[Ken Fry]

Sven,


What we've learned to this point is that St. Joe Valley CC, Miami Country Club and Eberhart-Petro GC were all located on the same basic tract of land.  Th original St.Joe Valley CC clubhouse I believe is still standing on a bluff overlooking the current 9th hole.  Entrance to it is actually off Byrkit, not Miami Club.


The other course you referenced is the current day Erskine Park GC.  I have to admit, I was not aware George O'Neil did Erskine as he also did South Bend CC's course in 1916.  Maybe that's his local connection for Erskine.  Erskine's location is on Miami Road and Ireland Road and hasn't changed since opening.


What I find interesting is the article referencing the Studebaker Civic Club wishing to purchase and build an 18 hole golf course on "the old country club grounds" in 1916.  Miami Country Club was founded in 1916 and utilized the land for their course.  Whether it was a completely different course from the original St. Joe Valley CC I'm not sure but St. Joe Valley shut down in 1911.  Eberhart purchased the land and donated the nine hole Miami Country Club course to the city of Mishawaka when they closed in 1920.  He then built his mansion on the same bluff as the Miami CC clubhouse which is now known as "Eberhart Mansion."  The additional nine holes built on the north side of the river were not completed until 1949.


The pro at Eberhart is a friend of mine and he was unaware of all of this information.  He's going to touch base with his older local players along with the family who owns "The Eberhart Mansion."


Ken

[Sven Nilsen]

Ken:


I'm pretty sure the Studebaker reference is separate from the Mishwaka resident reference.  The article is discussing two separate courses.


Sven

[V. Kmetz]

Hi Ken, all...


You guys are good!!!


Let me contribute this to KF's original question...


Ken, the Town/City Clerk is an invaluable resource to me. First thing I do is locate the block and lot number(s) of the property(s) in question, and pull the property card(s) - see the record of ownership, and sometimes, there can be various maps associated with that file (even later ones, AFTER a golf course was abandoned, can be valuable).


With properties going back that far, it is rare to get a Rosetta stone find like that, but it helps me eyeball the process of property development...sometimes you get a toehold with a holding company name and that gives you further avenues to track down what that entity was doing...their document record, press clips, etc... which again, can lead to all sorts of discoveries...


For the last six months I have been engaged with the detailed history of a dead course that lived from 1926-1930 and in that connection the "Rosetta stone" was the voluminous (I would discover!) court record of 1 criminal and 4 civil trials in regard to the burning of the intended clubhouse campus in 1930...I've read, reviewed and re-read about 4000 pages of trial record and nearly 150 exhibits attendant to the case(s).


I don't know how such divisions are broken up in other states, but here in Westchester County, many such items are only available in/through the County Clerk's office, which many times leads me over to their records/archive building a few miles away, and so, if a property has any state/federal transportation considerations (a highway or train line was built nearby the course, conservation area is nearby) you may stumble onto some good stuff.


Bottom line, the municipal clerk's(') office are a natural base camp for such research.


cheers


vk

[BCrosby]

V. makes a good point. County courthouses are invaluable resources. All property transfers will be recorded there. With a decent legal description of the property on which a golf course is (or was) located, the history of its ownership can be tracked. Title examiners do that sort of thing every day. But in most places you need to actually go to the courthouse and thumb through the property indexes. The indexes are easy to figure out, but you need to go there to use them (or hire a title examiner to do it).


Bob

[Sven Nilsen]

An updated list of South Bend courses:

CC of St. Joseph Valley aka Miami CC aka Eberhart-Petro GC (1900) - 9 holes laid out by Herbert Tweedie in 1900.  Possible these were separately constructed courses (or major remodels) on the same site, with 9 holes being added north of the river in 1949.

Sunnyside GC (??) - Possible that this is the 9 hole course that Bendelow laid out c. 1904.  Course was known as the Studebaker's club.  Reports of its existence run at least until the mid-20's.

South Bend CC fka Chain O'Lakes GC (1916) - 18 holes laid out by George O'Neil.

Erskine Park Municipal GC (1925) - 18 holes laid out by George O'Neil, remodeled by William Diddel in 1934.

Coquillard GC nka Morris Park CC (1926) - 18 holes, Architect unknown.

Studebaker Municipal GC (1929) - 9 holes, Architect unknown.  Reports of plans for a course in the Studebaker District in 1916.  Course first appears in the 1931 Annual Guide with a date of organization of 1929.

I'd like to find out more about Sunnyside, as its the one course from the list above that seems to have received the least coverage. 

[Sven Nilsen]

A description of the Sunny Side GC from the 1909-1910 South Bend Blue Book.  The same book notes the course was located off of Eddy St. south of Jefferson, which puts it close to where my folks lived in South Bend when they were there. 

[MCirba]

Great job, guys.   This is a very cool thread.   Thanks!

