Arthur Vernon Macan's nine holes at Pendleton

[Garland Bayley]

MacanRouting by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Michael Riste’s book “Just Call me Mac”, The Biography of A. Vernon Macan, quotes from a letter to course developers in Caldwell, ID,  “Pendleton developed a new nine hole course from my plans.”

Troy Alderson, the course superintendent and member of the website says they don’t claim the original holes as Macan holes. However, having played Colwood National in Portland, I find the greens on the original nine holes to be very similar to the 17 greens at Colwood National that I would attribute to Macan.  The Macan holes are marked on the Google Earth picture shown above.

Bunny Mason later developed the additional nine holes to complete the 18 hole course pictured.

[Garland Bayley]

The first hole is a par four with yardages blue 399, white 388, gold 379, & red 335. When GCA website member Troy Alderson interviewed for the supers position last January he stepped up on the white tees, drove the green to directly behind the hole leaving everyone to wonder how he did not get the albatross. He did sink the putt for the eagle. If you wonder how he drove the green on such a long hole, the key word is January.

Macan1 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

The tee shot is downhill off of the hill the clubhouse sits on.

Macan1TeeAll1 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

The approach is level along the flat valley the stream running through the course follows.

Macan1ApproachAll1 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

[Garland Bayley]

The second hole is marked as a par 5 on the card. 448, 441, 370, 368. However, Macan was fond of the long par 4, or short par 5. His ideal course had six long holes and 4 short holes. Therefore, he would generally have two long par 4s that could be reached in two by the longer hitters, but not by the shorter hitters. This is perhaps one of those holes, but we will see there are other candidates.

The hole bends to the right as the steam forms a water hazard along the right boundary of the hole.

Macan2 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Although, I did not take time to take note, I suspect that this green slopes some towards the stream side of the hole. This would help the player that placed his shot accurately on the right side for his approach and help him hold the green when approaching from there.
The tee shot.

Macan2TeeAll2 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

The long approach to the green.

Macan2ApproachAll2 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

[Garland Bayley]

You cross the stream on a bridge to access the third hole in the original nine holes. This is now the 11th. 476, 472, 452, 400 also marked as a par 5 on the card. There is a significant downhill section that can be reached by some of the longest hitters. This would extend their drives well beyond the shorter hitters and give them an advantage. The hole bends slightly to the left as does the stream along the left.

Macan3 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Tee shot (this is Troy on the left with my friend Bob on the right)

Macan3TeeAll11 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

2nd shot from on top of the hill that long hitter’s cold use to extend their drives

Macan3ApproachAll11 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Short pitch to green

Macan3GreenAll11 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

[Garland Bayley]

You re-cross the stream on a bridge to access the fourth hole in the original nine holes. This is now the 17th. 181, 160, 150, 138

Macan4 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

The tee shot

Macan4TeeAll17 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Looking back from behind green

Macan4GreenAll17 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

[Garland Bayley]

The fifth hole returns to the proximity of the clubhouse and has become the 18th in the full course today. 399, 387, 321, 310

Macan5 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

The tee



Approach to the green

Macan5ApproachAll18 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Green

Macan5GreenAll18 by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

[Garland Bayley]

The sixth hole requires a long drive to make the corner of the dogleg around a grouping of trees and bring the approach to the green in play. As it leaves near the clubhouse, it has become the tenth hole in the complete 18. 417, 397, 365, 300.



Tee shot



Approach

[Garland Bayley]

After crossing the bridge across the creek last used from two to three, we get to the seventh which has the stream all along its right side. This is the third hole in the full 18 hole course. 435, 417, 405, 310.



Having played some Macan courses on the way to, during, and from the King’s Putter competition, I suspect that the fairways on the Macan holes have been narrowed significantly. Perhaps Mason narrowed them to the width of one of his typical fairways when Mason extended the course. Colwood National in Portland has wider fairways on a smaller piece of ground as does Marine Drive CC in Vancouver on only 100 acres. Furthermore, it appears that trees lining these narrowed fairways have been added to the detriment of Macan’s vision for the course. I am wondering if Macan didn’t intend for the best line on 7 to be near the stream. Perhaps Troy can tell us whether the green there slopes towards the right making an approach from the right more Ideal than staying away from the stream and approaching near the bunker. I doubt the trees to the right of 7 fairway belong there, and those to the left were necessary to separate the hole from the new holes.

