[Sven Nilsen]

Looking for examples of courses that were left behind by private clubs when they moved on to "greener pastures" and converted into public or municipal courses.

The first example I have is Highland Park Municipal Golf Course (aka Charles Boswell Golf Course) in Birmingham.  The course was the second iteration of the CC of Birmingham (their first course from 1898 was abandoned in 1900 when the club moved to the tonier end of the trolley line).  Nine holes laid out by Nick Thompson (a Canadian profession) were expanded to 18 in 1906.  When CC of Birmingham brought in Ross c. 1925 to design the East and West courses, the course left behind became Highland Park. 

An interesting side note, Highland Park was later named after Charles Boswell.  Boswell was a standout athlete who was blinded in a tank explosion during World War II.  Taking up the game of golf, he went on to shoot an 81 and was an advocate for handicapped golfers around the country.  Befriended by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Boswell served as the president of the US Blind Golfers Association from 1956 to 1976.

[Sven Nilsen]

Dave:

Didn't the Downer's Grove course continue as a private club for a while?

As you note, I'm more interested in what happened to courses that were abandoned, or left behind when a club changed locations.

Sven

[Jud_T]

Ravisloe?  Spring Valley?  Illinois Golf Club/Green Acres? (private/private)

[Sven Nilsen]

Yes you did.

Might as well open up the conversation to all types of courses.  The real question is what happened to courses that were left behind when a club moved.  Los Angeles CC changed location in its early days, and the course it left behind was taken over by Westmoorland GC.  Another example is the formation of Presidio GC when San Francisco GC moved to a new site.

The bulk of these types of moves probably occurred (a) either during the very first wave of construction around the turn of the century when clubs realized that their land was ill-suited for golf or the growth of the club allowed them to move on from their first rudimentary effort or (b) during the 20's when changes in the game meant that clubs were outgrowing the shorter, constricted courses where they had started.

[Brian Finn]

One good example here in Columbus, OH is Champions GC, which is now a municipal course.

It was founded in the 1920s as Winding Hollow and remained private until the late '80s when Winding Hollow built a new course in New Albany and sold the original course to the city. The city renamed the course and tore down the clubhouse soon after purchasing it. 

I am having trouble remembering who designed the original 9 (I will look it up).  RTJ added the second 9 in the 40s or 50s and the combined course remains pretty fun and interesting. 

[Mark Pritchett]

In the late 1960's Atlanta Athletic Club moved and East Lake Country Club was formed on the former AAC location.  

[Sven Nilsen]

The real question is what happened to courses that were left behind when a club moved.

Then I don't understand the question because I thought it was about sites where a private clubs abandons the first site and moves to a second.  So I mentioned that this very phenomenon happened to the first 18 in America.   

Relax bud, you're not arguing NW/ND with Mucci here.  It was your suggestion regarding Downer's Grove that caused me to expand the question beyond just privates that were abandoned that became public.  Apologize if this became a bit of a moving target, but that's the way the conversation evolved.

[Sven Nilsen]

One good example here in Columbus, OH is Champions GC, which is now a municipal course.

It was founded in the 1920s as Winding Hollow and remained private until the late '80s when Winding Hollow built a new course in New Albany and sold the original course to the city. The city renamed the course and tore down the clubhouse soon after purchasing it. 

I am having trouble remembering who designed the original 9 (I will look it up).  RTJ added the second 9 in the 40s or 50s and the combined course remains pretty fun and interesting. 

Brian:

Be interested to know what you come up with for Winding Hollow.  I have notes that it was originally called New Winding Hollow (with a date of 1923), which suggests that it may have existed at a different location prior to that date.

Sven

[Tom_Doak]

Sven:

The earliest example is the Old Links at Musselburgh.  It was abandoned by three clubs -- the Honourable Company, Royal Burgess, and Royal Musselburgh -- and wound up as a muni.

[Brian Finn]

One good example here in Columbus, OH is Champions GC, which is now a municipal course.