[Jim_Kennedy]

Sven,
The Secretary of the club, Frederick S. Fish, called his home "Sunnyside" and it's the plot marked "G.S. Fish" in the upper l.hand corner on the old plat map. The "G" was his wife, nee Grace Studebaker.


The N/S road at the left on the old plat map is Eddy St.


A 1909 article mentions that the course, The Sunnyside Country Club and Golf Links, was owned by Studebaker family.

[Bill_McBride]

One of the great resources is the array of aerial photos from the Dallin archives.  I forget where they are located, someone will know.  You can superimpose over a Google Earth image and see where the courses on the aerials from the '30's sat.  I got some 1938 aerial photos of our course in Pensacola, they were amazingly evocative of what the old course looked like.

The Dallin photos are at the Hagley Museum and I'm pretty certain Victor didn't fly out to Indiana!

You sure?  He flew over Pensacola, I have the photos to prove it hanging in my clubhouse.  Matt Davenport alerted me to them. 

[Ken Fry]

An updated list of South Bend courses:

CC of St. Joseph Valley aka Miami CC aka Eberhart-Petro GC (1900) - 9 holes laid out by Herbert Tweedie in 1900.  Possible these were separately constructed courses (or major remodels) on the same site, with 9 holes being added north of the river in 1949.

Sunnyside GC (??) - Possible that this is the 9 hole course that Bendelow laid out c. 1904.  Course was known as the Studebaker's club.  Reports of its existence run at least until the mid-20's.

South Bend CC fka Chain O'Lakes GC (1916) - 18 holes laid out by George O'Neil.

Erskine Park Municipal GC (1925) - 18 holes laid out by George O'Neil, remodeled by William Diddel in 1934.

Coquillard GC nka Morris Park CC (1926) - 18 holes, Architect unknown.

Studebaker Municipal GC (1929) - 9 holes, Architect unknown.  Reports of plans for a course in the Studebaker District in 1916.  Course first appears in the 1931 Annual Guide with a date of organization of 1929.

I'd like to find out more about Sunnyside, as its the one course from the list above that seems to have received the least coverage.

Great stuff Sven.  From my reading I would add the following:

St. Joe Valley was laid out by Tweedie.  Miami Country Club had 9 holes laid out by Tom Bendelow.  What I'm curious about is if any of Tweedie's course was used in the Bendelow routing and if any of the Bendelow routing is still used today on the 9 holes south of the river.

For Sunnyside, I read in an old South Bend Tribune about the Studebaker's donating a large tract of land for gardening (apparently there was a big movement to do this in the early 1900's).  The referenced land was adjacent to the Sunnyside GC.  Jim has the location nailed down in the overhead shot.  I agree not much else mentions the course, especially it's demise.

Morris Park CC (Coquillard Club when it opened) was designed by Bob Dustin and built on the farmland of the Coquillard family.  Ground was broken on the course in 1923 with first rounds played in 1926.

One other item I'm confused by.  When I read of Sunnyside forming, it was listed as the third club in the area.  St. Joe Valley was first.  What was second??  South Bend Country Club was incorporated in 1900 but had no course.  I'm assuming the newspaper article was referencing Sunnyside as the third course but is it possible just the third organized social group?

Thanks again guys.  This has been fun.

Ken

[Jim_Kennedy]

Couldn't resist posting this - it's the sign at the companies old proving grounds in New Carlisle, IN.


It measures 2,080' long by 260' tall and is considered to be the world's longest living advertising sign

[Ken Fry]

Couldn't resist posting this - it's the sign at the companies old proving grounds in New Carlisle, IN.


It measures 2,080' long by 260' tall and is considered to be the world's longest living advertising sign

Jim,

As another side note, the Studebaker proving grounds were the first automotive company owned test track and proving grounds in the world.  The Studebaker's summer cottage is seen below the "E" on the right of the screen.

Ken

[Jim_Kennedy]

There is an article in the March 2, 1918 Logansport Pharos-Tribune that says the Studebaker Park golf links in South Bend will be given over to the city war garden committee for the coming season. It was being cut into 290 plots, each measuring 45' x 90', grand total = 27 acs.


That may have been the end of it until it was reopened as the muni sometime later.




Ken,
That sign is very cool. I read that it was being restored and donors could sponsored a letter for 2k.   

[Ken Fry]

There is an article in the March 2, 1918 Logansport Pharos-Tribune that says the Studebaker Park golf links in South Bend will be given over to the city war garden committee for the coming season. It was being cut into 290 plots, each measuring 45' x 90', grand total = 27 acs.

That may have been the end of it until it was reopened as the muni sometime later.

Jim,

You may have just nailed down the demise of Sunnyside we've been looking for.  Once the course was broken up and plots sold, it makes sense the area would be developed into the neighborhood that is there today.

