Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture Discussion Group => Topic started by: Sven Nilsen on February 27, 2015, 01:56:33 PM
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This thread is intended to be an exploration of the questions that remain unanswered about the roots of American golf. If you have no interest in the arcana of GCA, feel free to tune this out.
I'll be posting a series of old articles covering courses for which I have little information. Many of these were probably never built, many of them have probably just slipped through the cracks of time.
Please chime in if you have any questions of your own, as the collective resources hereabout may just have the answers.
To kick things off, the article from the Dec. 1931 edition of Golf Illustrated discusses the attempts to get golf off the ground in Albemarle County, Virginia, leading up to the formation of Farmington CC in 1928 (which as the article notes was laid out by Fred Findlay). The text of the article describes three attempts to form golf clubs, as follows:
1. An embryonic course that languished when key members moved away;
2. A club whose development was interrupted by World War I; and
3. A club that evolved out of small "field" course which moved to new ground after the War, had a course laid out by amateurs and then hired a "world famous player" to improve the initial attempt.
These are the courses for which I can find a record for the time period in question near Charlottesville:
A. University of Virginia GC - Reported in the 1901 Harpers as a 9 hole course with a date of organization of 1897. Later Annual Guides note this with a date of organization of either 1895, 1898 or 1899.
B. Charlottesville GC - described as a 9 hole course in the early guides, with the 1900 Harpers noting a new course laid out last year.
C. Charlottesville CC - Aug. 1913 newspaper article (see below) reports note Bendelow laying out a new course for this club. No course by this name is noted in the Annual Guides. A Dec. 1914 American Golfer article notes Bendelow laying out a course in Charlottesville, North Carolina. The timing between the two articles could mean that the second article was discussing a separate course from the 1913 reporting.
D. Albemarle GC - First appears in the 1917 Annual Guide as a 9 holed with a date of organization of 1914. The article below notes the club was subsumed by the new Farmington CC.
E. Farmington CC - as described below.
F. McIntire Park GC - Another Fred Findlay course reportedly laid out in 1930.
Do B, C and D above match up with the course outlined in the article? Was Bendelow's work only on Charlottesville CC, or only on Albemarle? Were they one and the same?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Farmington%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Dec.%201931%201_zpsafmsfdtc.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Farmington%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Dec.%201931%202_zpsf1ji15m1.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Farmington%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Dec.%201931%203_zpsqjzfpyvg.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Farmington%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Dec.%201931%204_zpspnje5wk2.png)
Aug. 12, 1913 The Times Dispatch -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Charlottesville-TheTimesDispatchAug121913_zps9dc597c8.png)
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Sven deserves better than this for his efforts. It is a mystery why a bunch of "golf snobs" let it go to the second page with no responses.
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Sven does deserve better, but it might be simply that the group doesn't have much to contribute. You can call GCA folks many things, but shy is not one of them. The history of golf in Albemarle County is probably a mystery for a reason. There doesn't seem to be much of a historical record. Which might be odd, but it is what it is.
Having spent some time there and having played Farmington often, my only add is that McIntyre Park is a public park. Whether it still has a golf course there, I don't know. The C'ville muni - Pen Park - is a bit farther out of town.
I have no knowledge of a C'ville GC or a university Golf Club. UVA did build a course within the last 20 years or so. It is called Birdwood, located just up the road from the Boar's Head Inn. There are a number of relatively new RE development course outside of C'ville, but they don't bear on Sven's questions.
It is possible that the Keswick Hall course was once called something else.
So in short, not a lot of answers to Sven's very good questions.
Bob
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Frequently these mysteries take me and my fellow sleuths (many non-GCA members) some time.
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Sven,
Chartered in 1915, the Albemarle golf club was located on the Rivanna river. A 1921 article has them buying property there from someone named Egan, and Farmington CC is nowhere near the Rivanna.
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Sven,
Chartered in 1915, the Albemarle golf club was located on the Rivanna river. A 1921 article has them buying property there from someone named Egan, and Farmington CC is nowhere near the Rivanna.
Jim:
That was my understanding as well, that Farmington CC was built as a separate club on new land, but took in many of the Albemarle members.
In the Bendelow thread Bob and I noted the location of Albemarle east of the UVA campus, and that the land Bendelow worked on was supposedly north of the campus, suggesting Albemarle and Charlottesville CC were two separate courses.
Sven
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Sven,
CCC was located at Cochran's Park(can't find that yet), but the present day Meadowbrook (built 1974) is located in Pen's Park. In 1917 there was a Meadowbrook Mills GC opening near the property of CCC. Could be Pen's was Cochran's Park, and the location of both courses.
The property for the course was located about 1 mile from the city, and Pen's fits.
