Kebo Valley Club (HC Leeds 1892) - photos

[Brad Tufts]

Mike,
I assume you know the restrictions that Canada places on foreigners crossing the boarder. If not, do your research.

That you, uh, need a passport now?


Kebo is great, negative nellies on this one are crazy.  Sure it's no frills, your cooler won't have complimentary water, and there is no GPS on the cart, and the range is a net...but I would be surprised if anyone on this site wouldn't love it.  It's old-timey golf that is unique and pure fun.


For the adventurous, 75mins inland from Mt. Desert Island in Orono is a Donald Ross gem at Penobscot Valley.  It's been recently revamped (controversially-wavy-edged bunkers have drawn the ire of some), but well worth a game. 


I have played Algonquin, and it's just an upscale public in a great location.  Nothing Ross remaining...it was a mail-in Ross 27 back then anyhow, now 100% McBroom.  Kebo and Penobby are better golf courses.  I'd even take Northeast Harbor (also on Mt. Desert) over Algonquin if you can wangle a round there...another old-timey gem that is public off-season. 

[MCirba]

Brad,

In looking at Border Crossing sites it seems beyond Driver's License and Passport I'll now also need something called "NEXUS" for land travel?   https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus

[Mike Hamilton]

Jeff and Chris,

Good questions.   We ended up booking 3 nights in Bar Harbor at the Holiday Inn Resort on the water that Jack Crisham recommended on the other thread.   Hoping to play Cape Arundel on the drive up, then on to Bar Harbor where we're staying.   Should have no trouble seeing a lot while still playing Kebo and we've booked a lobster boat that does seal and whale watching as well during a 2-hour cruise and renting bikes at Acadia sounds like part of the plan as well.   

Then, driving up to Cabot.

A day on bikes in Acadia is a must.   Everyone in my family from myself, an avid biker, to my wife, a somewhat reluctant one, had a blast.   We also did sea kayaking which got more mixed reviews but I enjoyed.


I didn't bring clubs since the car was jammed with bikes etc., now wished I had tried Kebo.

[Brad Tufts]

Brad,

In looking at Border Crossing sites it seems beyond Driver's License and Passport I'll now also need something called "NEXUS" for land travel?   https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus

Hi Mike,

I'm pretty sure NEXUS is just a pre-clearance for Canada (and other countries) so you can bypass some lines in customs...much like TSA Precheck for US travel.  I'm pretty sure you only need a passport to cross by car, which is a change because pre 2005 or so,  you only needed to show your license.  I follow these things because my family has a summer house in Northern Maine about 40 minutes from New Brunswick on I-95.

[Chris DeToro]

That's right--NEXUS is a pre-clearance.  Just need a passport to get over the border which is a change from years past

[Michael Moore]

This was a terrific little photo tour and thread.

Has anything further been learned over the past decade as to the architect of the 2nd nine holes at Kebo Valley?

Mike -


The second nine is Andrew Liscombe for sure, with some work later by Waldron Bates. The Maine State Golf Association is doing a centennial book this year, and our writer will be spending a full day at Kebo. So yes, stay tuned for more information on these two very mysterious gentlemen.

[Jeff Taylor]

People are turned away for American misdemeanor violations that are felonies in Canada. They look back 10 years and if you have an incident, you better know the exact dates, the exact resolution, and the date of that resolution.
Now I assume we are all upstanding citizens on this forum and have spotless records but the simple task of checking these things out can avoid hassles.

[MCirba]

Mike -

The second nine is Andrew Liscombe for sure, with some work later by Waldron Bates. The Maine State Golf Association is doing a centennial book this year, and our writer will be spending a full day at Kebo. So yes, stay tuned for more information on these two very mysterious gentlemen.

Michael,

Thanks for that additional information, it's greatly appreciated.

Here's what Golf Digest has presently in terms of Kebo.   I take it from your response that the second nine built sometime after 1910 was when Liscombe added the second nine?   

