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Karl Jensen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Does anyone have proof that H. S. Colt or C.H. Alison or Dr. MacKenzie designed the North Shore Golf Club in 1923 - 1924 at their new location in Glenview, IL.


The below newspaper article suggests a Tom Bendelow involvement.


North Shore Golf Club article, 3 May 1923 Chicago, IL Tribune newspaper

Anthony Gholz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Karl:


I've identified North Shore in C&A in NA as a CM&A course.  It is noted as "just formed" per the CT 3/9/1922.  It was under construction per multiple CT articles in 1923 and opened in May 1924.  Also CM&A is identified as the architect in the October 1924 issue of Golf Illustrated which carried a lengthy article on the new course.   


The CM&A firm was short lived as Colt himself struck MacKenzie from the masthead in January 1922.  For the record any course in the US by CM&A, C&A, and CA&M(Morrison) was designed by Capt Charles H Alison.  The club website of 2018 as well as Cornish & Whitten confirm the Alison pedigree and opening date.  Based on the above and additional construction timing articles, I listed NS as designed in 1922, in construction through 1923, and opened in Spring of 1924.


As part of my research Chick Evans in a 1914 Chicago Examiner article notes that Tom Bendelow designed a NSCC 9-hole course of 2,551 yards on another site.   So Bendelow was involved with the club much earlier and perhaps did a review of the new site to confirm its acceptability for a course.  Your article suugests that possibility.  Bendelow often reviewed land gratis for clubs from the turn of the century through the '20s with the possibility of doing the design work or selling clubs and balls to the members for Spalding.


I have found no drawings by Alison regarding the NS club and would dearly like to see that "smoking gun."  There have been too many clubhouse fires, superintendents who took drawings with them, committee members, etc.  So if a club has their Alison drawings (or in Old Elm's case their Colt drawings) it's a small miracle.  Even OE's Colt drawings, proudly displayed at the club, are copies today.


Anthony

Karl Jensen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Thanks Anthony,


I did know about the earlier Bendelow design for the North Shore GC. Is there an online Golf Illustrated Archive that you know of?


Br, Karl

Sven Nilsen

  • Karma: +0/-0
The first North Shore course dates to 1909 and was indeed laid out by Bendelow.


Here's what I have on the new course:



April 1923 Golf Illustrated notes club to move to a new site due to increases in land value. 
June 1923 Golf Ilustrated notes club purchased new land in Glen View. 
July 27, 1923 Lake Shore News notes construction of an 18 hole 6,500 yard course that is the work of Captain C. H. Alison. 
Noted in a Feb. 1924 Golf Illustrated Colt & Alison Ad. 
Oct. 1924 Golf Illustrated notes course moved from Kenilworth site obtaining land which the Edgewater Club had optioned and Colt, McKenzie & Allison were hired to construct the 6,700 yard course which opened in May, 1924.


Kenilworth, the location the club abandoned in 1923 due to land value increases, is one of the most expensive areas on the north shore if not the country.
"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Karl Jensen

  • Karma: +0/-0
I haven't figured out yet whether Tweedie's Kenilworth Golf Club or Edgewater Golf Club had anything to do with the North Shore CC properties.

Anthony Gholz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Karl/Sven: 


Sven: That Lake Shore News article is new to me.  Thanks for that.  I should have mentioned the C&A ads previously.


Karl:  I don't.  My sources are the USGA Library and private libraries.  If you send me your e-mail I'll send you the Golf Illustrated image(s) direct.  I've long since lost my ability to post images here.  My bad.  Sven is a magician with images.  I have no connection of Tweedie with NS.


Anthony

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Is it not now a Donald Ross re-design? I caddied in the pro-am at Columbia Edgewater in Elizabeth Szokol's group. She said she grew up playing the course and believed it to be a Ross course. Searching on the web found that they had Donald Ross in to consult about a re-design. He produced a set of plans, and much, much later the club had the plans built.