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Two articles on Albemarle forwarded by Jim.
Richmond Times-Dispatch March 11, 1915 -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Albemarle%20-%20Richmond%20Times-Dispatch%20March%2011%201915_zps2ijgo4gs.png)
Washington Herald Sept. 7, 1921 -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Albemarle%20-%20Washington%20Herald%20Sept.%207%201921_zpsj7wq4ptu.png)
And another from Jim on Meadowbrook Mills and the Charlottesville CC.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct. 21, 1917 -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Meadowbrook%20Mills%20-%20Richmond%20Times-Dispatch%20Oct.%2021%201917_zpslxdwu65k.png)
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Mystery #2 - Water Mill GC
In the midst of the world famous Hamptons lies a sleepy little hamlet called Water Mill, so under the radar that it has only been mentioned a couple of times on this site.
In 1900 Willie Dunn laid out a 9 hole course for the Water Mill GC. The course doesn't appear in any Annual Guides and does not appear to have stuck around for very long. The Golf Magazine reports below give us a sense of the scale of the club, one certainly with the resources to hire a well known professional and to have contracted one of the experts of the day to lay out the course.
So what happened to Water Mill? Why did Water Mill fade away while many of its neighbors stood the test of time?
May 1901 Golf Magazine -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Water%20Mill%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20May%201901%201_zpsplflz1fm.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Water%20Mill%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20May%201901%202_zps1iy6dpqm.png)
June 1902 Golf Magazine -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Water%20Mill%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20June%201902_zpsyh1jkt2y.png)
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Jim forwarded a link to a 1900 Map of Water Mill, which notes the Topping property (right around the center of this image at the head of Hayground Bay) which is where we believe the club was located.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Water%20Mill%20Map%201900_zpsrvymlocl.png)
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Sven, I love the concept of this thread, but I wonder if you would get more responses if you broke it into separate threads for each course you're investigating, with the course name in the title of each thread. Those who could contribute information on the specific courses might find the threads more easily, and Barney wouldn't have to browbeat the treehouse for responses.
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Sven, I love the concept of this thread, but I wonder if you would get more responses if you broke it into separate threads for each course you're investigating, with the course name in the title of each thread. Those who could contribute information on the specific courses might find the threads more easily, and Barney wouldn't have to browbeat the treehouse for responses.
Rick:
If you haven't noticed, there's a noted disdain for these types of threads from many members of the treehouse. Some don't care about history, some don't think it matters, and some have a general disregard for "cut and paste historians."
With that in mind, I thought I'd keep the intrusion down to a minimum. The thread might end up being a bit disjointed, but a straight read will give a fairly general sense of how the game developed with regards to many of the courses that aren't highlighted today.
Sven
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Mystery #3 - A New Club in Topeka
The June 1905 edition of Golf Magazine reported on a new club being formed in Topeka, with the course being laid out by Robert Fullarton. The early guides note that the first course in the city for the Topeka GC was laid out in 1899 by Willie Dunn. Later guides refer to the Topeka CC with a date of formation of 1905.
If you read the modern day Topeka CC website (https://www.topekacc.org/Club-Info.aspx), their version makes it sound like plans for the club started in 1899, but it wasn't until 1906 that the course was laid out by Bendelow on the newly purchased Dudley estate.
So what do we make of the article below? Was Fullarton's work at a separate club? Was his work at the Topeka CC, and for some reason the club went with Bendelow's plans instead? Did the CC evolve out of the previously existing GC, which most certainly had a golf course?
Topeka CC's mysteries continue on into the 20's, where contrary to their own history it has been noted that Langford came in to build an 18 hole course. The Langford/Maxwell dynamic has been discussed elsewhere on this site.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Topeka%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20June%201905_zpsrrnjfwjk.png)
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Rick:
If you haven't noticed, there's a noted disdain for these types of threads from many members of the treehouse. Some don't care about history, some don't think it matters, and some have a general disregard for "cut and paste historians."
With that in mind, I thought I'd keep the intrusion down to a minimum.
Sven
;D ;D
A few days ago I happened to be clipping a few articles and lo and behold, the same clips were being taken by a well known golf writer.
Within the past two weeks I found myself in good company, and in the workroom of another well known architect/writer. You'll never guess - an untold number of articles and clippings. ;D
No doubt there is a difference, say, in Bob Crosby's substantial pieces on John Low and Joshua Crane, or Tom MacWood's fine series of essays here on this site, vs. 'cut and paste'. Is there more scholarship in the former - of course - but at their beginnings were the same quest for information which requires the searching out of the written words of others.