Also, I'd be surprised if Leeds work was as early as 1892.   I'm not sure he was even playing golf by then.  I suspect it was actually 1893-94 time period.   Lockwood is also an interesting mention.   

Kebo Valley C., Bar Harbor, Me.

Herbert Leeds, 6 1892.

Three holes added by Andrew Liscombe, 1896.

9 holes added by Arthur Lockwood, 1917.

Remodeled by Donald Ross, 1926.

Remodeled by Brad Booth, 1999.

***ADDENDUM***  - The New York Herald on July 22, 1894 reported;

GOLF  CLUB   FORMED.   
A  golf  club  has  been  formed   through   the   ef-
forts   of  Herbert   C.  Leeds,   a  champion   player,   
and  links  have  been  laid  out  at  Kebo  Valley.

[MCirba]

Chris and Brad,

Thanks for the clarification on the border crossing.  Greatly appreciated!

People are turned away for American misdemeanor violations that are felonies in Canada. They look back 10 years and if you have an incident, you better know the exact dates, the exact resolution, and the date of that resolution.
Now I assume we are all upstanding citizens on this forum and have spotless records but the simple task of checking these things out can avoid hassles.

Jeff,

I'm hoping that they don't have access to GolfClubAtlas Discussion Group archives or I might be detained for an extended period.

[MCirba]

A bit more from the Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 1894;

It seems as if  Bar Harbor  will  follow  in  the  foot-steps  of  other fashionable resorts in adopting the new  game,  golf.
Although the season  is in its infancy, yet much interest  is  being   manifested in the arrangements and  golf  promises  to be the favorite   game.    Herbert   Leeds, of Boston,  who is an enthusiast  on the  subject,  looked  over  the  ground at Kebo   Valley,  and   made   arrangements for the introduction of the pastime.  The facilities for playing it at Kebo are very good. 
 

[Sven Nilsen]

Mike:

I agree that the 1892 date doesn't make sense.  As late as 1916 the Annual Guide reported that the club was formed in 1888 and that golf was added around 1895.  That being said, there are other sources that claim that golf was being played up there as early as 1888.

Here's a Chicago Tribune article from July 29, 1894 that mirrors the Inquirer article you posted, although it doesn't mention Leeds.



The 1896-97 Golfing Annual is the first course guide that I'm aware of that lists Kebo Valley (as Mount Kebo GC), and gives it a date of institution of 1894.



The course was altered by Bates some time around 1896 to 1898, as noted in the Nov. 1900 edition of Golf Magazine and the 1900 Harpers Guide.






It is of interest to note that hole distances given above as compared to those in the 1902 Official Golf Guide, as it appears some minor changes were made although the general layout doesn't appear to have changed.



As for the additional 9 holes, the first reporting I have of their existence is in the 1920 Annual Guide which notes they were added as of July 15, 1917.  This is when Shirley Liscomb was most likely involved, as we was the pro throughout the teens and through the 20's.  Lockwood may have had some input as well, although the club history seems to suggest it was Leeds who played the biggest role in the expansion of the course. 

The Ross attribution is a big question mark for me, as I have not seen anything linking him to the course.

A couple of photos:

1900 Harpers -



Sept. 1901 Golf Magazine -



June 1927 Golf Illustrated -

[MCirba]

Thanks Sven, that's very helpful.

I came across the following article from the New York Herald from July 1916.   It seems prominent club officer (and Superintendent of Acadia National Park) George B. Dorr had "one of the country's foremost golf experts" (Leeds?  Lockwood?) down prior to "lay out" the course which was then going to be built by superintendent Andrew Liscomb, father of pro Shirley Liscomb.   

Also interesting in a twilight zone GCA kind of way that the company formed to due all the legal property wrangling elected one T. DeWitt Cuyler of Merion fame to lead the deal. 

I speculated both Leeds and Lockwood because by 1916 there was a lot of talk around then by USGA hardliners about forcing any amateurs who designed golf courses to become professional.   If it was a pro like Donald Ross I think it's more likely that would have been mentioned in the article, but who knows.   


