The late great Arthur H. Fenn

[Karl Jensen]

Has anyone deep dived in collecting a list of Fenn's laid out golf courses? I know that Sven Nilsen put together a quick list in 2012. There has to be more than what is listed in the 1900 Harper's Official Golf Guide.


Arthur H. Fenn photo, 1898 Spalding's Official Golf Guide



Arthur H. Fenn obituary, 22 May 1925 Boston, MA Globe newspaper



Arthur H. Fenn grave, Riverside Cemetery, Waterbury, CT

[MCirba]

Fenntastic, Karl...thanks!

[Sven Nilsen]

This is what I have for Fenn in my files.  There are probably more out there, be great to see any new information.


Going forward, it might make sense to add this kinds of new information to any existing threads.  Saves some bandwidth and keeps all of the relevant information in the same place and more accessible for anyone looking into it.
Waterbury Golf Association, Waterbury, CT (1895)


Poland Spring GC, Poland Spring, ME (1896, 1916)


Allston GC, Allston, MA (1896)


Portsmouth Naval Yard GC, Portsmouth, NH (1896)


Bristol GC, Bristol, RI (1896)

CC of Farmington, Farmington, CT (1896)

Woodland CC, Newton, MA (1896)


Oquossoc GC, Rangeley, ME (1899)


Fall River CC, Fall River, MA (1899)


Profile GC, Franconia, NH (1899)


Crawford House Links, White Mountains, NH (1899) - Also attributed to Findlay.


Twin Mountain House Links, White Mountains, NH (1899)


Fabyan House GC, White Mountains, NH (1899) - also attributed to Findlay.


Mount Washington GC oka Bretton Woods GC, Bretton Woods, NH (1899)


Bryn Mawr GC, Bryn Mawr, PA (1899)


Waumbeck GC, Jefferson, NH (1899)


Palm Beach GC aka The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL (Pre-1900 and 1909)

Waumbeck GC, Jefferson, NH (1899)


Abenaqui CC, Rye Beach, NH (unk) - Harper's attributes this course to Alex Findlay in 1899


Palmetto GC, Aiken, SC (unk) - it has been proposed that Fenn did some work on the original course

[Karl Jensen]

Sven,


Below is what I have found that ties Fenn to the laying out of Crawford House, Fabyan House and Twin Mountain House golf courses.


White Mountains Golf advertisement, 13 Jun 1899 Profitable Advertising publication



White Mountain Golf Club article, 9 Jul 1899 Boston, MA Globe newspaper

[Sven Nilsen]

Karl:


All three of those courses are noted as having been laid out by Fenn in the 1900 Harpers.


Sven

[Karl Jensen]

Here's a new one for the Fenn list.


Rexmere Golf Grounds postcard



Rexmere Hotel golf article, 8 Jul 1900 Brooklyn, NY Daily Eagle newspaper

[Sven Nilsen]

Nice find on Utsayantha, one of a number of great names from early on. 


One of those c. 1900 courses that didn't seem to survive into the next decade.

[Mike Worth]

Nice find on Utsayantha, one of a number of great names from early on. 


One of those c. 1900 courses that didn't seem to survive into the next decade.

I concur that this is quite a fine by Karl


That course didn’t survive per se but what happened was it moved a couple miles up the road around 1907 and is now the Stamford NY Golf Club.


There’s a bit of history behind the current Stamford club as there was significant Walter Travis work done in the 1920s.  Also if you consult the Stamford club history, while they mention the original course was at the Rexmere, there is no mention that Fenn designed it so this is a bit of a significant find!


Jim Kennedy in this forum has done quite a bit of writing about the Stamford course.


I grew up in that part of NYS and as Karl knows I’ve been doing a lot of research on the public course in Roxbury (Finley Shepard estate course) which is not very far away.

Also the Rexmere burned down about 10 years ago

[Karl Jensen]

Another new one for the Fenn list. Grand View House in Jefferson, NH.


The Waumbek course that is also mentioned is most likely pre Fenn's work there.