I enjoy reading those pieces, and all the others in the "Opinion" section, but I also enjoy the live action of 'cut and paste', and how the reveal plays itself out. ;D
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Mystery #4 - Who is responsible for the Arcola that Pat Mucci remembers?
Arcola was built in 1909 by Barker, and was remodeled in the 1950's by R. T. Jones. In 1931, it underwent a significant remodeling.
The following April 1932 Golf Illustrated article notes that every single hole on the course was changed. There is no mention of the architect.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Arcola%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20April%201932%201_zpsg0sl2dqp.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Arcola%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20April%201932%202_zpsmvqaysoc.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Arcola%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20April%201932%203_zpsu9kgw8pk.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Arcola%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20April%201932%204_zps4cbberz5.png)
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Sven,
I noticed Golf Digest had a Williams G. Wilkinson listed as an architect at Arcola between H.H. Barker and RTJ. I looked up this name and found a golf architect by the name of Willard Wilkinson. Willard Wilkinson designed a few courses in New Jersey around this time frame. I haven't found any evidence that supports he was at Arcola Country Club, but it remains a possibility. If I find anymore info, I will let you know.
Bret
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Sven,
I noticed Golf Digest had a Williams G. Wilkinson listed as an architect at Arcola between H.H. Barker and RTJ. I looked up this name and found a golf architect by the name of Willard Wilkinson. Willard Wilkinson designed a few courses in New Jersey around this time frame. I haven't found any evidence that supports he was at Arcola Country Club, but it remains a possibility. If I find anymore info, I will let you know.
Bret
Bret:
Jim Kennedy suggested the same thing.
Wilkinson worked with Tillinghast for a while up until around 1922, when he branched out on his own.
Sven
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Mystery #5 - Where did Tillie copy the Lido model?
The following article is from the June 1928 edition of Golf Illustrated. In it Tillie writes about filling swamp land to create the contours for a new course, all based off a plaster model. Sound familiar?
Where did this work take place?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Tillinghast%20Construction%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20June%201928_zpsjyfktm0g.png)
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Sven,
I think Jim was right on Mystery #4 Here is an article from Golf Illustrated-October 1931, the last paragraph on the right claims Willard G. Wilkinson is the architect:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/8F87EF41-EFF2-4410-97BB-79187981032D_zpsmjdpvvrs.png)
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Sven,
I believe that would be the Davis Shores Islands golf course in Tampa. That's the one that Davis sold a 51% share (250k) of to Stone & Webster. Davis Shores eventually drove him into bankruptcy, and shortly after he either took his own life, accidentally fell, or was pushed overboard while at sea.
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Arcola, ca. 1930
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/16710640395_6a12104eba_o.jpg)
vs. Arcola, today.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8667/16523082098_a024ee3fdb_o.jpg)
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Nice work on Arcola and Davis Islands.
Mystery #6 - What was Willie Park up to in 1916?
This topic was touched on in the Willie Park course listing thread, but I though it made sense to add it in here. Joe Bausch posted the following Nov. 19, 1916 Asheville Citizen Sun article regarding the Happy Valley/ Kenilworth Inn course. There were a couple of key nuggets buried in the article, specifically that Park had returned to the U.S. five months prior and had a roster of courses he was busy laying out or remodeling.
The list included the following locations (with my notes added in about possibilities):
Baltimore - Rolling Road (although his work is given a date of 1920)
Detroit (5 courses) - Meadowbrook, Pine Lake?, Cascade Hills?, Flint?, Red Run?
Minneapolis - Minneapolis GC
New Britain - this would be Shuttle Meadow
Meridian - a 9 hole course in Meridian, LA was organized in 1917
Plottsville (Pottsville?) - Schuykill CC (work is given a date of 1921)
Reidsville - assuming this is the town in NC, which didn't get a course until 1931
Boston - possible Milton-Hoosic?
So what exactly were these courses?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Asheville%20-%20Asheville%20Citizen%20Sun%20Nov.%2019%201916_zpskon17hz6.jpg)
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Mystery #7 - Did Harvard ever get its course?
Unlike Yale, Stanford and many of its other US News competitors, Harvard does not have its own stand alone golf course. The trade-off is that the college team gets to practice at The Country Club.
Eons ago the early Harvard golf teams played at a course called the Cambridge GC, which was reorganized in 1899 as the Harvard GC. The club did not last long, as by 1902 the school was looking to develop its own course in Waltham.
I have no record of the Waltham course ever being built. Perhaps it was, as the backers for the project certainly had the pedigree to make it work.
March 1902 Golf Magazine -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Harvard%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20March%201902_zpsezibl5su.png)
April 1902 Golf Magazine -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Harvard%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20April%201902_zpsmagwsy5a.png)
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Sven,
Harvard was still playing at Oakley in 1908. They were at Riverside, but they gave that up in 1901 0r '02.
