Babson Park Redux

[Kevin Robinson]

A while back, after many, many old newspaper searches, phone calls to state and local historical societies, and speaking with individuals down in Babson Park, Nigel and I have agreed on a couple things that solve some questions about Babson Park's golf history, but in turn raise others - perhaps many of you already knew this but here goes...

I started this thread http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,58228.msg1391108.html#msg1391108 originally because I've always been fascinated by the mystery surrounding Raynor's work and how something that could not have been built, then as now, without great effort and expense, could seemingly disappear without so much as a trace. Well, there are traces of SOMETHING in Babson Park, FL.

The golf course site I originally pointed out is likely the course built at the behest of the original developer(s) of what was to become what we recognize as the modern Babson Park, after Roger Babson bought it and the name was changed from "Crooked Lake". There is some evidence that Ralph Barton built this course, as Nigel found, I believe, evidence of Barton claiming it as his own - in addition to perhaps an obituary (Nigel, please feel free to chime in) that lists it as well. This 9-holer is almost certainly the course that later became known as the Webber College Course that appears in FL golf course listings in magazines from the 1920's-50's, then disappeared in the late 1950's-early 1960's. Interestingly, no one I could get in touch with at what is now called Webber International University had any clue the school had at one time owned a golf course-or that there had ever been a golf course in Babson Park at all.
If you think that's crazy, last year I met a fellow PGA member who grew up in the middle of Babson Park, with longstanding family ties to the community, including friends/family that own property or homes ON the former course, who had no clue there had ever been a golf course in his hometown - and almost swallowed his tongue when I showed him the former hole corridors on Google Earth - How something as unique as a golf course can completely fade from the memory of an entire community over two generations is difficult to understand.

As if this weren't enough, there is a lot of evidence that there were TWO golf courses in Babson Park/Crooked Lake.
When I originally discovered the files that Sven posted for me on the original thread-that included a couple photos, I thought of a couple things:
1 - The mention of yachting and water-sports, in addition to golf, being an important part of club life - but the "Webber College" course is at least 1/4-1/2 mile from the water.
2 - I remembered Daniel Wexler's book, in which he lists Babson Park GC as being accessible by water, according to period newspaper ads - which the 'Webber College" course most certainly is not.

With some research, Nigel and I were able to learn some really intriguing things:

- There WAS a second golf course in the community. Actually it was the first, having been built in the late 1910's-early 20's. THIS was likely the club in the photos and with the history write-up I found with the help of the curator at the Polk County Historical Society - and Sven posted for me in the old thread. It was located on the peninsula here:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Crooked+Lake+Prairie/@27.8113436,-81.566906,3702m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa569900735ad37a0!8m2!3d27.8065987!4d-81.5554905

Here is another mention of the course at the bottom of the paragraph:
http://polknature.com/explore/crooked-lake-prairie

Even more intriguing, check out the Cody family history here, where it specifically mentions a family picnic at the golf club "...across the harbor".
http://cody-family.org/history/thejazzage/codyvilla/codyvillababsonpark.html

The site of the former 'Webber College" course is notably nowhere near water.

Finally, right under our noses, a publication from 1928 that Sven posted on a different thread that lists Crooked Lake and Babson Park as two different entities with different yardages!
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57804.0.html

So, we began by looking for a single golf course called "Babson Park Golf and Yacht Club" , and wind up finding an even bigger mystery that might never be untangled - TWO golf course whose identities have been mixed-up, conflated, mis-combobulated, and absolutely butchered over the past 60 years since they disappeared.

The obvious questions NOW are these:

#1 - Did Seth Raynor design either of the two golf courses that existed in Babson Park, Florida, between 1921-1960 or were his plans used by a different architect such as Ralph Barton...or not at all?
#2 - If so, which one was his?
#3 - If not, who DID design them?

Crawford (NY) Country Club, anyone?

[Nigel Islam]

This is all pretty much spot on except for giving me any credit. Scott Edwards of the Florida Historic Golf Society has the information about Barton. Barton was up for the job for the golf course at Weber College in the mid 20s with Stiles and Van Kleek. I can tie Van Kleek to this area around this time not to mention their work in nearby Lakericha. Now how Barton got the job? Was it through Raynor? It's certainly possible as Raynor was working on Lake Wales 1924-1926. But I have found no evidence that Raynor was actually involved with either course.


Anyway Raynor died at the time the Webber course was being built.

[Kyle Harris]

The stretch of the Lake Wales ridge between Lake Wales and Sebring might be the NLE capital of the United States.

It's a shock that nothing of note was built there after the Depression.

[Jonathan Webb]

I grew up in Babson Park, FL and my family still lives on Crooked Lake.

The house, still standing and occupied, at 751 Ohlinger Rd. is/was believed to be the Clubhouse for the 9 hole course "Babson Park Yacht and CC". Is there a historic aerial showing the corridors for this course?

The "other" course, not on Crooked Lake, was much less talked about growing up but certainly did exist.


Cheers,


Chase