Grand View Hose golf mention, 4 Jul 1897 Boston, MA Herald newspaper



Grand View House advertisement, Sep 1910 The Outing Magazine



Grand View House image

[Sven Nilsen]

The Grand View course is a bit of a mystery.


I have found no history of a course by that name in any of the early guides or publications. 


Perhaps this was a course known by a different name or this particular course didn't survive long enough to be included in the 1899 to 1902 guides and the 1910 ad is referring to a different course nearby that was available to guests of the hotel for use.


Sven

[Karl Jensen]

Thanks Sven,


I don't know what course the 1897 article would be referring to "in the rear of the Grand View". If the article hadn't placed the name of Willie Norton laying out the Waumbeck, I would have guessed it could be that but then again I believe Fenn's work at Waumbeck was 1898/1899. Anyway, the below Sep 1898 Ad for Grand View says nothing about golf. I'm left scratching my head.


Grand View House advertisement, 27 Sep 1898 Boston, MA Evening Transcript newspaper

[Sven Nilsen]

That course didn’t survive per se but what happened was it moved a couple miles up the road around 1907 and is now the Stamford NY Golf Club.


There’s a bit of history behind the current Stamford club as there was significant Walter Travis work done in the 1920s.  Also if you consult the Stamford club history, while they mention the original course was at the Rexmere, there is no mention that Fenn designed it so this is a bit of a significant find!

The 1901 Harpers has listings for Utsayantha (org. 1900 with a 9 hole 2,082 yard course) and Stamford (org. 1897 with a 9 hole 1,639 yard course) separately.  In light of this, the story of Utsayantha becoming Stamford GC doesn't make much sense.


Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

Here's the early history of Waumbek:


April 29, 1897 The Amateur Athlete notes course started last year. 
Aug. 1897 The Golfer notes this as the first links in New Hampshire now being a 9 hole 1,792 yard course. 
June 1898 Golf Magazine notes this as the first course in the White Mountains and was a private course for a hotel until last year with the Waumbek GC being organized last year and it hired Horace Rawlins to take charge of the extension of the course. 
July 1898 The Golfer notes a private 9 hole course has been in existence for some years with Waumbek GC formed in 1897 with course being altered and lengthened to 2,200 yard by Horace Rawlins. 
June 1899 Golf Magazine notes A. H. Fenn extended the course to 18 holes in May. 
1902 SOGG Directory of Golf Clubs notes an 18 hole course. 
June 1902 Golf Magazine notes course laid out by Willie Norton. 
June 29, 1902 Boston Post notes an 18 hole course and the longest course in the mountains. 
July 1902 The Golfer notes this as a hotel course for The Jefferson. 


As Waumbek is cited more than once as the first course in NH (and the White Mountains) and as prior to 1898 a private course for a hotel, it is possible that Waumbek and Grand View were one and the same.  If that is the case, the article Karl found suggests Fenn laid out the first course (perhaps of less than 9 holes), with Norton coming in around 1895 to do a 9 holer, Rawlins lengthening the course in 1898 and Fenn coming back in 1899 to add 9.


Definitely confusing.


Here's the June 1898 Golfers Magazine article referenced above -

[Mike Worth]

That course didn’t survive per se but what happened was it moved a couple miles up the road around 1907 and is now the Stamford NY Golf Club.


There’s a bit of history behind the current Stamford club as there was significant Walter Travis work done in the 1920s.  Also if you consult the Stamford club history, while they mention the original course was at the Rexmere, there is no mention that Fenn designed it so this is a bit of a significant find!

The 1901 Harpers has listings for Utsayantha (org. 1900 with a 9 hole 2,082 yard course) and Stamford (org. 1897 with a 9 hole 1,639 yard course) separately.  In light of this, the story of Utsayantha becoming Stamford GC doesn't make much sense.


Sven

Sven


I think the two courses are the same. See attached Stamford history.


Utsayantha was a club that apparently played at the Rexmere location.

https://www.dcnyhistory.org/pdfs/StamfordGolfCourse.pdf

[Karl Jensen]

Sven,


Below is proof that Fenn was attached to Jefferson, NH in Sep 1895. Also below is proof that there was golf at Waumbek in May 1895. Your supposition of Fenn laying out some kind of original course at Waumbek holds water.


