1917 Article on Langford

[Ed Oden]

I ran across this May 13, 1917 article in the Tulsa Daily World on William Langford...



I really don't know much about Langford other than the basics.  But a discount double check of this article against Cornish/Whitten and a few available online sources suggests that he had more going on in the early stages of his career than is generally acknowledged.  I have no idea what course he was working on in Tulsa.  The timing doesn't match anything that I am aware of.  How about Colorado?  Doesn't seem he is given credit for anything there.

[Jeff_Brauer]

This is weird...after not being able to open up this site this morning, its up now, but the latest date for posts is January 15, two weeks ago, including losing much of this thread and others.....

[Nigel Islam]

Most of the stuff on Dawson Springs is lost, but I found this today. It is the article on the upper left about the transferring patients to a different institution. Apparently the golf course still existed as of 1964.

[Nigel Islam]

I also inadvertently  found this picture of the previously mentioned Al Amin Temple golf course/Shrine Country Club of Little Rock that we had previously discussed. This is a Langford that existed between 1927-1937. Sven and MWP had engaged in some discussion concerning this.

http://www.cardcow.com/311823/shrine-country-club-little-rock-arkansas/

I think that this clubhouse still exists here. It looks as if there might have been a golf course footprint:

34.53883,-92.340551

For past reference Sven had posted this:

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=6282#

And the current site is called Marylake Monastery:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marylake_Carmelite_Monastery

[Sven Nilsen]

Unfortunately, there was a bunch of really good information that had found its way into this thread that has gone by the wayside.

Going to try my best to recreate much of what was discussed.

First, highlighting the list of 19 courses that Langford had under contract as noted in the article posted above -

Tulsa (1 course)
Kansas City (2 courses)
Illinois (6 courses)
Texas (1 course)
Michigan (2 courses)
Wisconsin (2 courses)
Colorado (2 courses)
Ohio (2 courses)

That leaves one mystery course for which the location is not noted.

[Sven Nilsen]

In the May 1918 edition of Golfer's Magazine, a short blurb on page 30 contained a report from Langford on the status of his projects:

"As evidence that the war has caused no abatement in the construction of golf courses, the recent work of golf architecture by William B. Langford of Chicago may be cited as an example.  Langford reports work on golf course as follows:

Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, nine holes done and eighteen more designed.

Dawson Spring, Ky., Country Club, in connection with the new Karlsbad Hotel, the first of several 18-hole courses.

Lincoln, Neb., Golf and Country Club eighteen holes.

Portage Country Club, Akron, O., eighteen new holes.

Long Acres Country Club, Dunkirk, N.Y., a new club to take over the old Willow Brook Country Club, nine new holes. 

Reports from other golf course architects, if at hand, probably would show as much, if not greater activity, for Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow and Walter Fovargue, all well known golf course builders, are known to have been busy all winter, and they have contracts for summer work."

[Jeff_Brauer]

Sven,

Regarding the TX course, you speculated that it was in Wichita Falls.  I think from the timing it could be the muni course, because the country club opened in 1913.  The public course, Weeks Park. had nine holes originally, and added nine in about 1949.  The two nines were of different quality, and the second nine was credited to some local pro, but no record of the original nine that I found when I was working there.  So, possible, but certainly not confirmed.  Texas is a big place!

[Sven Nilsen]

Jeff -

Here's what I have for dates on the two Wichita Falls courses:

Wichita Falls G&CC - Architect Unknown
-First shows up in the Annual Guides in 1922 with a date of 1918 and 18 holes.
-In the subsequent Annual Guides the date is noted as 1916.

Wichita Falls Municipal GC - Architect Unknown
-First shows up in the Annual Guides in 1925 with a date of 1923 and 18 holes.
-Noted again in the 1926 Guide but is omitted in the later updates.

The guides make it sound like the Municipal course had 18 holes as early as 1925.  Could be a mistake, or simply a report based on an expectation to expand at some point.

Wondering (not questioning) where your 1913 date comes from for the G&CC.  I haven't seen anything that predates 1916, but I haven't really spent much time looking into it.  If the club was actually formed in 1916, and work took place on the course after that date, that opens the door to look into Langford based on the time frame noted in the article above.

Sven

[Nigel Islam]

I had emailed this link to Sven earlier, but I found Fort Wayne CC to be new information. There is also a course that has nine Ross holes in Fort Wayne as well.  I still have trouble establishing when Langford and Moreau established their partnership.

http://www.ftwaynecc.org/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=386947&ssid=306585&vnf=1

[Sven Nilsen]

Here's a list combining the information in the 1917 Article and the blurb from 1918 (I've noted possibilities for courses in various locations where appropriate):

Oklahoma, Tulsa (1 course) - Tulsa CC (per 1917 Article).

Kansas/Missouri - Kansas City (2 courses) - (1) Meadow Lake CC (1917), (2) Milburn G&CC (1917).

