Aurora CC-Any Info Appreciated

[Nathan Perry]

Hello Everyone,


My name is Nathan Perry and I am the Head Professional at Aurora Country Club in the west burbs of Chicago. I have been employed at ACC for 8 years and have been a long time lurker of the site. I consider myself a bit of an architecture dork but haven't posted much at all on here in fear of getting tarred and feathered for saying something at all controversial... That being said, I would love any info I can get on ACC and understand that most anyone on this site has a much better understanding than anyone within our membership;)


Notes:
-We had a clubhouse fire in the 50's that ruined all historical files..
-Our members attach themselves to the Bendelow name, (Medinah 3...eye roll...), but i feel he had little influence.
-There is also an understanding that Langford collaborated with Bendelow here. I see much more Langford influence looking at online aerial photos prior to the 60s. (Bold green side features still present today, while watered down a touch)
-As with most Chicagoland clubs, board members of yesteryear decided that a surplus of encroaching trees would be the best defense at par and a dork like me wasn't here at the time to convince them otherwise. While we have made great strides in re widening playing corridors, I am asking for your help as a take a dive into the history of our course and need some ammo as to why this process should continue.
-I have had the pleasure and opportunity to experience some truly great courses in the country and while I understand ACC will never be in the upper echelon of Chicagoland courses, I feel it's quite good and underappreciated, and I'd like for my board to understand the diamond in the rough that they posses.
-I am a bit unsure of how to uncover the classic history of a private entity, while most of it was turned to ash decades ago. Any info you made be able to uncover, or any direction you can lead me towards to find out for myself would be greatly appreciated.


If any of you are interested in seeing the property for yourself and/or getting a round in, please don't hesitate to reach out. I may have not been able to convince my board to restore what they have, yet, but I still have some pull around here:)


Thank you to everyone for aiding in the greater good of a game we are all so clearly obsessed with.

[Jeff Schley]

Nathan welcome aboard.  I have to be honest that I forgot that Aurora had a CC.  Remember hearing about it like 15 years ago from a friend, but got online and saw your drone video.  Yes you have some prodigious trees on property for sure. I saw the short par 4 with 2 huge oaks ( it appears) blocking the entire right side of the fairway.  No way that was how the architect (whoever you claim) intended. Bendelow was everywhere it seemed and had dozens of designs in the midwest.

Wished I could help on the research, but we have some real sleuths here in terms of research so Sven, Joe, Mike, others could help if anyone could.

[Sven Nilsen]

The first 9 holes were definitely done by Bendelow around 1914.  He came back a year later when the course was expanded to 18 holes.  There was an earlier 1899 Tweedie course in Aurora, but it looks like that club went out of existence prior to the formation of the new enterprise in 1914.


The Langford collaboration has been thrown around a bit, but as far as I can tell there is zero evidence that this happened.  There is also no evidence I've seen that the two men ever collaborated on a design.  Part of the confusion stems from both having been the in-house architect for American Park Builders, with Bendelow taking over when Langford left the company after WWI.


There's nothing wrong with attaching Bendelow's name to your course.  His later work (and 1914 would fall in the later category) had significantly evolved from what he had been doing much earlier.

[Nathan Perry]

Thanks for the info Sven! Let's keep if coming...


I can tell you based a long time member and local historian that the club was indeed founded in 1914 and the original nine hole course was built on a parcel of land along the east bank of the Fox River about a mile north of the city limits.
In the early 20s, the club purchased the 120 acre Minard Farm and leased 40 acres from El Louise Schoeberlein. The Schoeberlein property was purchased is 1925. This would be the current land that the mostly original course sits upon today. From here, the history gets pretty murky. Perhaps you history buffs can help fill in some gap.


I don't mean to dog Bendelow, but from the vintage aerials we've looked at, (the earliest on record being from 1939). It screams Langford or at the very least, something more interesting that the "Johnny Appleseed of course design." Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part but I am eager to share it and get your thoughts. Stay tuned...

[Sven Nilsen]

I don't mean to dog Bendelow, but from the vintage aerials we've looked at, (the earliest on record being from 1939). It screams Langford or at the very least, something more interesting that the "Johnny Appleseed of course design."

You, like most people, don't really understand Bendelow.


The purchase (109 acres) and lease (40 acres) you mentioned happened in 1914-15, when the course was expanded to 18 holes.

[Nathan Perry]

I'd love to continue down this rabbit hole. Where are you getting your info for land purchases? I'd love to have any evidence to present to my board and anything I can have is merely based on the writings and claims of past and present members. Can you email me any info you have?


Forgive me if I've given the impression to at all understand Bendelow. I don't claim to at all understand any architect, and as expected, I seem to be an outlier in a sea of savants on this site. I am merely looking for any information I can get on the club I work at.

[Sven Nilsen]

Dec. 1914 American Golfer -





Feb. 1915 American Golfer -








Feb. 1915 Golfers Magazine -







The 1916 American Annual Golf Guide notes a 18 hole 6,200 yard course that was founded in 1914-15 with William McKenzie as pro.


The 1917, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31 Guides all have the same basic information except Spencer Meister was the pro.


The 1938 Guide has Meister as pro and the rest of the info the same except the yardage had increased to 6,316 yards.

[Nathan Perry]

This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing and please, keep any info coming.

I wonder if the Spanish Flu presented ol Spence with similar challenges that Covid-19 has for me...

[Sven Nilsen]

I don't have anything noting that Bendelow actually completed the second 9 holes, but the last article makes it sound like he had plotted the full 18. 


It is possible that between Feb. 1915 and the 1916 Annual Guide being printed and noting a full 18 holes a different architect became involved.  That being said, I have seen nothing to link Langford to the course.