A. H. Fenn mention, 26 Sep 1895 Springfield, MA Republican newspaper



Waumbek advertisement, 29 May 1895 Boston, MA Evening Transcript newspaper

[Karl Jensen]

Mike,


Two different golf courses at Stamford. Hole yardages are different.


Stamford golf courses, 1901 Harper's Official Golf Guide

[Karl Jensen]

That course didn’t survive per se but what happened was it moved a couple miles up the road around 1907 and is now the Stamford NY Golf Club.


There’s a bit of history behind the current Stamford club as there was significant Walter Travis work done in the 1920s.  Also if you consult the Stamford club history, while they mention the original course was at the Rexmere, there is no mention that Fenn designed it so this is a bit of a significant find!

The 1901 Harpers has listings for Utsayantha (org. 1900 with a 9 hole 2,082 yard course) and Stamford (org. 1897 with a 9 hole 1,639 yard course) separately.  In light of this, the story of Utsayantha becoming Stamford GC doesn't make much sense.


Sven

Sven


I think the two courses are the same. See attached Stamford history.


Utsayantha was a club that apparently played at the Rexmere location.

https://www.dcnyhistory.org/pdfs/StamfordGolfCourse.pdf

Mike,


There was a Stamford Golf Club of 1897. There was also a Utsayantha Golf Club of 1900 at Churchill Park in Stamford near the Rexmere Hotel. Then there was the Stamford Country Club of 1908. I don't know what happened to the 1897 Stamford GC course but it was clearly different than the Utsayantha GC course. The Churchill Park course was still around in 1913 when the Stamford CC course was being played. See articles below. Interesting side note Willie Dunn was employed by the Utsayantha GC in 1904.


Stamford Golf Club mention, 1 Aug 1897 Brooklyn, NY Daily Eagle newspaper



Stamford, NY Catskills article, 6 Jul 1913 New York, NY Daily Tribune newspaper



Willie Dunn at Utsayantha Golf Club, 14 Jul 1904 Elmira, NY Star Gazette newspaper

[Mike Worth]

That course didn’t survive per se but what happened was it moved a couple miles up the road around 1907 and is now the Stamford NY Golf Club.


There’s a bit of history behind the current Stamford club as there was significant Walter Travis work done in the 1920s.  Also if you consult the Stamford club history, while they mention the original course was at the Rexmere, there is no mention that Fenn designed it so this is a bit of a significant find!

The 1901 Harpers has listings for Utsayantha (org. 1900 with a 9 hole 2,082 yard course) and Stamford (org. 1897 with a 9 hole 1,639 yard course) separately.  In light of this, the story of Utsayantha becoming Stamford GC doesn't make much sense.


Sven

Sven


I think the two courses are the same. See attached Stamford history.


Utsayantha was a club that apparently played at the Rexmere location.

https://www.dcnyhistory.org/pdfs/StamfordGolfCourse.pdf

Mike,


There was a Stamford Golf Club of 1897. There was also a Utsayantha Golf Club of 1900 at Churchill Park in Stamford near the Rexmere Hotel. Then there was the Stamford Country Club of 1908. I don't know what happened to the 1897 Stamford GC course but it was clearly different than the Utsayantha GC course. The Churchill Park course was still around in 1913 when the Stamford CC course was being played. See articles below. Interesting side note Willie Dunn was employed by the Utsayantha GC in 1904.


Stamford Golf Club mention, 1 Aug 1897 Brooklyn, NY Daily Eagle newspaper



Stamford, NY Catskills article, 6 Jul 1913 New York, NY Daily Tribune newspaper



Willie Dunn at Utsayantha Golf Club, 14 Jul 1904 Elmira, NY Star Gazette newspaper

Karl. The Stamford Golf Club moved from the Rexmere location to its current location in 1907. That is pretty well documented


I didn’t know, or forgot, about the second course Utsayantha.


That’s a very interesting find on Willie Dunn.