Golf courses and war

[James Boon]

When I saw those remnants, I inquired further and was told that the bomber fields were on the west coast and the fighter fields on the East coast such that the fighters could meet and repel any attacks before they could get inland and before they could get to the bomber fields on the west coast.

Patrick, I've not heard of this before, are you able to expand further?

The majority of RAF bomber airfields in the second world war were in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, which isnt exactly the west coast  However, this would in effect put them behind a screen of fighters from 11 Group, based in the south east around London?

I know that if you plot the positions of all the Royal Ordnance munitions factories, they are beyond a line that marks the extent of a Zeppelin's range if bombing England during the first world war.

Cheers,

James

[James Boon]

I remember seeing a clip years ago of, I believe Turnberry, where rocks were placed spelling out EIRE so the pilots would know they have reach Ireland. Did a quick search but could find the video onlone.

Tim,

Would there also have been a number of rocks at Turnberry forming an arrow and pointing back out to sea, to say Ireland is that way? 

Sorry! 

Cheers,

James

[Jon Wiggett]

John Chilver-Stainer's Fluehli-Soerneberg Golf Club in Switzerland has large concrete anti tank blocks running through it which were left over from WWII.

Jon

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Part of Mulberry Harbour being towed in preparation for the D-Day landings in the Conwy Estuary. Construction took place in what is now the Marina behind the 2nd green at Conwy GC.



Big military camps were erected on the Morfa at Conwy Golf Club in both World Wars.



You may just be able to make out a concrete building on the left of this photo taken on the 7th tee at Conwy. It is one of two concrete bunkers or gunnery emplacements on the sea wall part of the protection for the military camp and Mulberry Harbour construction site.

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Yes Jon, we had to respect a WWII anti tank defence line across an alpine valley made up of ugly concrete trapezoids 3m high every 10m.

The routing was compromised, however after much negotiation with Industrial Archaeologists representing National Historic Monuments, I was allowed to construct a Tee on top of a concrete trapezoid, using two of the sides as a retaining wall.

Similar anti tank defense lines can be seen next to one of the main arteries through the swiss alps to Italy on the valley leading to the Gotthard tunnel.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

A couple of links to information about Turnberry during the wars:


http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/RAFTurnberry?from=Secrets.TurnberryAirfield

http://clydeside-images.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/short-history-of-raf-turnberry.html

[Niall C]

Brian

My brain must have been mush when I posted earlier. As Tom D and others mention, many links courses still have the ant-tank concrete blocks flanking them, and indeed my old home course at Lossiemouth (Moray GC) probably has as good an example of this as you'll see with blocks behind a couple of the greens and tees. Mind you while we're not technically at war at the moment (bombing the hell out of various parts of the world doesn't count as war apparently) the courses at Moray are also strewn with landing lights for the nearby Lossiemouth RAF airbase so I suppose they might count.

Niall

[Mike_Young]

Savannah Golf club still has mounding etc from the Civil War.

I did some work about 15 years ago at Club Campestre in San Salvadoe, El Salvador.  It has been trampled and used for tank practice and storage during a war there in the 1970's.

[Tim Johnson]

Jon
You are correct, obviously lol.
Dont know what I was thinking, now going to spend the next little while trying to figure out what course I saw that on.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Has anyone got Laddie Lucas's book? He was born in the Prince's clubhouse and landed his damaged Spitfire on the course during the war.

Felixstowe Ferry was badly chewed up during the war. Does anyone have any photos of ir during the war?

[Bill Brightly]

http://www.listsofnote.com/2012/02/wartime-golf-rules.html

[Jon Wiggett]

Jon
You are correct, obviously lol.
Dont know what I was thinking, now going to spend the next little while trying to figure out what course I saw that on.

Tim,

sorry to point out your error but it was James 

Jon

[Mark Pearce]

Bamburgh Castle has a bunker to the right of the 4th green.

to be honest, most east coast links retain some legacy of the war and many west coast links do, too.  It's hard to go far on the British eastern coastline without a reminder of the war.

[Ed Brzezowski]

While not on the course there are the remains of an RAF base about a half mile from Crail, the anti tank blocks at Gullane are very imposing, as pointed out.

[Brad Klein]

Nice references above to East Lake and Savannah. Congressional CC was in part taken over by the OSS during WWII and used for ammunition testing. Whistling Straits-Straits Course and irish Course occupy land that had previously been used for army artillery testing and airplane landings. The greatest bunker of any US golf resort, at The Greenbrier, was built as a refuge for Congress in case of nuclear attack. Los Alamos Municipal GC was built as part of the effort in that remote New Mexico town to give nuclear scientists some recreation and to keep from going crazy

I think it was Dick Wilson who spent WWI designing air fields for the U.S. military.