Tee shot with Troy on his way to another well played drive.



Approach

[Garland Bayley]

The eighth hole is a par 3 playing across the stream to a bunkered green. It is Troy’s favorite hole on the course, and is the eighth hole in the full course too. 159, 141, 141, 118



Tee shot



Green

[Garland Bayley]

The ninth hole plays back to the clubhouse with a pitch up the hill to a green benched in the hill beside the clubhouse. It is also the ninth in the full course. 334, 334, 311, 270.



Tee shot



Green

[Garland Bayley]

Macan’s ideal course changed direction with every hole. We see that his layout accomplished this with the exception that 2 and 3 ran roughly in the same direction, albeit on opposite sides of the stream. He also specified ideal lengths to be six holes of 420 to 475 yards, five drive and iron holes 360 to 410 yards, three drive and pitch holes 320 to 350 yards and 4 one shotters 140 to 220 yards. In this layout he has holes 2, 3, and 7 as the long holes, 1, 5, and 6 as drive and iron holes, 9 as a drive and pitch hole, and 4 and 8 as the one shotters. This follows his ideal course as well as can be done in 9 holes.

Troy has an agenda of things he would like to do at Pendleton. One is widening the fairways so that bunkers are back in the fairway instead of off in the rough. Another is restoring a green committee chairman’s pet waste area to rough consistent with the rest of the course. Also restoring greens to the original size as mowing has gradually reduced the size from that intended. He already mows more width around the greens to fairway height. Perhaps he will chime in with corrections to my old memory recollections of what he said and additional items I forgot.

[Garland Bayley]

The full 18 hole routing today.



Hole 4 148 142 130 111



Hole 5 501 472 459 419





Hole 6 150 125 115 102



Hole 7 498 483 414 401







Hole 12 214 174 152 131





Hole 13 328 313 305 293



Hole 14 344 332 332 316





Hole 15 599 546 467 407





Hole 16 364 344 324 285



Troy noted that the 16th green begins to approximate Macan greens as you traverse to the finishing holes that are Macan.

[David Harshbarger]

Garland,

Thank you for sharing this write-up.  Did Macan supervise the work at Pendelton?  It looks as though the course is largely laid out across the terrain.  Is that how it plays?

Thanks, Dave

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,

Thank you for sharing this write-up.  Did Macan supervise the work at Pendelton?  It looks as though the course is largely laid out across the terrain.  Is that how it plays?

Thanks, Dave

Macan typically provided plans and got them started on building the course. He would supervise construction for a fee if asked. There is little record of his involvement at Pendleton, even to the point that the club lore says an old member who did their first course in town did the first nine here. Never mind that he passed away 5 years before.

Macan used the land as he found it. There was little to use here as the floor of the valley is quite flat. He incorporated the hill the clubhouse sits on for the first and last holes, running them parallel to each other against his general principles. He incorporated the hill on the far side of the stream for a turbo boost on the 3rd, and a downhill across the stream par 3 8th. And of course he routed holes along the stream.

[Bill_McBride]

I'm assuming "Bunny Munson" is "Bunny Mason," a Portland-based architect who was once head pro at another Macan course, Columbia-Edgewater.  Bunny designed a number of courses in the Bend area.  (Once he told me that the then mayor of Bend told him that the five courses then in Bend were all the population could support!  Not a very far-sighted mayor!)

[Garland Bayley]

Thanks for the correction Bill. I've fixed it in the text.

[Troy Alderson]

You re-cross the stream on a bridge to access the fourth hole in the original nine holes. This is now the 17th. 181, 160, 150, 138



The tee     This is actually the tee shot on the current 18th hole, old 9th.



Looking back from behind green

[Troy Alderson]

After crossing the bridge across the creek last used from two to three, we get to the seventh which has the stream all along its right side. This is the third hole in the full 18 hole course. 435, 417, 405, 310.



Having played some Macan courses on the way to, during, and from the King’s Putter competition, I suspect that the fairways on the Macan holes have been narrowed significantly. Perhaps Mason narrowed them to the width of one of his typical fairways when Mason extended the course. Colwood National in Portland has wider fairways on a smaller piece of ground as does Marine Drive CC in Vancouver on only 100 acres. Furthermore, it appears that trees lining these narrowed fairways have been added to the detriment of Macan’s vision for the course. I am wondering if Macan didn’t intend for the best line on 7 to be near the stream. Perhaps Troy can tell us whether the green there slopes towards the right making an approach from the right more Ideal than staying away from the stream and approaching near the bunker. The green slopes away from the approach shot toward the back of the green.  Long par 4, long iron into the green, that slopes to the back.  Wicked.  olor]I doubt the trees to the right of 7 fairway belong there, and those to the left were necessary to separate the hole from the new holes.

