Georgetown Prep's NLE course: what's the story?

[Mark Bourgeois]

An aerial from 1964:




and today:

[Paul Carey]

The original golf course was designed and built by Frank Emmet the "Father of Junior Golf in America" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101458.html).  He came to Prep in 1927 as a business manager and the course was built in that era.  It was a nine hole course measuring about 6,000 yards from the back tee and par 35.  It was a "private club" open to students and members.  As I recall it was $25 to join for the year and $2 for weekday greens fees and $3 on the weekend.  A pull cart could be rented for $0.50.  Until the early 1970s women were not allowed on the course as players.  For high school golf the course was used on Saturday morning for Junior Varsity matches which gave a lot of kids the chance to compete that would not have that chance otherwise.

About 10-15 years ago the president of he school sold off the land (technically leased for 99 years) to built apartment buildings to fund an over the top athletic facility.  The area sold would be the lower right portion of the photos posted and the new gym and athletic facilities are on the left side of the picture.  The apartment buildings took the first green and most of the second hold and the other facilities took care of the sixth, seventh and eighth holes.  Art Hills's son Joe who owns a couple public courses in the area designed the new practice course seen on the right side of the new photograph.

I will post a scorecard and a routing as well as some other info in a bit.

The course had two good par threes.  Number three was about 175 yards with three bunkers.  The two bunkers on the side of the green were fairly deep next to the push up green and the bunker in front was about 10 yards short of the green which was visually confusing to the golfer as it made the hole seem much shorter that it actually played.  The eighth hole had two alternate holes but the shorter one was a wedge down a hill to a tiny green.  Left of the green was a bunker above the level of the green and to the right was a steep slope.  It was a good looking hole down the hill that required precision with a short club.  A lot of fun.

[Paul Carey]

[Mark Bourgeois]

Wow, Paul, great stuff! By any chance was Frank Emmet related to Devereux?

Have you seen any ground-level pictures of the course? And do you know more about the 8th greens, specifically why there were two? Was it some kind of a grass-growing issue?

[Bill_McBride]

Nice you kept the card with the ace!   

[Jeb Bearer]

My history teacher, Dr Steve Ochs, has promised to help me find some materials regarding the history of the course when he returns from vacation. I also plan on speaking with my golf coach who has been at the school for many years. I will post updates on this thread.

[Paul Carey]

I will see if I can find any ground level pictures.  The property is quite rolling and holes 1,2 and four in particular were down hill and the back up to the greens.

If you look at my mark up of your aerial the other eighth green appears haffway between the tee and green of the eighth I highlighted.  It was not a growing issue and I don't know which one was first built.  The shorter, lower green was normally in play because it was a better hole and the the other eighth was across the baseball and football practice field.  

I have never heard that Frank and Dev Emmet were related so I assume not.

I made the ace in our conference championships in 1976 so I had to turn in the official card.  I guess I could never find the other guys to sign it (probably Landon guys).

I began playing golf by sneaking on the course and then when I turned 12 I would pick up trash a couple of days a week in exchange for free golf.  In college and grad school I worked on the course.   We hand watered, hand cut, hand raked.....hand everything.   The best job I ever had.  Most days in the summer I would work from 6:30 to 3:30 and then play until dark.  Weekends meant getting there at 6:00 am to cut greens and water.  Some of those weekends meant only a few hours sleep.  

Jeb,  do you go to Prep?  If your coach is Bob Barry he was an English teacher when I attended Prep and then he succeeded Gus Coupe as coach.  There have been only two golf coaches in the last 45 years!  And some great players!

I loved that little golf course.  I think I knew every inch of it.  It makes me sad to think it is gone.  Those are the type of courses this game needs to get kids to play.  My father didn't care for the game and we didn't have the money to join a club and those 9 holes were the greatest place on earth to me when I was a kid.   Here I am 45 years after first sneaking on reading about golf and architecture and lying in bed responding on this site.  If that course hadn't been there I would never have been exposed to  and fell in love with this great game.

[Jeb Bearer]

Yes, Paul, Mr Barry's still coaching and teaching. Those damn Bears probably walked off the course in a huff and rfused to sign the card, sounds like Landon to me 

Great to see another Hoya!

[Lester George]

We did a master plan for them and got a lengthy interview.  Our facility was more interactive (which they said they liked) but we didn't get the job.  Cool place though.

Lester

[Mark McKeever]

Thanks for posting the routing.  Some of the holes are not even close to what I thought were the corridors.

Mark

[Chris_Blakely]

Wow, Paul, great stuff! By any chance was Frank Emmet related to Devereux?

Have you seen any ground-level pictures of the course? And do you know more about the 8th greens, specifically why there were two? Was it some kind of a grass-growing issue?

Devereux Emmet did not have a brother named Frank.

Chris

[Craig Disher]

Perhaps the alternate 8th was added for some variety. They had the space.

From 1940 - or near that. I don't have the actual date.

[Paul Carey]

Thanks Craig.  It looks like the 5th green and the 6th green were moved.  If I am correct that made 5, the par 5 shorter but allowed for 6 and 7 to have back tees built that added about 50 yards to 6 and 30 yards to seven,  it also makes sense that the long 8th was the newer hole.   Flat area with a really boring green.  Always seemed a throw in.

[ChipOat]

At least they kept a couple of holes.  I wonder how long that will last.

Woodberry Forest (VA), Hotchkiss (CT) and Lawrenceville (NJ) have the only secondary school golf courses I know.  Please correct if I am wrong.

WF was one of Ross's earliest designs circa 1905.  It is, literally, in a cow pasture but the greens are 100% pure Donald Ross - saucer shaped and everything.

Hotchkiss is a Raynor/Banks that has recently been restored - very cool and the pro, Jim Kennedy, posts on GCA.  My son went to school nearby, so I got to play it a couple of times.

[Mark McKeever]

Chip,

Doesnt Peddie (NJ) have one as well?  Same MAPL as Lawrenceville.

Mark

[Jim_Kennedy]

Chip,
The Winchendon School in Winchendon, Ma., has a cool  18 hole/5,500 yard Donald Ross course on its campus.

http://www.winchgolf.com/index.htm


Kiski Prep School in Saltsburg, Pa., has a nine holer.

Taft School also has one of 18 holes, in conjunction w/Watertown CC.

St. Mark's in Weston, Ma, also has a 9 hole course.

[Andy Hughes]

Chip,

Doesnt Peddie (NJ) have one as well?  Same MAPL as Lawrenceville.

Mark

And Peddie's rival Blair Academy has a course.

[ChipOat]

Mark, Jim, Andy:

You guys would know - especially Jim!

Chip

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