And how could anyone overlook the crucial role Alistair MacKenzie played in WWI trench warfare, as well as in camouflage. He wrote several essays about it in military journals, including two posthumously published pieces in "The Military Engineer" that appeared in 1934. Sorry for any factual mistakes as I am in a hotel room and unable to reference my own materials so am writing off the top of my head.

By the way, golf was originally banned in St. Andrews because the king thought that locals were squandering their skills and time when they should have been practising archery and other coastal defenses against invaders.

The most copied hole in the world, the Redan at North Berwick, was so named by soldiers returning from the Crimean War because it evoked an impregnable fortress in Sevastapol.

[Jeff Johnston]

Brian, I read a magazine piece recently on Hayling Golf Club in Hampshire which mentioned the impact of WW II on the course -extract from club website below.

"During the Second World War the course west of the 7th hole was requisitioned by the MoD for anti aircraft defences to stem the Luftwaffe attacks on Portsmouth Dockyard. Evidence of these gun batteries can still be seen on the course. Hayling suffered many bomb attacks and many craters, now grass covered, can be seen between the 9th and 14th fairways."

[Adam Clayman]

I can think of a couple of American examples.

Pacific Grove has an odd round building behind the 13th green. Apparently, it housed a gun turret, protecting the south end of the Monterey Bay from Japanese Submarines, in WWII.

Then there's The Bayonet at Ft. Ord. Purported to be designed by the late mollydooker, General McClure.
   
The Dunes (formerly of Seville) was an old practice range for bombers. Evidence isn't so much visible from the course but upon entry to the property.

The most copied hole in the world, the Redan at North Berwick, was so named by soldiers returning from the Crimean War because it evoked an impregnable fortress in Sevastapol.

Brad, Do you know where and when this well fortified concept was diluted to the point of allowing these holes to be downhill?

[Brian Finn]

Hoover - cool topic.  I suggest you check out When War Played Through by John Strege.  It tells some pretty interesting stories about golf during WWII. 

MacDonald's Lido was used as a military training and admin facility during WWII.  The wartime use of the course seems to have been the final cause of The Lido's demise.  My dad's regular group is joined for nine holes once or twice per week by a friend that returned from his service in Europe via the Lido site.  He was born and raised in Long Beach and recalls playing (not golf) as a child with friends on/near the course.  A couple of years back, I shared with him the old aerials and articles about The Lido that I discovered through this site.  He never did have a chance to play the course, but had some great stories.

[Joe Bausch]

During the Cold War, the city of Philadelphia allowed an army anti-aircraft station to be put onto the original par 5 13th hole in the early 50's.  As a result, the course was re-routed and that is the routing currently in use to this day.

[Marty Bonnar]

Here's a photo of the 'Churchill barriers' from our club website...

http://www.levengolfingsociety.co.uk/course-info.php

F.

[Jonathan Sirois]

The Carnegie Abbey Club (Donald Steel, 2001) in Portsmouth, RI sits on land that was the site of the Battle of Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War in the summer of 1778. Some namesake holes include "Bloody Run," "Hessians' Hole," and "Patriots' Stand." Ironic, really, because Portsmouth is situated on Aquidneck, the island named the "Isle of Peace" by the Narragansett Indian tribe.

See the Club's website for further details: http://www.carnegienewport.com/about.asp

Cheers,
Jon

[Thomas Dai]

And how could anyone overlook the crucial role Alistair MacKenzie played in WWI trench warfare, as well as in camouflage. He wrote several essays about it in military journals, including two posthumously published pieces in "The Military Engineer" that appeared in 1934. Sorry for any factual mistakes as I am in a hotel room and unable to reference my own materials so am writing off the top of my head.

By the way, golf was originally banned in St. Andrews because the king thought that locals were squandering their skills and time when they should have been practising archery and other coastal defenses against invaders.

The most copied hole in the world, the Redan at North Berwick, was so named by soldiers returning from the Crimean War because it evoked an impregnable fortress in Sevastapol.

Good call from Brad about Dr MacK'.

Spion Kop, after which many holes are named, was a hilltop battle site in the Boer War, a war in which Dr MacK' played a role and apparently initially learned about the use of camouflage. The term Spion Kop has since been used to denote terraces at some football grounds, embankments and earthworks around the UK.

All the best.

[Richard Phinney]

You could also consider civil wars. The civil war in Ireland, and its aftermath, had an impact on many clubs, from Lahinch to County Down.

Links at Montrose was bombed directly by the Germans as it was next to a runway and a pilot training facility.

[Joe Bausch]

I believe near the 6th green at Niagara Falls CC (Tilly) is a trench that sheltered Americans during The Battle of Queenstown Heights in the War of 1812.

[BHoover]

Moundbuilders CC, which is east of Columbus in Newark, OH, is built in and amongst some old Indian burial mounds (not sure how they got around historical preservation laws, but that's another topic). I know it's not exactly war, but perhaps there are some warriors buried in those mounds.