Feature Interview with Mike Bennett - Golf Club AtlasOne of the neat things about golf is what a course can mean to a community and how it can engender civic pride. Ron Montesano recently pointed out just such a story to me. The course in question is Zanesville CC. Located in central Ohio, and you can guess the town
😉, this Golden Age course has an interesting twist to its history. Like many courses, it started off as a nine-holer before ultimately moving to its current, expansive site that was well suited for 18 holes. And who better to call in the 1930s than Donald Ross?
Out went Walter Hatch, one of Ross’s lieutenants and he presented a preliminary routing. The club voted on it and approved it in May, 1931. No reason to argue with the Maestro, right? All very straightforward. Yet, a few weeks later, it was announced that Chick Evans would build the course. Say what?! This turn of events is certainly perplexing and ultimately, member Michael Bennett decided to investigate and even wrote an excellent book on all his findings. I will let him take up the narrative.
“So, the logical question is why switch from the preeminent Golden Age Golf Course Architect to someone with few courses to his credit and coming off a project where he had to partner with a more experienced architect? We don’t know the answer for certain but my guess is that since Evans visited Zanesville, and since Ross sent his employee rather than visit himself, combined with the celebrity of Evans as a former U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Champion (in fact, Evans was the first of only two men to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open in the same year), these considerations may have impressed the club leadership to make the switch. “
What a plot twist! Evans’ design portfolio is less than 2% of Ross’s, yet the course opened to rave reviews as Mike outlines in his Feature Interview and book. I have never been but since Evans’ work is scant, I am even more keen to go than if it was Ross’s. That may seem like perverse logic, but seeing something different is always most interesting, at least to me.
Have a read of Mike’s Feature Interview and consider buying his book:
https://www.zanesvillecc.com/Default.aspx?p=dynamicmodule&pageid=82&ssid=100095&vnf=1. Indeed, the profits from the book (which might reach $30,000) will be ploughed back into the course.
You have to appreciate a member like Mike who rolls up his sleeves and starts down a pathway of spending hundreds of hours in order to gain clarity on the true origins of his home course. The club and course will benefit from all his work for generations to come. Job well done.
Best,