Chicago GC, Colt, CBM & Raynor

[Tom MacWood]

In 1913 Chicago GC called in HS Colt to make suggestions, and he suggested a complete overhaul of the golf course. Silas Strawn of the club said the course was not up to modern standards and unless Colt's improvements were made the course would deteriorate, but apparently only a few minor changes were followed. The club had just constructed a new clubhouse and due to the financial burden they chose to postpone the redesign.

In 1917 club was ready to act, and here is a letter from CBM to a member of the committee (Mason Phelps), which gives insight into how CBM, and how CBM and Raynor operated at the time:

"I have just sent you the following telegram:

'Raynor says probably would take three days to do what you want on the ground. For this service would charge $100 a day and expenses. Could mould be required putting greens here and forward after your approval of any plan. Can leave tomorrow after confirmation. Answer immediately. Raynor has Colt's plan.'

Chick Evans wired me a day or two ago asking for the Colt map. At that time I had not received it and so wrote him. However, it arrived in yesterday's post. Since then I have seen Mr. Raynor and I have gone over my suggestions to you and also over the Colt map.

You may rest assured Mr. Raynor will go out with a free mind. He naturally has absorbed my ideas of golf architecture, as he has done the work for me during the last ten years, and has laid out now between fifty and sixty golf course in the United States from Florida and Missouri to Maine; and so far as I know there are no golf courses in the country that compare to his.

In looking over Colt's plan, strange to say, both he and I agree on the fourth and fifth holes as regards to length. I think pushing the fourth hole over to the right as Colt does is better than hugging the boundary line, but I should prefer building the fifth hole as a Biarritz hole.

One trouble with Colt's scheme is, his holes are too similar in length. They don't vary sufficiently. True, he has four short holes, but two of the are 166 yards in length and two of them 133 yards in length...

In my layout I have four short holes, 130, 160, 190 and 220 yards; three drive and pitch holes, 317, 320, 340 (the latter being a very doubtful drive and pitch hole, more a drive and a masshie) two drive and iron holes; eight two-shot holes, 468, 400, 466, 417, 457, 440, 425 and 420. There is a perfect variety.

I am turning over to Mr. Raynor all the papers. There is one point I wish to impress upon your committee. Leave him alone until he get his plans out. Don't let the committee keep asking him questions. After his plan, as he sees it on the ground, is submitted to you, then have your conferences and submit suggestions and idea and work them out in conference. But keep your committee and members from buzzing around him until he is through! You will only delay the game and will not get as clean a plan if you do.

Trusting you will arrive at something definitive, believe me, Yours sincerely, Charles B. Macdonald."

[Bill Brightly]

Very cool letter. Even CBM had to figure out a way to  deal with The Committee. Sounds like he had to acknowledge Colt's prowess, so he conceeded a couple of new tees, but wanted Raynor to make any real changes, and Macdonald's letter paves the way for Raynor to deviate from the Colt plan.

[V. Kmetz]

Tom,

Fascinating stuff- a great read.

Had Raynor really laid out "between 50-60" courses by 1917 or was CBM puffing a bit?

cheers

vk

[Tom MacWood]

VK
I think that number is an exaggeration, and the use of the term 'laid out" in this case I believe means constructed. It is generally thought Raynor was just going out on his own around this time, and it appears CBM was still heavily involved in the planning. At Chicago if Raynor was going to be straying, he would be straying from the plan CBM had already worked out.

[PCCraig]

Where did you find this "letter"?

[Mark McKeever]

Very neat reading!  Where was this discovered?

Mark

[Tom_Doak]

Tom:

If this action happened between 1913 and 1917, why do you think it took the club until the early 1920's to make the changes?

[Tom MacWood]

The letter is from the club history.

You're right the remodeling did not take place until 1923 I believe. When I get home I'll see if the book addresses the reason for the delay.

[Tom MacWood]

No, it just says 1917.

[Dan Moore]

The letter probably had a date, the recounting of it in the Club History, failed to include it.  One of the best Club History's I have seen BTW. 

[Jeff_Brauer]

Like a lot of other courses, perhaps work stopped with the onset of WWI?

Interesting that CBM was apparently going to get cut out of the work for a club he founded, but perhaps they had no idea Raynor would come out west?  Allison was just in town so they decided to have him come over, a la Mac getting other courses when he was in Australia?

Another course where it would be interesting to know the back story.

[Chip Gaskins]

I assume this letter is addressing the changes to the new site for (current) Chicago Golf Club.  The one that CBM designed and Raynor later changed, correct?  This sounds like a letter outlining those changes from CBM to Raynor.  Sounds like the original Biarritz was moved.

[Bill_McBride]

Like a lot of other courses, perhaps work stopped with the onset of WWI?

Interesting that CBM was apparently going to get cut out of the work for a club he founded, but perhaps they had no idea Raynor would come out west?  Allison was just in town so they decided to have him come over, a la Mac getting other courses when he was in Australia?

Another course where it would be interesting to know the back story.

It appears that CBM was cutting himself out.

[Tom MacWood]

The letter is transcribed in the book and the precise date of the letter is not included just that it was sent in 1917.

Alison was not in America in 1917. Alison was serving in the military and Colt was tied up with reponsibilities revolving around the war effort. Colt visited Chicago GC in 1913.

I don't get the impression CBM was cutting himself out sending his proxy to Chicago. It sounds to me like that was the system they had set up at the time. There are quite few projects around this time where you see both Macdonald and Raynor's name, with Raynor on site.

[Bill Brightly]

Like a lot of other courses, perhaps work stopped with the onset of WWI?

Interesting that CBM was apparently going to get cut out of the work for a club he founded, but perhaps they had no idea Raynor would come out west?  Allison was just in town so they decided to have him come over, a la Mac getting other courses when he was in Australia?

Another course where it would be interesting to know the back story.

It appears that CBM was cutting himself out.

Sounds to me that CBM was sending in his guy to protect his work....

[Bill_McBride]

What I meant by "cutting himself out" was trying to spend less time on course design himself by turning more and more of it over to Raynor.

[Bill Brightly]

It will be interesting to hear from George Bahto on this. I wonder how many of the "50-60 courses" he can identify. Seems that there has always been a disparity between the number of courses known to have been designed Raynor vs. the number CBM gave him credit for.