Illinois (6 courses) - (1) Bloomington CC (1917), (2) Marquette Park GC (1917), (3) Riverside GC (1917), (4) Winnetka GC, (5) South Bluff CC (1919), (6) Westmoreland CC (1919, w/ Tillinghast).

Texas (1 course) - unknown, but Wichita Falls is one possibility to explore

Michigan (2 courses) - (1) CC of Lansing (1919), (2) Portage Park GC (1916?).

Wisconsin (2 courses) - unknown, perhaps Ozaukee, with construction delayed until the early '20's.

Colorado (2 courses) - (1) Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, nine holes done and eighteen more designed (per 1918 blurb), (2) unknown.

Ohio (2 courses) - (1) Portage Country Club, Akron, O., eighteen new holes (per 1918 blurb), (2) Fairlawn Heights CC (1918).

Kentucky (1 course) - Dawson Spring, Ky., Country Club, in connection with the new Karlsbad Hotel, the first of several 18-hole courses (per 1918 blurb).  Nigel Islam and Jason Thurman have tracked down the location of the Karlsbad and an old aerial showing the presence of a golf course.

Nebraska, Lincoln (1 course) - Golf and Country Club eighteen holes (per 1918 blurb).  I don't recall if we had any more information on this, and if we decided whether or not any work was actually done.  The Annual Guides note a new course being built in 1923, and the work is noted as being done by W. Tucker and G. MacMillan.

New York, Dunkirk (1 course) - Long Acres Country Club, Dunkirk, N.Y., a new club to take over the old Willow Brook Country Club, nine new holes (per 1918 blurb).  This course became Shorewood CC (1918), which is still in existence.

Here are some additional courses that Langford worked on from prior to 1920:

Indiana - Fort Wayne CC (1916) - per club's website as noted by Nigel above.
Tennessee - Ridgeway CC (1919)

[Nigel Islam]

In the May 1918 edition of Golfer's Magazine, a short blurb on page 30 contained a report from Langford on the status of his projects:

"As evidence that the war has caused no abatement in the construction of golf courses, the recent work of golf architecture by William B. Langford of Chicago may be cited as an example.  Langford reports work on golf course as follows:

Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, nine holes done and eighteen more designed.

Dawson Spring, Ky., Country Club, in connection with the new Karlsbad Hotel, the first of several 18-hole courses.

Lincoln, Neb., Golf and Country Club eighteen holes.

Portage Country Club, Akron, O., eighteen new holes.

Long Acres Country Club, Dunkirk, N.Y., a new club to take over the old Willow Brook Country Club, nine new holes.  

Reports from other golf course architects, if at hand, probably would show as much, if not greater activity, for Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow and Walter Fovargue, all well known golf course builders, are known to have been busy all winter, and they have contracts for summer work."

Dawson Springs only ever had nine holes built. Originally the plan was for a hotel and more holes. The Karlsbad was never built due to WW1, and the site became a VA Hospital/ Tuberculosis Sanitorium with a nine hole golf course.

[Sven Nilsen]

Nigel:

Best way to track down the L&M timing is to look at old ads in the various golf magazines.  For example, I just found one from January 1922 listing both of them, while an ad from 1920 names Langford solo.  If I come across any more, I'll add in the dates here.

Sven

Note:  I keep updating this post as info comes up in a search I'm doing.  Just came across this record from the "Industrial Development and Manufacturer's Record, Vol. 77" with a date of April 8, 1920:

Miss., Clarksdale - Clubhouse. - T.L. Moreau, 146 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill., Landscape Archt. for $125,000 clubhouse, golf course and residential park; Wm. B. Langford, Golf Course Archt., Clarksdale.

[Sven Nilsen]

A kindly soul forwarded another ad from June 1921 listing both of L&M, and pointed out that 1918 has been identified by others as the date that they started working together.

It wouldn't surprise me if Langford kept advertising under his name alone for a little while after they started working together, and that changed as the working dynamic became more of a partnership over the years.

Sven

[Rees Milikin]

Did L&M ever build anything farther south than TN?  Also, I am having trouble finding the thread about their courses in TN, if anyone has the link, I would appreciate it.

[Sven Nilsen]

Rees:

They did a bunch of work in Florida in the 20's (around the same time that Stiles & Van Kleek were busy down there).  They also did build the course in Clarksdale, MS noted in one of my earlier posts which I believe opened in 1921.

Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

In the May 1921 edition of Golfer's Magazine, Langford provided a further update:

"The wide activity in golf-course construction this season is indicated by a statement by Willie Langford, who is preparing plans and superintending the construction of courses at Devil's Lake, N.D.; Omaha, Topeka, Des Moines, Memphis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Lansing, Mich.; Gary, Ind.; Clarksdale, Miss., Port Sewell, Fla., and Palm Beach, Fla."

