GCAofTD - #12 - Alex Findlay

[MCirba]

Langhorne and Middletown are the same, the former Bucks County Country Club (today known as Middletown).   The first nine was by Findlay in 1913 and the second nine by Findlay was 1927.

Was the 1913 Findlay 9 holes a new course?  The club dated back to 1901.


Also, do you have any articles or other sources for Phoenixville, Plymouth and Valley Forge?


Sven

Hi Sven,

I'd have to dig up my files for specifics on Bucks County CC (aka Langhorne, aka Middletown) but seem to recall it built in two stages with both being Findlay.

In the case of Phoenixville, it's from the Club Minutes that Joe Bausch, Mark MacKeever and I viewed last summer.   Joe may have an electronic copy of them somewhere.

Also, Joe found the articles related to the first nine holes at Plymouth being Findlay and may have posted them previously here, if memory serves.   I'll check on that as well.

[MCirba]

Sven,

This from a prior post of mine related to Findlay's work at Phoenixville in the early 20s, from the Club Minutes.

"However, it is clear that "Mr Finlay" (later spelled Findlay, most assuredly Alex) of John Wanamakers Store met with the club in the spring of 1921 and "outlined his opinion as to how the present links could be changed so as to make a longer and more pleasurable course".  Estimate of the work was $5,500.   The club agreed to sell bonds to finance this work as well as construction work in the clubhouse."

"Part of the recommendation included an irrigation system to tees and greens.   Other changes proposed by Findlay that were approved included, "complete 5th green, enlarge 7th green, begin work on 9th fairway and green, do the rough work on new 7th green across the ravine and new 8th tee, put in bunkers and fill at 8th green."   The next month the Greens Committee was authorized to "enlarge #1 green, build and trap a new #4 green, and build a new 9th tee.""

"Findlay came back to inspect the work on May 21st.  Unfortunately, due to a hot summer the grass on the new greens didn't take and by late fall it was determined that nothing could be funded further.  "

"In 1922 it was reported that re-grassing of several greens had taken place, and later that year that the new 7th green (assuming it was across the ravine) had opened, but no such green still exists today (which is today's #3 hole).  "

"In early 1923 the club was seriously considering the question of whether to hire a full-time Superintendent.."

[MCirba]

Sven,

Here's a bit more on Bucks County (now Middletown) from the club's website.   As mentioned, I recall nine holes from Findlay in 1913 and a second nine in the mid-20s.   I let my one newspaper archive search expire and believe it was the local paper where I originally came across the particulars.

http://www.middletowncc.com/about/history/

[Sven Nilsen]

Sven,

Here's a bit more on Bucks County (now Middletown) from the club's website.   As mentioned, I recall nine holes from Findlay in 1913 and a second nine in the mid-20s.   I let my one newspaper archive search expire and believe it was the local paper where I originally came across the particulars.

http://www.middletowncc.com/about/history/

Thanks.


From the club website its pretty clear that Findlay's first 9 holes were a new course on new ground.


Sven

[MCirba]

Sven,

Did you see the article on Cape Arundel I posted?  Same thing...new nine on new ground.

[Sven Nilsen]

Saw it, and agree.

[Rich Goodale]

Just saw this, Sven.  I can add a bit of fact and a bit of speculation on 3 of the courses:


1.  Weston (MA).  Definitely a Ross course.  Maybe Findlay helped him out.  If you ever get into the foyer you will see my maternal Great-Grandfather's (Vincent Farnsworth, whom I knew and died when I was notary public seal on the original club foundation documents.


2.  Arlington (MA).  My father grew up in Arlington and was a member of Winchester CC, which was and is partly in Winchester and partly in Arlington.  I do not think there was ever an Arlington CC.  Ross did the course we know today and probably worked with Findlay on the early iterations.  My paternal grandfather was club champion at Winchester in 1913, the year that Francis Ouimet won the US Open.