Here's another from the same publication from June of 1917 that indicates the course has been built, if not yet playable.   I suspect the war intervened and they didn't start playing all 18 until around 1920.



The only contribution I've seen from Donald Ross is from online club history, as follows;

September 3, 1926: One of the nation’s leading golf architects, Donald Ross, wrote that the third hole should be rebuilt. Ross argued that an approach shot failing to reach the lofty summit would ignominiously roll back downhill past the luckless golfer. As the blood pressure of the then average portly member of Kebo rose, arteries hardened and breath, as well as tempers, became short. It was eventually decided that the climb to the “Shangri-La” green should be eliminated. Today, members often wonder how it might be to play the third hole as it was originally constructed.

[Sven Nilsen]

I don't think Leeds or Lockwood would have been considered one of the "country's foremost golf experts" in 1916, but I've seen that phrase used with a good degree of artistic license elsewhere.

Not looking to delve back into the bonafides of Leeds here, but by 1916 there were too many other big names that were highly active in the design business.

As for Lockwood, I don't think there is any doubt of his "professional" status.

There is a May 1917 Golf Illustrated article on Lockwood discussing the use of dynamite in the construction of golf courses which notes that he had used the technique twice in Maine (one of which would have been Northeast Harbor).



A couple of follow up articles.  The first two note some early changes to the course, indicating that Kebo Valley like many other early US courses was continually being tinkered with.  The third is a followup on the 1916 move to expand to 18 holes.

Aug. 11, 1901 New York Tribune -



July 19, 1903 New York Tribune -



July 2, 1916 The Sun -



Sven

[MCirba]

Sven,

Good discussion and some fun research, thanks.   More to come but it will likely need to wait til Monday.

[Mike Sweeney]

Sven,

Good discussion and some fun research, thanks.   More to come but it will likely need to wait til Monday.

The Bar Harbor Historical Society posted three pictures of different clubhouses for Kebo, see May 5th:


https://www.facebook.com/bhhistsoc/

[MCirba]

Mike,

Thanks for sharing.   Those first two clubhouse fires must have lost some of their records as some of  the dates listed on their website don't measure up to contemporaneous reporting in some cases.

[MCirba]

I don't think Leeds or Lockwood would have been considered one of the "country's foremost golf experts" in 1916, but I've seen that phrase used with a good degree of artistic license elsewhere.

Not looking to delve back into the bonafides of Leeds here, but by 1916 there were too many other big names that were highly active in the design business.

As for Lockwood, I don't think there is any doubt of his "professional" status.

Hi Sven,

In the case of guys who would be viewed as one of the country's leading golf experts in 1916, I think I'd respectfully disagree.   At that time Myopia had hosted the US Open in 1898, 1901, 1905, and 1908 and was considered among the very top courses in the country.   Some foreign writers and others like Alex Findlay maintained that it was the best course in the US, even after the advent of NGLA.   Similarly, his Palmetto course was a very popular winter retreat and ditto with Kebo as a summer getaway.   Exactly how many golf experts were there in 1916 is a good question and yes, I've seen it used liberally as well.

Arthur Lockwood at that time was a 3-time Massachusetts Amateur champion who was delving into architecture and sailed with Francis Ouimet to play in the 1914 British Amateur.   After WWI I know he became the pro at French Lick, with some accounts have him completing Donald Ross's course there,  but am uncertain when his amateur to professional status changed?   Did he get swept up in the same net that got Walter Travis and Ouimet around 1916?

In any case, I think to a sportswriter talking about events in Bar Harbor in 1916, both of these men would have been viewed as experts, a term often used in those days to relate playing abilities as much as architectural qualities.

Here's a few more articles referring to Leeds in the earliest years of golf at Kebo. 

Boston Post 1895/06/16



St. Louis Dispatch 1896/07/19



New York World 1897/06/06



New York Times 1898/07/24

[Sven Nilsen]

Mike:

Do you have articles on Leeds' expertise that date from the 20th century?