Here are all of those courses identified by name (or a best guess at which course was referred to):

Devil's Lake, N.D. - Devil's Lake Town & Country Club
Omaha - a little too early for Happy Hollow, possibly Highland CC
Topeka -
Des Moines - Wakonda Club
Memphis - Chickasaw CC
Chicago - Bryn Mawr CC, Butterfield CC
Milwaukee - Ozaukee CC
Lansing, Mich. - CC of Lansing (I noted 1919 earlier, but possible the course wasn't built until later)
Gary, Ind. - Gary CC
Clarksdale, Miss. - Clarksdale CC
Port Sewell, Fla. - St. Lucie River CC
Palm Beach, Fla. - West Palm Beach CC

[Rees Milikin]

Rees:

They did a bunch of work in Florida in the 20's (around the same time that Stiles & Van Kleek were busy down there).  They also did build the course in Clarksdale, MS noted in one of my earlier posts which I believe opened in 1921.

Sven

I would be interested to see the Clarksdale, MS golf course or if anyone here has been there, let me know if it has some of the L&M style.

Are any of the FL courses still in existence?

[Sven Nilsen]

Rees:

Here's an article from August 29, 1925 edition of The Palm Beach Post which discusses a few of the Florida courses (and a few others):




Here are the courses noted:

Miami Biltmore CC, Miami, FL
Hialeah CC, Miami, FL (aka Miami Municipal Links)
Kelsey City CC, West Palm Beach, FL
Key West Municipal GC, Key West, FL
West Palm Beach CC, West Palm Beach, FL
Bryn Mawr Club, Chicago, IL
Twin Orchards Club, Chicago, IL
Riverside Club, Chicago, IL
Park Ridge Club, Chicago, IL
Culver Military Academy, Culver, IN
Texarkana CC, Texarkana, AR and TX
Colonial Club, Memphis Tennesse
Waponda (Wakonda) Club, Des Moines, IA
Long Acres Club, Dunkirk, NY

[JMEvensky]

Regarding the 3 Memphis clubs listed:

Ridgeway CC moved in 1971 to a new location--Ellis Maples designed the golf course.

Colonial CC moved in the early 70's to a new location--they now have 2 golf courses,Joe Finger designed each.

Chickasaw CC is still there and very little change has been made.

[Nigel Islam]

Rees:

They did a bunch of work in Florida in the 20's (around the same time that Stiles & Van Kleek were busy down there).  They also did build the course in Clarksdale, MS noted in one of my earlier posts which I believe opened in 1921.

Sven

I would be interested to see the Clarksdale, MS golf course or if anyone here has been there, let me know if it has some of the L&M style.

Are any of the FL courses still in existence?

Rees,

Eglin AFB Eagle in Niceville, Fl is on the panhandle and is decent. (I liked it a lot)
Texarkanna CC in Arkansas has a very good reputation.

[Sven Nilsen]

The Topeka notation from Langford in the 1921 Golfer's Magazine article is a bit of a puzzle.

I did some digging into Topeka CC.  The common story is that Maxwell extended the course to 18 holes in 1938.  This runs counter to reports in the Annual Guides, which have the course transitioning from 9 to 18 holes as early as 1923.

I recall some discussion of Brad Klein proving that TCC could not have been a Ross as he would have to have been taken off of a train to do the work, but I don't remember the specifics of the conversation, including the dates in question.  Anyone have any more information on this?

Sven

[Mike Hendren]

Regarding the 3 Memphis clubs listed:

Chickasaw CC is still there and very little change has been made.

I was under the impression that very little Langford remained at Chickasaw and that they have been considering a restoration.  I know at least one architect on this site was interviewed by them several years ago.

Bogey

[Jim_Kennedy]

Here's an article with a few photos of Tulsa CC from 1922 - as an 18 hole course.
http://tinyurl.com/oc5835j

The 5th hole looks interesting.


p.s. Some info on the "James Kennedy" (no relation) mentioned in the article:
 
In 1920 the first of the champions of Indian blood won the title. Jim Kennedy. part Osage, first took the state title and held it for four straight years before he was dislodged by Keefe Carter, Oklahoma City. The Kennedys, who live in Tulsa just across the line in the Osage nation, have been leaders in developing the game in the state. Jim's sister, Anne Kennedy Parish, twice has gone to the finals in the women's state tournament. The Kennedys own two golf courses here. One is a public course, the other the links rented from them by the Tulsa Country Club.

[JMEvensky]

I was under the impression that very little Langford remained at Chickasaw and that they have been considering a restoration.  I know at least one architect on this site was interviewed by them several years ago.

Bogey

Sorry,just saw this.

Wouldn't be the first time I was 180* wrong,but my understanding was the only things changed were some tee boxes and bunkers (save for 1 hole effected by an apartment complex).The golf course is shoe horned into so small a property that I don't know what they could do.

I've not heard of any current plans to do any renovation.

[Sven Nilsen]

One of the six Illinois courses Langford notes as under contract in the 1917 article would have been Calumet CC. 

This old thread notes that Langford was engaged to do a layout for the club at that time.  However, it appears that the original work fell victim to the war years, and that the club proceeded with a Ross design in the early '20's.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,22998.0.html

Sven