3.  Woods Hole.  My paternal grandfather was a long time member of this club.  Van Kleek and Stiles did most of the work there.  Maybe Findlay did some early work or worked with VK and S.


All the best


Rich

[MCirba]

Sven,

Here's more on Findlay's work at Rock Manor, the Wilfred Reid (1921) municipal course in Wilmington, DE, from a 1937 Wilmington newspaper article;

[MCirba]

Sven,

Findlay also made some extensive changes to Springhaven CC (PA) in the early teens.   Sorry I don't have the particulars of this article that I had in my files from Joe Bausch but seem to recall it being around 1913/14.

[Joe Bausch]

Sven,

Findlay also made some extensive changes to Springhaven CC (PA) in the early teens.   Sorry I don't have the particulars of this article that I had in my files from Joe Bausch but seem to recall it being around 1913/14.

That article is from the April 5, 1914 edition of the Public Ledger.

[Sven Nilsen]

Sven,

Here's more on Findlay's work at Rock Manor, the Wilfred Reid (1921) municipal course in Wilmington, DE, from a 1937 Wilmington newspaper article;

Mike:


Do you have an exact cite for this article (full newspaper name and date)?


Sven

[Joe Bausch]

Sven,

Here's more on Findlay's work at Rock Manor, the Wilfred Reid (1921) municipal course in Wilmington, DE, from a 1937 Wilmington newspaper article;

Mike:


Do you have an exact cite for this article (full newspaper name and date)?


Sven

July 16, 1937 (The News Journal).

[Sven Nilsen]

Rich:

Response below in blue.

Sven

Just saw this, Sven.  I can add a bit of fact and a bit of speculation on 3 of the courses:


1.  Weston (MA).  Definitely a Ross course.  Maybe Findlay helped him out.  If you ever get into the foyer you will see my maternal Great-Grandfather's (Vincent Farnsworth, whom I knew and died when I was notary public seal on the original club foundation documents.

Findlay worked on Weston in 1897.  Ross was later.  Many of the courses noted in this thread were worked on by others after AF was involved.


2.  Arlington (MA).  My father grew up in Arlington and was a member of Winchester CC, which was and is partly in Winchester and partly in Arlington.  I do not think there was ever an Arlington CC.  Ross did the course we know today and probably worked with Findlay on the early iterations.  My paternal grandfather was club champion at Winchester in 1913, the year that Francis Ouimet won the US Open.

There was most certainly an Arlington CC (it was noted as such in the early guides and became an Allied member of the USGA in 1901).  This course was noted as being in Belmont.  The same guides also list Winchester CC as a separate course. 

3.  Woods Hole.  My paternal grandfather was a long time member of this club.  Van Kleek and Stiles did most of the work there.  Maybe Findlay did some early work or worked with VK and S.

Findlay's work at Woods Hole was in 1898, S and VK in 1927 as a remodel.  Tom Winton is noted as laying out a new 18 hole course in 1924.


All the best


Rich

[Sven Nilsen]

Thanks Joe. 


Do you have anything on who did the original Rock Manor course in 1925?


Sven

[Joe Bausch]

Thanks Joe. 

Do you have anything on who did the original Rock Manor course in 1925?

Sven

I'll have to search a bit.  But I bet Cirba has it at his fingertips (pretty sure it was Wilfrid Reid).

[MCirba]

Yes, Wilfred Reid and I believe the year was 1921, Sven. 

[Sven Nilsen]

Mike:


When did the course start to be known as "Rock Manor."


The reason I ask is that the 1926 Annual Guide notes both the Wilmington Municipal and the Rock Manor Golf & Tennis Associations.  They give the former a date of formation of 1921 and the latter 1925, with different yardage and par numbers but the same professional.


Was Rock Manor initially a private club that played out of the municipal course?


