Tillinghast Topshot Bunker?

[Bill Brightly]

So I was looking at old aerial photos on Historic Aerials of the NLE course built by Tillinghast, Upper Montclair CC, Clifton, NJ. (The State of New Jersey claimed the land to build the Garden Stae Parkway and Robert Trent Jones built 27 new holes nearby.) And I came across the most unusual bunker measuring 55 yards wide and 8 yards across, which completly blocked the fairway.

This seems so contrary to Tillinghast's work and goes against what he wrote about in The Course Beautiful, where he criticized "Duffer's Hazards."  Where is Phil Young when I need him?

[JMEvensky]

  Where is Phil Young when I need him?

 PhilWritesBooks@aol.com 

[Bill Brightly]

Thank, JM. I'll ask him about this.

UMCC, 1966, before GS Parkway





After, 1970 

[Bill_McBride]

Perhaps this is a "Hell's Half Acre" homage?

[Mike Policano]

Bill,

Since you asked, Phil Young is with me attending history night at Ridgewood which starts in 30 minutes. I will get back to you.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,

Since you asked, Phil Young is with me attending history night at Ridgewood which starts in 30 minutes. I will get back to you.

Please tell him I said "hello and when are we going to meet in Tallahassee?"

[ChipRoyce]

I came across an original routing of Southward Ho CC (Bay Shore NY) a Tillinghast design from 1923. Its 6th hole, a medium length par 4, had a similar bunker around 40-50 yards from the green.

Couldn't find my copy of the image, but a google search came up with the same. The hole isn't labeled but its a the top of the image going left to right.

http://scorciaonpar.com/matt-demeo-wins-the-2012-havemeyer-invitational-at-southward-ho-cc/

[Brian Chapin]

Bill,

I don't have the article to reference because my book is in my office but.... I'm pretty sure that AWT wrote about "Duffers Headaches" as bunkers that were more or less out of the way for accomplished players, and only served to discouraged new or weaker players because they were overly penal.

Perhaps the bunker you are looking at had some sort of relevance to the hole for ALL players?

AWT seemed to be walking a fine line of hypocrisy in several cases when it comes to this topic.  We have two bunkers on the 6th hole at Paramount that are only 100 yds in front of the tee cut into a hillside.  Tell me those weren't Duffers Headaches!

[Bill Brightly]

I bet that accomplished players could carry that bunker. If he really built that hazard, he did more than walk the line of hypocrisy

Duffer’s Headaches – “I have contended that these have been maintained at considerable cost to nearly 400 clubs, that they unnecessarily harass the great majority of those who take to the game for pleasure without in the least causing that comparatively small number of par shooters to give them a thought, and usually injecting a thoroughly discordant note and smudging an otherwise beautiful picture of rural landscape.”  The DH’s “…catch the poor shots of poor players.  These add aggravation and are of no value…”

[Patrick_Mucci]

Thank, JM. I'll ask him about this.

UMCC, 1966, before GS Parkway

That CAN'T be the right date. the GSP was completed in 1957, nine years prior to 1966.

Perhaps the photo is 1956 or 1946






After, 1970 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

All,

Is there a difference between a "topshot bunker" and a "cop bunker?"

Ross used a "Cop bunker" about 80- 100y from the 18th tee at LuLu.

[Bill Brightly]

Pat,

You are right, the topshot photo I posted was 1953. Interestingly, the club must have filled it in because it is GONE in the 1954 aerial.

Caught by Mucci, ruined my night...

[Patrick_Mucci]

All,

Is there a difference between a "topshot bunker" and a "cop bunker?"

Ross used a "Cop bunker" about 80- 100y from the 18th tee at LuLu.

Right or wrong, I tended to associate "cop" bunkers as flanking bunkers and "top shot" bunkers as bunkers closer to the tee that had to be traversed and tended to be at 60-90 degrees to the intended line of flight.

Flanking bunkers were sometimes referred to as "coffin" or "trench" bunkers.

Perhaps, these terms even took on a localized interpretation.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

http://myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/LuLu/pages/page_177.html?

[Patrick_Mucci]

Steve,

I wonder, in that first photo, if that walkway splitting the bunkers, was added subsequent to the original construction


http://myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/LuLu/pages/page_177.html?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Pat,

Sure looks that way. When Forse restored the course, I believe this bunker was reintroduced.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Bill, great photo!  Looks as if the clubhouse and maybe one or two greensites are all that remained from the original course.  

Phil Young is obviously the best to ask about this feature, but throwing out an idea, who's to say it wasn't a member, pro, or other architect's idea in order to 'toughen' up the hole, or, alternatively, a feature that was input by AWT but changed after the aerial.  Will be interesting to learn. 

Go a mile or two east and see the site of Yountakah (Travis). Looks to have wicked bunkering.  

A mile or so south and slightly west is Willie Park's Glen Ridge CC.

[Bill Brightly]

The bunker was there in the 1931 aerial as well as 1953. Phil Young is researching Tilly's plan. Let's see what he finds

[Jim_Kennedy]

The bunker Bill referenced is seen in the course within the red rectangle.
There also appears to be more that one course in this photo. The "Red" and "Green" seem to be the same, or
perhaps the "Red" is part of UMCC'c original 6 hole course.
The "Yellow" appears to be someone else's work, maybe Emmet?

Any ideas?
 


Here's a direct link to the 1930 aerial:

http://njstateatlas.com/1930/?geo=40.842336725186215,-74.18236970901489&z=16&o=1.00

[Patrick_Mucci]

There are TWO  seperate courses, BroadAcres, which was mostlly WEST of the GSP and UMCC which was mostly EAST of the GSP.

Both survived the introduction of the GSP, however, BroadAcres sucuumbed to an industrial park that ran between the GSP and Broad Street.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Thanks Pat. That stands to reason as the course on the right looks much more bold than the others.