Tee shot with Troy on his way to another well played drive.



Approach

[Troy Alderson]

Macan’s ideal course changed direction with every hole. We see that his layout accomplished this with the exception that 2 and 3 ran roughly in the same direction, albeit on opposite sides of the stream. He also specified ideal lengths to be six holes of 420 to 475 yards, five drive and iron holes 360 to 410 yards, three drive and pitch holes 320 to 350 yards and 4 one shotters 140 to 220 yards. In this layout he has holes 2, 3, and 7 as the long holes, 1, 5, and 6 as drive and iron holes, 9 as a drive and pitch hole, and 4 and 8 as the one shotters. This follows his ideal course as well as can be done in 9 holes.

Troy has an agenda of things he would like to do at Pendleton. One is widening the fairways so that bunkers are back in the fairway instead of off in the rough. Another is restoring a green committee chairman’s pet waste area to rough consistent with the rest of the course. Also restoring greens to the original size as mowing has gradually reduced the size from that intended. He already mows more width around the greens to fairway height. Perhaps he will chime in with corrections to my old memory recollections of what he said and additional items I forgot.

My preference is keeping the course as the architect envisioned it.  The problem here as with many private country clubs, is the additional nine holes built in a different style.  I am not concerned about the newer nine as much as the original nine.  So... I like bunkers with short grass surrounding them, wide fairways, fast/firm greens with short grass surrounding, and trees pruned at the base.  The native soil in a silty loam that drains very well, yet holds enough water for a deep and infrequent watering schedule.  The soil is on the alkaline side of 7 and the water source is alkaline also.  I foresee ammonium sulfate as my base fertilizer to acidify the soil.  The course is a golf layout and the tree planting has been done exceptionally well.  I am looking forward to many years here.

[Troy Alderson]

This is actually the current 17th tee with the green in the background, the old 8th.



Troy noted that the 16th green begins to approximate Macan greens as you traverse to the finishing holes that are Macan.

[/quote]

[Garland Bayley]

Thanks for the corrections Troy. I believe I've got them right now.

[Garland Bayley]

After crossing the bridge across the creek last used from two to three, we get to the seventh which has the stream all along its right side. This is the third hole in the full 18 hole course. 435, 417, 405, 310.



Having played some Macan courses on the way to, during, and from the King’s Putter competition, I suspect that the fairways on the Macan holes have been narrowed significantly. Perhaps Mason narrowed them to the width of one of his typical fairways when Mason extended the course. Colwood National in Portland has wider fairways on a smaller piece of ground as does Marine Drive CC in Vancouver on only 100 acres. Furthermore, it appears that trees lining these narrowed fairways have been added to the detriment of Macan’s vision for the course. I am wondering if Macan didn’t intend for the best line on 7 to be near the stream. Perhaps Troy can tell us whether the green there slopes towards the right making an approach from the right more Ideal than staying away from the stream and approaching near the bunker. The green slopes away from the approach shot toward the back of the green.  Long par 4, long iron into the green, that slopes to the back.  Wicked. I doubt the trees to the right of 7 fairway belong there, and those to the left were necessary to separate the hole from the new holes.

Tee shot with Troy on his way to another well played drive.



Approach

Green sloping to the back also jibes with my thoughts. This allows for the run up shot from the right that Macan preferred over the shot flying in from the left to carry the bunker. It is more likely that the shot from the left would run off. Macan used greens sloping left, right, and back far more than to the front as he preferred the run up shots. Robert Trent Jones is known to have said Macan was ahead of his time in guarding against the modern tour pro and his aerial game.

Notice the approach picture is coming from the left. That is not because that is the way to play the hole. That is simply because I play left-handed and slice ....errrrrr... fade my tee shots.

[Garland Bayley]

I found another reference to Pendleton's course in Macan's biography.

"Courses such as Pendleton, Oregon, Yakima and Wenatchee, Washington, and Hillcrest in Boise, Idaho hired Mac to produce the drawings and detailed specifications that would enable them to undertake that actual construction of their courses.", pg 4.