Here's an announcement of 80 acres next to the golf course being donated by the Studebakers:

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87055779/1917-04-16/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1900&index=6&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&lccn=&words=golf+Sunnyside&proxdistance=5&state=&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=sunnyside+golf&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

Ken

[Sven Nilsen]

Miami Country Club had 9 holes laid out by Tom Bendelow.  What I'm curious about is if any of Tweedie's course was used in the Bendelow routing and if any of the Bendelow routing is still used today on the 9 holes south of the river.

Ken:


Do you have a source for Bendelow working at Miami CC? 


Thanks,


Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

There is an article in the March 2, 1918 Logansport Pharos-Tribune that says the Studebaker Park golf links in South Bend will be given over to the city war garden committee for the coming season. It was being cut into 290 plots, each measuring 45' x 90', grand total = 27 acs.

That may have been the end of it until it was reopened as the muni sometime later.

Jim,

You may have just nailed down the demise of Sunnyside we've been looking for.  Once the course was broken up and plots sold, it makes sense the area would be developed into the neighborhood that is there today.

Here's an announcement of 80 acres next to the golf course being donated by the Studebakers:

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87055779/1917-04-16/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1900&index=6&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&lccn=&words=golf+Sunnyside&proxdistance=5&state=&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=sunnyside+golf&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

Ken

There are notations for Sunnyside CC being in existence at least as late as 1922.

[Ken Fry]

Miami Country Club had 9 holes laid out by Tom Bendelow.  What I'm curious about is if any of Tweedie's course was used in the Bendelow routing and if any of the Bendelow routing is still used today on the 9 holes south of the river.

Ken:


Do you have a source for Bendelow working at Miami CC? 


Thanks,


Sven

Sven,

I haven't been avoiding the question but trying to find mention of it again!!  I can't believe I didn't make note of the paper!  I'll forward when found.

Jim,

Studebaker Golf Course and Sunnyside GC are not connected.  Studebaker GC was opened in 1919 as a municipal facility in a different location than Sunnyside.

Ken

[Sven Nilsen]

A little follow up on this old thread.


The Coquillard GC (n/k/a Morris Park) appears to have been designed by none other than Tom Bendelow.  Be interesting to find out if the plan below matches what was built.


Sept. 7, 1924 South Bend Tribune -





Text enlarged -

[Ken Fry]

Good memories catching up with this old thread.  I jumped jobs a few years ago and all this research has been tabled.

Sven, is the newspaper date correct in your post?  The location and all information point directly to what is now Morris Park CC but was known at the time as the Coquillard Club.  The course as it's routed today was by Bob Dustin in 1923.  They must have expanded the size of the tract of land located on the NW side of the property.  There is a very small neighborhood there now.  None of the holes Bendelow apparently designed were built.

What's interesting is George O'Neil was well known in the area and recommended Tom Bendelow to design the course, yet the decision was made to engage with Bob Dustin?

As was mentioned earlier in the thread,  the Sunnyside Golf Course was located on the south side of Jefferson Blvd.  Ironically, a friend of mine owns the house that was once the clubhouse for the course!

Ken

[Sven Nilsen]

Ken:


The date is 100% correct.  I've copied below a second article on the start of the club/course.


Do you have any contemporaneous accounts of Dustin doing the routing?


Looking at the map, although the routing isn't exactly the same as today's course, there are some similarities.


Sven


Aug. 1, 1925 South Bend Tribune -

[Ken Fry]

Sven,

I was an assistant professional at Morris Park from 1994-1997.  The history of the club always claimed a Bob Dustin design.  The claim also included an opening of the course in 1923.

The Bendelow layout shows the entrance in a different place and enough variation from the current layout.  Bob Lohmann was brought in during my time with the club in 1996 but nothing with the routing was changed.

I found an interesting article within the "Western Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association" Newsletter from July/August 1983 talking about the Dustin family.  Follow this link to pages 11-12:

https://listings.lib.msu.edu/westv/1983julaug.pdf

Is it possible over the years he was given design credit over Bendelow for changes he suggested?  Again, it seems odd these articles discuss the potential of a new course in 1925 when apparently the course was claimed to have been completed and opened in 1923.

Ken

[Sven Nilsen]

Ken:


That 1923 date is off by a few years.  The club was still seeking proposals for the design in 1925.


As for the 1924 Bendelow plan, by the looks of the late 1930's aerials the course on the ground at that point appears to be what is there today.  It would seem that at some point the club acquired additional land in the northwest corner of the plot that could be used for the course.  Whether the initial plan of what was actually built was done by Bendelow, Dustin or someone else remains a mystery to me.  But it is clear that Bendelow was involved in the early deliberations.


Sven

[Ken Fry]

I wonder if Bob Dustin was involved in the engineering and construction at MPCC similar to nearby Hampshire Golf Course where design credit is to Edward Lawrence Packard.

It's telling a well know architect like Tom Bendelow would be present at development meetings.  I contacted the professional staff at MPCC who are reviewing this thread with great interest.  There's not much historical information to be found at the club.

Great find Sven!

Ken

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