Sven

[Joe Bausch]

Wilfrid Reid did Rock Manor (FYI:  L.B. Harris was apparently the engineer who built it) according to this August 31, 1921, The News Journal article:

[MCirba]

So as not to clutter up the Herbert Leeds thread by Kevin Mendik, I thought this might be a more appropriate place for a few Findlay articles, the first from the Lincoln Evening Journal, July 24, 1939;

[MCirba]

Pittsburgh Daily Post October 11, 1914;

[MCirba]

Louisville Courier-Journal 12/17/1939

[MCirba]

Bismarck (ND) Tribune, April 18, 1942;

[Sven Nilsen]

Mike:


Those articles raise a good number of questions.


First, if Findlay was the missionary of the game in the prairie lands for 12 years, what 12 year period does this cover and what courses resulted from that work?


Second, it was Bendelow, not Findlay that accompanied Vardon on his 1900 tour of the United States, who was brought over by Spaulding, not by Findlay.  I'm very curious to learn more about these 1896, 1898 and 1899 Vardon golf tours noted in one of the articles.


There are more anomalies in these write ups, including some discrepancies between the scores he reports in his matches with Vardon with how those matches were contemporaneously reported.


I'm not looking to belittle Findlay's impact on the game of golf in the U.S.  But a comparison between him and Bendelow is a non-starter. 


Sven

[Joe Bausch]

I'm not looking to belittle Findlay's impact on the game of golf in the U.S.  But a comparison between him and Bendelow is a non-starter. 

Sven

Kind of seems like you just did, Sven!

[Sven Nilsen]

I'm not looking to belittle Findlay's impact on the game of golf in the U.S.  But a comparison between him and Bendelow is a non-starter. 

Sven

Kind of seems like you just did, Sven!

That's your read Joe.  I don't think the articles Mike attached are 100% factual, but that doesn't mean I'm belittling his contributions.

I give Findlay a ton of credit for his volume of work, especially in the Northeast and the impact that had on getting the game going.  But his numbers pale in comparison to TB's.

Any discussion of golf missionary work starts and ends with Bendelow.  From 1895 to 1915, no one designed more courses in this country, and no one traveled more to do so.  Bendelow was also the games biggest proponent of municipal courses, working tirelessly and often for free to convince cities and towns to take up the game.

Here are a few additional highlights from Bendelow's resume:

-He was one of a number of early figures responsible for populating the club ranks with pros.  He would meet the incoming boats from the UK to round up guys with golf experience and get them set up with a club to work with. 

-He was instrumental in Vardon’s tour of the US (arguably moreso than Findlay), probably the seminal event in getting the game publicized and popularized in the US. 

-He served as the main official for numerous golf tournaments, including the St. Louis Olympics and just about every major event in the Western Department. 

-He essentially founded the first professional golfer’s society in the US, which was the precursor to the PGA. 

-He penned articles for newspaper and the publications on the game, edited Spaldings Official Golf Guide for a number of years and taught college courses on golf course architecture. 

-His efforts to collect information on existing clubs in the late 1890’s was the first effort to compile a guide to American courses. 

There was no bigger figure in the game of golf in the United States from 1895 to 1915 than Bendelow.  Yet I don't have the sense that he had any kind of ego about his role.  I have yet to read anything from Bendelow that stretches the truth of his accomplishments. 

I wrote the following a while back about a comparison between Ross and Bendelow.  You could substitute in Findlay for DR, and it still pretty much works:

"None of this is meant to belittle Ross’ role in the game.  He was a master of his craft, and the breadth and scope of his work speaks wonders.  But if we are trying to identify the most “influential” person in the development of American golf, I think you have to look to the person that helped make golf the most popular sport to play of its time (the amount of money spent on golf in the 1920’s compared to other sports is staggering).  Its hard to argue that this was anyone other than Bendelow.

If you look at golf through the eyes of top 100 courses and tournament venues, Ross is the pick.  If you look at the game in its entirety, all the way down to the local beer league and the small town pro teaching a new generation of players, its Bendelow."

Sven