GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture Discussion Group
Reunderstanding Ross
Sven Nilsen:
The current thread on the 100 best Ross courses had me revisiting the Donald Ross Society list (found here - http://rosssociety.org/Resources/Documents/DRSList_Rev_July_2014.pdf). I'm not sure if the latest revision is from 2011 as it says on page 1 or from 2014 as is noted in the url, but in any case the list is due for an update, as well as a bit of critical analysis. There have been a number of recent storylines in the Ross world that have come to light, many of them highlighted in Chris Buie's excellent book on the master.
I'm going to attack this chronologically, along the way highlighting Ross' involvement with each project, as well as trying to pin down who he worked with on each. Hopefully, looking at the magnitude of his work in one place will help all of us to understand a bit more about his practices, and that perhaps we've hung on a bit too long to the fallacy that he was not an on the ground architect.
For each course, I plan to start with the information provided by the DRS (noted in blue) and provide any source information that might illuminate, advance or correct their rather cryptic annotations. If anyone has any additional information or insights to add at any point along the way, please do so. I'd only ask that you endeavor to fit the posts into the appropriate spots in the chronological order.
First Up -
1899
Oakley CC (Watertown, MA) - 18 holes, New in 1899/1910, Still in Existence
The 1930 Ross Booklet notes 18 Holes.
Oakley was the impetus for Ross coming to America and the story has been told elsewhere in great detail. When Ross arrived at Oakley in April of 1899 he took over the reigns of an existing 18 hole course that had been laid out in 1898 by Willie Campbell. Ross set to work immediately on reworking the course, an endeavor that would continue even after his 1910 departure from the club.
1900 Harper's Guide -
March 3, 1900 Boston Globe -
Oct. 1900 Golf Magazine -
1900 Plan of Ross Course (a clearer version can be found on the Given Memorial Library site here - http://givenmemoriallibrary.net/vex/vex1/images/DEF8953B-608B-4768-9FE7-327651276181.jpg)
1901 Harper's Guide -
1902 Official Golf Guide -
1905 Spalding Official Golf Guide -
June 23, 1907 Boston Globe -
March 11, 1908 Boston Globe -
March 30, 1910 Boston Globe -
Aug. 18, 1911 Boston Globe -
Undated Early Photo -
Sven Nilsen:
1900
Pinehurst Country Club #1 (Pinehurst, NC) - 18 holes, New in 1900-1948, Still in Existence
The 1930 Ross Booklet notes 72 Holes.
Like Oakley, Ross inherited an existing 18 hole course that he would go on to rework over a number of years. Not going to go into too many details here but did want to include some early photos.
May 1901 Golf Magazine -
Dec. 1905 Golf Magazine -
Dec. 1916 Golf Illustrated -
Undated -
Tom_Doak:
Reading the fine print, I loved the detail that Oakley was 5902 yards ... and a bogey of 81 !
Sven Nilsen:
1903
Pinehurst Country Club #2 (Pinehurst, NC) - 18 holes, New in 1903 - 1948, Still in Existence
The 1930 Ross Booklet notes 72 Holes.
Irregardless of what #2 turned into, it holds a special place in the Ross continuum as his first "blank slate" design effort. Like the contemporaneous efforts of Ross' acquaintances at Oakmont, Pinehurst #2 would become a life-long labor of love. Golf was just at the tail end of its early boom in the United States, yet the practice of the golf course architect had not yet been formalized. The general model of design was for the local expert to lay out a course that would be improved by the members or resident pro over a number of years. A few of those experts, like Bendelow, Willie Dunn and Findlay, had a broader reach, but for the most part much of the post-layout molding of a course was done in house. It would take a few years before it became de rigeur for a new club to hire a "name architect," but by this time the roots of the ideals that would fuel the Golden Age of design were being laid, including early work and musings by Travis, MacDonald, Emmet and others.
The #2 course would follow its own gradual evolution, with an expansion to 18 holes following in due course, alterations to the layout taking place and years down the line a conversion to grass greens. Like Oakmont, #2 did not become the course we think of today until years later, and as the photos above and in this post indicate, it was a bit more rough around the edges than most would think. But the popularity of the Pinehurst resort and its courses would put Ross on the map as an architect.
It is also of interest to note the involvement of Walter Travis in the development of the #2 course. The two men had a great deal of professional respect for each other, both as players and as designers. Their relationship of collaboration and inspiration would continue throughout their careers.
May 1903 The Golfer -
1904 Photo -
Jan. 1916 Golf Magazine -
Undated Photo -
Jan. 30, 1914 New York Sun -
Oct. 27, 1935 The Tennessean -
Jan. 1937 Golfdom -
Sven Nilsen:
Here's what Ross looked like in 1905, at around the height of his playing career. It is of interest to note that he gave up any aspirations of being a professional golfer to focus full time as an architect, one of the great what-ifs in the history of GCA, both for what might have been gained and what certainly would have been lost.
1905 Spalding Official Golf Guide -
June 18, 1905 Boston Globe -
A few shots of his swing from 1901.
Aug. 4, 1901 Boston Globe -
Aug. 11, 1901 Boston Globe -
Aug. 18, 1901 Boston Globe -
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