By the way, her group went -16 by my count with eagles on all par 5s. Group had 1 gentleman, and 3 ladies. The gentleman could not drive at all, but considered himself an approach shot expert, hitting inside the pro about half the time, and the ladies could putt!
« Last Edit: June 30, 2021, 12:12:02 PM by Garland Bayley »
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

David Wuthrich

  • Karma: +0/-0
This is from their website describing the history of the club:


Having made this significant step to the future, the design of the new course and clubhouse could be entrusted to no one but the best. The prestigious British firm of Colt, MacKenzie and Allison was commissioned to do the work, and they turned out a product that has undergone relatively minor changes in the last 60 years.

SL_Solow

  • Karma: +0/-0
I am good friends with their superintendent who succeeded his father.  He believes that it is an Alison design and has access to the club's records.  Alison was very active in the area during the 20's designing Knollwood, Briarwood (Briergate) and Milwaukee.

Sven Nilsen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Is it not now a Donald Ross re-design? I caddied in the pro-am at Columbia Edgewater in Elizabeth Szokol's group. She said she grew up playing the course and believed it to be a Ross course. Searching on the web found that they had Donald Ross in to consult about a re-design. He produced a set of plans, and much, much later the club had the plans built.

By the way, her group went -16 by my count with eagles on all par 5s. Group had 1 gentleman, and 3 ladies. The gentleman could not drive at all, but considered himself an approach shot expert, hitting inside the pro about half the time, and the ladies could putt!


Garland:


Are you talking about Lake Shore, not North Shore?  That story makes way more sense if its Lake Shore.


Sven
"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Terry Lavin

  • Karma: +0/-0
North Shore is an Alison. And a superior one at that! I’ve heard that it’s the only design in Chicagoland with MacKenzie’s name on the paperwork but I’ve never seen proof of that.


It’s a great routing on a boring piece of land, with a lot of defense around the greens with the prototypical Alison bunkering.


I’ve played the course dozens of times and it is a bit of a gem.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

John McCarthy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Is it not now a Donald Ross re-design? I caddied in the pro-am at Columbia Edgewater in Elizabeth Szokol's group. She said she grew up playing the course and believed it to be a Ross course. Searching on the web found that they had Donald Ross in to consult about a re-design. He produced a set of plans, and much, much later the club had the plans built.

By the way, her group went -16 by my count with eagles on all par 5s. Group had 1 gentleman, and 3 ladies. The gentleman could not drive at all, but considered himself an approach shot expert, hitting inside the pro about half the time, and the ladies could putt!


Lake Shore has quite a history - starting with Frederick Law Olmstead and Sons, then Bendelow, then Ross and Ron Pritchard redo recently.  https://www.lakeshorecc.com/history  I wonder if the club has ever commissioned an official history. 


Garland:


Are you talking about Lake Shore, not North Shore?  That story makes way more sense if its Lake Shore.


Sven
The only way of really finding out a man's true character is to play golf with him. In no other walk of life does the cloven hoof so quickly display itself.
 PG Wodehouse

SL_Solow

  • Karma: +0/-0
The only Szokol CDGA database is a member at Lakeshore

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Is it not now a Donald Ross re-design? I caddied in the pro-am at Columbia Edgewater in Elizabeth Szokol's group. She said she grew up playing the course and believed it to be a Ross course. Searching on the web found that they had Donald Ross in to consult about a re-design. He produced a set of plans, and much, much later the club had the plans built.

By the way, her group went -16 by my count with eagles on all par 5s. Group had 1 gentleman, and 3 ladies. The gentleman could not drive at all, but considered himself an approach shot expert, hitting inside the pro about half the time, and the ladies could putt!


Garland:


Are you talking about Lake Shore, not North Shore?  That story makes way more sense if its Lake Shore.


Sven

Could very well be that I mis-remembered. I'm not as young as I used to be.
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
The only Szokol CDGA database is a member at Lakeshore

Thanks Shel,

Pretty much seals the fact that I am over the hill.  :'(
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

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