Reunderstanding Ross

[Kyle Harris]

I wish this thread were pinned to the top of the message board. As the dean of "Your golf course is not a Donald Ross course" here in Florida, I reference it a lot.

[V_Halyard]

I wish this thread were pinned to the top of the message board. As the dean of "Your golf course is not a Donald Ross course" here in Florida, I reference it a lot.

Don't drive angry...

[Ronald Montesano]

You can bookmark the thread, and then the overpinning won't be necessary.

[Bret Lawrence]

Here is a proposed sketch plan dated 1922 for Petersham Golf Club in Petersham, Massachusetts. This course no longer exists.





Here is a link for those who would like a closer look:


https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:qv33tc04p

[Bret Lawrence]

Bretton Woods-Mount Washington Golf Course:


This course is listed as a 1915 design, but the work wasn’t completed until later and the course was opened in 1921.  Here are a few articles detailing some of Ross’ work at Mount Washington and announcing the opening. 


In the Tufts Archives there are drawings for all 18 holes of the “Bretton Woods” course. The drawings match up with what the first article is telling us.  Ross built an entirely new nine (the back nine) and altered many of the original holes on the front, but did retain the first hole and some of the features and routing of Holes 13-16 for his 4th through 7th holes.


The original Mount Pleasant nine was broken off in 1921 and called the Mount Pleasant course again, making 27 holes in total.


The White Mountain Echo., September 04, 1920:









Announcement of the opening match on August 21, 1921:

[Bret Lawrence]

Including an 18-hole routing map for Whippoorwill Country Club from 1927.  Also including a letter from Ross dated 1928.  Shortly after this course was completed, Charles Banks redesigned the golf course using additional land not previously available to Ross. The Banks design does incorporate some of the original Ross holes into the design.


Courtesy of the United States Department of Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted Historic Site:



Link to the map:


https://flic.kr/p/2kNfmKJ


Ross Letter dated March 14, 1928:


 Courtesy of the United States Department of Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted Historic Site

[MCirba]

This may be a new one.   Two summers ago Tom Dunne and I had played Sugarloaf Resort in Maine and rather than subsequently quit the game , we decided to squeeze in nine holes elsewhere before the dinner event.   We had heard good things from Michael Moore about Mingo Springs Golf Course, about 1/2 hour away which is today made up of (I believe) 2 of the 3 courses listed in this article.   Mr. Moore indicated that both nines were worthy but that the front nine (which I believe is the 3rd nine mentioned in the article) was pretty special.


I had done some preliminary research and the oldest course listed had origins from Arthur Fenn but I'm not 100% it's the 1st course mentioned here.   In any case, this June 6th, 1954 Boston Globe article indicates that at least one of the courses there was designed by Donald Ross and  I would say neither Tom nor I would have much reason for doubt as it was a wild and wooly affair that used the terrain magnificently.

[Sven Nilsen]

Minneapolis Golf Club (Minneapolis, MN) - 18 Holes, Remodel in 1920, Still in Existence

Not included in the 1930 Ross Booklet.

June 24, 1920 Star Tribune -



The Givens site has a map of the course, but the 1917 notation predates Ross' involvement.

Course Plan -

An update to the post on Minneapolis GC.  Copied below is the Ross plan for the early 1920's improvements.

May 15, 1921 Minneapolis Journal -

[John Challenger]

Here is some info on Donald Ross and Indian Hill Club in the early 1920s.


In the Chicago Tribune on May 6, 1921, Joe Davis reports that "Ross will visit the Oak Park Country club today to look over the course, and about May 20 will inspect Indian Hill."


In American Golfer on May 21, 1921, it is reported that "Ross will return to Chicago shortly and spend a couple of days at the Indian Hill Country Club."


In Donald Ross's book "Golf Has Never Failed Me..." Indian Hill Club is listed as "Remodeled 1914 and 1922."

[Bret Lawrence]

I recently came across an article discussing a Ross remodel at Montgomery Country Club in Alabama.



The Montgomery Advertiser., July 09, 1925:

[Bret Lawrence]

Donald Ross, stopping in at Country Club of Waterbury in 1945, while working on Hartford Country Club:

[Bret Lawrence]

The Pinehurst Outlook., January 14, 1920:

[Sven Nilsen]

I recently came across an article discussing a Ross remodel at Montgomery Country Club in Alabama.

Bret:


See post #189 above for an article discussing the completed remodel.


Sven

[MCirba]

This may be a new one.   Two summers ago Tom Dunne and I had played Sugarloaf Resort in Maine and rather than subsequently quit the game , we decided to squeeze in nine holes elsewhere before the dinner event.   We had heard good things from Michael Moore about Mingo Springs Golf Course, about 1/2 hour away which is today made up of (I believe) 2 of the 3 courses listed in this article.   Mr. Moore indicated that both nines were worthy but that the front nine (which I believe is the 3rd nine mentioned in the article) was pretty special.


I had done some preliminary research and the oldest course listed had origins from Arthur Fenn but I'm not 100% it's the 1st course mentioned here.   In any case, this June 6th, 1954 Boston Globe article indicates that at least one of the courses there was designed by Donald Ross and  I would say neither Tom nor I would have much reason for doubt as it was a wild and wooly affair that used the terrain magnificently.

I've been able to confirm that the course Tom Dunne and I played is indeed the third course mentioned in this article, ostensibly designed by Donald Ross in 1931.   


It was a lot of fun, that much I can say.


I've also been able to confirm that the first course, which was designed by Arthur Fenn way back when, is NLE.   It was located very close to downtown Rangeley.

[Sven Nilsen]

Mike:


I have four contemporaneous articles from 1931 and 1932 discussing the origination of Rangeley Lakes CC.  None of them mention Donald Ross. 


At that point of time, if Ross had anything to do with a project like this it most likely would have been mentioned in the press.  I have my doubts on this one. 


That being said, there were connections between the members of the club and Pinehurst, so I'm not ruling it out entirely.


Sven

[MCirba]

Mike:


I have four contemporaneous articles from 1931 and 1932 discussing the origination of Rangeley Lakes CC.  None of them mention Donald Ross. 


At that point of time, if Ross had anything to do with a project like this it most likely would have been mentioned in the press.  I have my doubts on this one. 


That being said, there were connections between the members of the club and Pinehurst, so I'm not ruling it out entirely.


Sven

Sven,


Did those other articles mention any hint of a designer?


It's a pretty remote place but yes, most of the landowners and summer cottage crowd were quite affluent and connected.


***EDIT*** Apologies, Sven.   I had forgotten that we had a similar discussion about 3 years ago re: Rangeley.   I came across a map that showed the locations of the 3 courses and realized the Fenn course was NLE and thought of it as a new finding, which it's not.

[Bret Lawrence]

I was reading through ‘Green Grows Bar Harbor’ the other night and came across a mention of Donald Ross writing to Kebo Valley in 1926 to rebuild the third green.


The Donald Ross info starts on the last two lines of the first page.
Green Grows Bar Harbor., 1964. Sargent F. Collier:

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