It was founded in the 1920s as Winding Hollow and remained private until the late '80s when Winding Hollow built a new course in New Albany and sold the original course to the city. The city renamed the course and tore down the clubhouse soon after purchasing it. 

I am having trouble remembering who designed the original 9 (I will look it up).  RTJ added the second 9 in the 40s or 50s and the combined course remains pretty fun and interesting. 

Brian:

Be interested to know what you come up with for Winding Hollow.  I have notes that it was originally called New Winding Hollow (with a date of 1923), which suggests that it may have existed at a different location prior to that date.

Sven

It looks like Herbert Strong did the first 9.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,43532.0.html

I have not heard of an even earlier location. 

[BHoover]

Fowlers Mill east of Cleveland is a former corporate course that has become public. Pete Dye built it for the TRW corporation as a quasi-private course. I believe that it went public in the late 80s or early 90s.

There was talk a few years back of converting it to a development or nature preserve, but I haven't heard anything about that for a year or two. Hopefully it will stay in business. It's one of the better public options in NE Ohio.

[David_Tepper]

Hominy Hill (designed by Robert Trent Jones) in Monmouth County, NJ was a privately owned golf course built by a fellow in the shipping business named Mercer. He used the course almost exclusively to entertain his business clients. The course would go for days without anyone playing there.

When Mr. Mercer died, I believe his family either donated or sold the course for a modest amount to the Monmouth County Parks & Recretion Department, which has operated the course ever since.

Hominy Hill is on the short list of courses that have hosted both the Mens' and Womens' Publinx. 

[Mike Schott]

Lochenheath in the Traverse City area of Michigan a fine Steve Smyers layout nearly across the street from Nicklaus's Bear went from private to public and is now in the process of going private again is another. Phoenix Golf Club a recently discussed Ross layout in Detroit long ago went public.

[A.G._Crockett]

In the late 1960's Atlanta Athletic Club moved and East Lake Country Club was formed on the former AAC location.  

I could be wrong, but I don't think East Lake was ever truly a public course after the Athletic Club moved out to Duluth in the 60's.  It was run-down and struggling to survive, but was still a private club, I believe.

[A.G._Crockett]

Marietta (GA) Country Club moved to a new location in 1990.  The old site was sold to the city and operates as a daily fee course called Marietta City Club.

[Mike_Young]

Marietta (GA) Country Club moved to a new location in 1990.  The old site was sold to the city and operates as a daily fee course called Marietta City Club.

A.G.
I did that redo around 1990.  The city council actually purchased the club form the country club and created an entire convention center.  Sherman had actually stayed in the original structure that was the clubhouse.

[Mark Pritchett]

In the late 1960's Atlanta Athletic Club moved and East Lake Country Club was formed on the former AAC location.  

I could be wrong, but I don't think East Lake was ever truly a public course after the Athletic Club moved out to Duluth in the 60's.  It was run-down and struggling to survive, but was still a private club, I believe.

I agree AG, I am not aware of East Lake ever being public.  I was just mentioning it because Sven said in an earlier post that he was opening the discussion to include all types of courses. 

[Jim Sherma]

Sven:

The earliest example is the Old Links at Musselburgh.  It was abandoned by three clubs -- the Honourable Company, Royal Burgess, and Royal Musselburgh -- and wound up as a muni.

I always assumed that this was always on common land and the clubs just played on the links like at St Andrews. Did any of the clubs own the course at some point? I would love to know more about this.

[V. Kmetz]

Dunwoodie - Yonkers, NY...private from 1903 to 1954-55, joined Westchester County slate in 1957.

