by Architect Macan with an eye to stopping the nearly annual flooding of the area ... a new green was planned. Macan suggested building a new green behind the old green and combining the two. It resulted in a marvellous green that can so greatly change the play of the hole. Even more earth was moved on eighteen. The hill past Senile Gulch was carved down substantially and the earth deposited from the southern base of the hill to the green. This had the same flood control in mind ... ".


Pretty extensive stuff, it seems. And, a cool explanation of how the huge tier in the 17th green came to be!

[Brett Wiesley]

Thanks for all the great info and old clippings.  I'm due to play there this month and excited about seeing the course.  Has anyone played it since Hanse worked there?  Is there much elevation/cant to the course?  How much tree removal was done?


The information on Moffett fits with him being the head pro, as this is the only course I can find with his credit.