A lot happened in the evolution of American golf architecture between 1899 and 1915.

Sven

[MCirba]

Mike:

Do you have articles on Leeds' expertise that date from the 20th century?

A lot happened in the evolution of American golf architecture between 1899 and 1915.

Sven

Sure thing, Sven thanks.

I didn't find the one in particular I was looking for in a brief search but I think there's a nice sampling below.   While I would agree that a lot changed philosophically in terms of architectural thinking in the US (led by Travis, Ross, Macdonald, et.al.) during this period, by 1915 there still was not a lot on the ground reflecting that thinking.   NGLA set a high bar and the continued work refining Garden City was meritorious but not much else but those and Myopia had achieved greatness through 1915.   Merion was still in a rough, largely unbunkered state, Pine Valley was unfinished and having agronomic difficulties, Lido was not yet open, Oakmont was evolving, Brookline a mixed bag, etc.   In nearly all of those cases it was amateurs like Leeds working with their courses over a lengthy period of years effort that eventually achieved excellence.

In any case, by 1916 I believe Leeds was clearly viewed, even by golf experts abroad, as one of the few American "experts" in golf course architecture.   

From Walter Travis, Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 14, 1906




From H.J. Whigham, as reprinted in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 30, 1909




From Horace Hutchinson, Asbury Park Press November 14, 1910




From John G. Anderson, NY Sun September 11, 1916



All that being said, I strongly suspect that Ron Whitten and Golf Digest may be correct that the person involved in the second nine was Arthur G. Lockwood.   The geography and timing feel right and he's a bit too much of a no-name (these days) for him to have just mistakenly attributed that work in 1916 without some evidence to that effect.   I hope we can find his source for that information.

[Sven Nilsen]

We'll agree to disagree on who would have been referred to as a "foremost golf expert" in 1916.  I'm not denigrating Leeds' work at Myopia or his few other efforts, rather noting he had moved on to other interests and his design work was well behind him at this point (note that all of the work cited in the articles you posted refers to work done well in the past).  In any case, as I noted above just about every time I've seen this type of phrase used without an actual name associated with it the person being referred to was no one we would consider a leading name.


And I think you undersell the number of highly regarded courses that see their genesis in the 1910 to 1915 range (including the work of Colt, Barker, Watson, Bendelow and others that you didn't name).


Your suppositions on Lockwood do have the support that he was active in the area around that time, but at the same time it could be that some one along the line confused Lockwood with Liscomb.  As you noted, probably best to reserve any judgments until something comes to light.


Sven

[MCirba]

Sounds good, Sven.   Thanks for your continued efforts on this and other threads.

[MCirba]

It appears that the great Harry Vardon also had some input on the design of Kebo Valley, as indicated in this snippet from the September 23rd, 1900 "Philadelphia Inquirer" article.

The hole in question sounds very  much like today's 5th.   I was fortunate to play Kebo last week and it's a splendid old course with a lot of similarities to Myopia Hunt.

"It Is planned to make    some   extensive    alterations in  the links.    These    alterations  as  planned  in-
clude   an  expenditure  of about   $500  on   the fair   greens'  and   something   over   $1000 on the  remainder
  of the  course.    The  Improve-
ments   will  be In  line   with   some   sugges-
tions  made  by Harry   Vardon  on the  occa-
sion  of  his  recent    visit    here.  It   was   
thought  by  him   that   the   course   could
 be greatly   Improved  by lengthening   the   long   
hold  to  500  yards  and  straightening   the  el-
bow   hole,   placing  the teeing   ground   near   
the  brook  in the  woods  to  the  south  of
 the Birches   Green,   and   clearing   out   the   trees   
In  the line  of  play.    Something   over   $800   
has   already   been   subscribed  for the
 purpose.    The  Kebo  links  now  rank  among  the 
very  best  In  the  country..."

[MCirba]

I found something a bit earlier on Kebo Valley this morning, from the July 22, 1894 Philadelphia Inquirer.   

Just adding for sake of completeness on this thread.