An arcane, heavily-beaten well-stereotyped muni-reputation for more than 60 years, whose front plays along a massive mountain southeastern slope (great views, difficult walk) and whose inward nine scrawls over and on the edges of the flats above the front...with the Saw Mill River Parkway and Bryn Mawr neighborhood on the western and northern boundaries.  Still trying to pin down original info and routing, but preliminary research indicates fairly significant routing and alterations from 57' onward. My dad caddied here in the late 40s to its last years as a private and his anecdotal info held up with the first bits of research...this was a favored club for NYC theater, media and entrepreneur types that ended up being overun by their hangers-on, including racketeers, gamblers and other "connected" folks.  For all its boxed-in, beaten derision, Dunwoodie actually has four lovely and interesting Par 4s that are worth noting. The 1st and 9th are drivable fours (276 & 245) that manage to elicit challenging play.  The 8th is one of the longer fours and has a hardscrabble linksy feel over its 390 twisting yards.  The best of the lot is #4 - an uphill 385 job that winds slightly leftwards over handsome hillside property, ending up on benched plaza that commands the best view of NYC from any course I know of.

Hudson Hills Golf Course - Ossining, NY - private (as HH Golf Club) from ? - 1982 and then reoutfitted for higher end muni play in 2003.

This is allegedly (perhaps solely on a non-muni level of conditioning) the new "jewel" of the Westchester County slate of six, but my one experience there is similar to my reaction to many of the hilly Hudson-River-View tracks that populate Westchester Co. (Ardsley, St. Andrews [hastings], Hudson National, Trump National Briarcliff, Sleepy Hollow)...the ground is really not good for Golf, walking Golf, varietal Golf and necessitates too many aerial shots, too many hanging lies and too many instances where you do not see the result of your shot.  This particular course has three blind-semi-blind tee shots on Par 5s and one helluva time looking for golf balls.  Costs about double the fees of the other 5 county courses for both residents and visitors ($85/$115)...not worth it on my one visit and other anecdotal reports...go to Mohansic in nearby Yorktown which is the best layout and route and most fun of all six West. Count courses.

cheers

vk

[Howard Riefs]

The first example I have is Highland Park Municipal Golf Course (aka Charles Boswell Golf Course) in Birmingham. 

Coincidentally, Highland Park Country Club in Illinois converted to public access as well.

There's also Charleston National, a Rees Jones design which was originally designed to be an private country club. Shortly after its opening in September 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit the course -- and hard. It resulted in the loss of several thousand trees and the course closed for a year of renovation. The course later re-opened in 1991 as public access.

[erichunter]

I think the Austin Country Club is a great example.  Seems like they moved to their new Pete Dye course in the mid-80's leaving behind what is now Riverside, a daily fee course I think.  I played it many years ago shortly after it went public.

ACC moved to Riverside from what is now known as Hancock GC in 1950.  ACC opened at Hancock in 1899.  The City of Austin bought the Hancock land from ACC.  The City kept the land comprising the then front 9 and sold the back 9 acreage which was developed into a mall.  The City dedicated the remaining 40 acres as public parkland and continues to operate it as a 9 hole course.

[Doug Wright]

Denver CC originally was at Overland Park (golf course dates to 1895) and moved to its current location in 1905. Overland has been a public course ever since.

Wellshire GC, designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1926 as a private club but quickly struggled financially (perhaps, in part, due to competition from its new neighbor down the street Cherry Hills CC--which some of us refer to as "Wellshire West"). Wellshire was acquired by the City of Denver in 1936 and is a very solid muny to visit if you're in Denver.

[Matthew Petersen]

I grew up playing a muni called Meadow Hills in Aurora, CO. My understanding was always that the course had originally been a private club that failed and was then taken over by the city, but I don't know when such a takeover might have happened.

[Tim Leahy]

Knollwood in Granada Hills, Ca was a private course owned by Dean Martin that turned public in the 1970's I think.

http://www.knollwoodgc.com/

history:

http://www.golfcalifornia.com/departments/coursereviews/knollwood-country-club-granada-hills-11428.htm

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Quintero, a Rees Jones design, opened in the middle of nowhere in Arizona as a private club more than 10 years ago. The developer went under about 2 years ago and now it's a high end public course.

Ashbourne CC in the Philly 'burbs opened in around 1920 as a private club and was sold for development that never materialized. The developer kept it open as a public course while battling zoning issues for a few years but abandoned the course. NLE.

Century CC in Phoenix,AZ , a private club, sold out in the 1960s and became Orange Tree Golf Resort, a public facility.

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