Convicts built Bobby Jones Golf Course

[MCirba]

Yesterday in Sven's Revisiting Donald Ross thread I mentioned to Bob Crosby that I thought John Van Kleek of Stiles & Van Kleek designed the Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta which has recently been redesigned in a $20 million renovation project.

In verifying that this morning, I came upon the following article, which shows the start of construction.   What I found somewhat remarkable is that the course was built by 100 convicts.   Talk about cheap labor!   

[BCrosby]

Great find Mike!! Unfortunately, it was not a very good course.


Bob

[Jim Nugent]

I just read the new course will be reversible, like Doak's Loop.

https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/bobby-jones-atlanta-renovation-16248.htm

[Sven Nilsen]

Great find Mike!! Unfortunately, it was not a very good course.


Bob

Bob:


Are you saying this with regard to the later state of the course, or what it was like when it opened?


Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

Moving this over here from the Ross thread:

About the articles above regarding the plans for various municipal courses in Atlanta, I don't think any of them were built. Ross didn't do a municipal course. If S&VK did one, which I doubt, the name has since changed.

The current site of P'tree GC would not have been one of the sites considered by Ross during his 1926 tour. It would have been too far north. My guess is that they were looking at sites near P'tree Battle Creek (then called P'tree Creek). It might be the current site of the Bobby Jones Golf Course, formerly a city course now redone and owned by the state, that has several holes on the creek.

There is a dog that didn't bark aspect of the Atlanta newspaper accounts of the Ross visit in 1926. One  would have thought that if Ross had already designed a course in Atlanta (think EL), it would have been mentioned. That doesn't prove anything, but I have always thought it suggestive. There were several other surveys of golf courses in ATL from about the same time or earlier. None mentions a Ross course.

S&VK did at least two courses in Atlanta, with plans in the works for at least one more.  All of this seems to have its roots in the general plans that were underway in 1926 when Ross visited. 

Feb. 16, 1928 Atlanta Constitution -



May 6, 1928 Atlanta Constitution -



May 20, 1928 Atlanta Constitution -

[Scott Senior]

Slightly off topic.....
Prison View Golf Course was built by convicts. Angola< Louisiana State Penitentiary......

[BCrosby]

Sven -


Thanks, good stuff.


As for the quality of the Bobby Jones course, I was referring to the course I've known since the mid-70's. It is possible the original course was better (a low bar), but it was built on a tough piece of land that alternates between flood plain and brutal hills. It has never had much of a reputation locally in my lifetime.


By contrast, the North Fulton course (Chastain Park), also an Atlanta muni and built at about the same time, hosted some PGA events in the 40's and early 50's and has always been highly thought of. Deservedly so.


Bob


 
   

[Mike_Young]

It's quite obvious convicts built it...

[MCirba]

It's quite obvious convicts built it...

Sorry i never got the real experience.


And agree with Mr. Crosby that North Fulton is the real deal.

[Mike_Young]

It's quite obvious convicts built it...

Sorry i never got the real experience.


And agree with Mr. Crosby that North Fulton is the real deal.

Yep.  North Fulton is really good...

[Edward Glidewell]

It's quite obvious convicts built it...

Sorry i never got the real experience.


And agree with Mr. Crosby that North Fulton is the real deal.

Yep.  North Fulton is really good...

It may be, but it's hard to tell when there's no grass on the course and it takes 6 and a half hours to play.


To be fair, I haven't been in a few years, so maybe it's better now. But the last time I was there the greens and 50-60% of the fairways were dirt and there were 5 groups backed up on the tee on the first hole.

[BCrosby]

No question that N. Fulton is under-maintained and crowded. But great bones.


Bob

[Rees Milikin]

It's quite obvious convicts built it...

Sorry i never got the real experience.


And agree with Mr. Crosby that North Fulton is the real deal.

Yep.  North Fulton is really good...

It may be, but it's hard to tell when there's no grass on the course and it takes 6 and a half hours to play.


To be fair, I haven't been in a few years, so maybe it's better now. But the last time I was there the greens and 50-60% of the fairways were dirt and there were 5 groups backed up on the tee on the first hole.

Agreed with the pace of play and conditioning was bad, but not so bad that I didn’t have a good time.  Also, is #6 the worst golf hole ever?