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Mr. Nilsen,
Regarding Mystery #6, my guess is the Asheville article omitted all of the work in Canada Park was doing at the time. Specifically, Mount Bruno Golf Club. While this may be thin evidence, a Golf Historical Society of Canada article (http://www.ghsc.ca/Quebec_August_2013.php (http://www.ghsc.ca/Quebec_August_2013.php)) notes "This was Willies first commission in 1916 and he spent a good amount of time on the site till it was done at the end of 1917. After that he set up an office here and agreed to become the first " Golf Master " of the Club staying for a year until he became too busy and passed on the job to his nephew Frank Glass." Worth looking into perhaps.
Also, he may have spent some time in 1916 in Sylvania, Ohio routing that course, although I have no proof at the moment and have to get back to work!
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Automobile Club -Detroit - didn't see it on the Park list, unless it had another name
Toronto Hunt Club - Canada
Meadowbrook, Grosse Point Il
North Jersey CC - NJ
Northfield CC -also NJ, possibly ACCC?
No name - Canton Ma.
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Jim:
Automobile Club of Detroit changed its name to Pine Lake around 1921.
Here are a couple of articles touching on Park's work in the cities noted in the Happy Valley writeup (which was the focus of my question), all forwarded by Jim.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Willie%20Park%20-%20Schenectady%20Gazette%20July%2018%201916_zpsmtkbuybf.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Willie%20Park%20-%20The%20Sun%20Dec.%206%201917_zpsops2sje3.png)
I've updated the list to note in bold the courses we can confirm he worked on in 1916.
Baltimore - Rolling Road (although his work is given a date of 1920)
Detroit (5 courses) - Meadowbrook, Pine Lake (aka Automobile Club), Cascade Hills?, Flint, Red Run
Minneapolis - Minneapolis GC
New Britain - this would be Shuttle Meadow
Meridian - a 9 hole course in Meridian, LA was organized in 1917
Plottsville (Pottsville?) - Schuykill CC (work is given a date of 1921)
Reidsville - assuming this is the town in NC, which didn't get a course until 1931
Boston - this is the Canton course, Milton-Hoosick
His work at North Jersey is a new one to me. Also, the second article confirms Drew's questions on Sylvania, and adds in his doing work at the Toledo CC around the same time.
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I'm curious about the listing of North Jersey CC also. It's pretty clear that Travis designed their current course in 1921. Their previous courses were not designed by anyone of note, best I can tell.
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This article leaves room for speculation, but it reads like this was a Park course.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 7, 1916
(http://img0.newspapers.com/img/img?id=60017882&width=557&height=1629&crop=1285_352_610_1817&rotation=0&brightness=0&contrast=0&invert=0&ts=1425517480&h=e6f3bc16f046cf30cf81b578f081eccb)
Further mention of work at NJCC at around the same time that the earlier article mentions Park.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 14, 1915
(http://img0.newspapers.com/img/img?id=54521425&width=557&height=2052&crop=1597_4020_629_2360&rotation=0&brightness=0&contrast=0&invert=0&ts=1425517835&h=55ca46f7aabd5116d7b14af128c8671f)
A mention of the new holes at NJCC - no Park or Travis reference
BDE, Aug 1, 1915
(http://img0.newspapers.com/img/img?id=54519973&width=557&height=459&crop=194_4560_669_562&rotation=0&brightness=0&contrast=0&invert=0&ts=1425518675&h=a78634e7d469896d29215a932bbb9f24)
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Jim--I'm having a hard time seeing the connection between Park and the Patterson Golf Club, which became North Jersey. What am I missing? Travis was not brought into the North Jersey picture until 1921.
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Ed,
The 1916 article from the Schenectady Gazette in reply #26 mentions alterations at NJCC that were carried out by Park.
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Thanks, Jim. I missed that. In 1915, North Jersey CC was located at Warren Point, near Paterson, NJ. The map of the course, published in NJCC's centennial book, shows it to be a very tight course, squeezed into a fairly small landscape. It is apparent that there were concerns about the course when it opened. The history book notes that, "It was a picturesque course....however, it was considered hazardous, with a number of parallel fairways that destroyed the beauty and serenity of the setting." By 1919, the club was looking for a new setting and, in 1921 purchased their current property in Wayne. That was when Travis was brought in.
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My biggest question about Park is why he didn't return to Minneapolis in the spring of 1917. Has anyone found an article describing what he was doing at that time? He left the completion of Minneapolis Golf Club to head pro William Clark, who saw the grounds for the first time in March 2017. I've been through MGC's board minutes from that era, and unfortunately there's no mention of why Park was not present to complete the course.
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Rick:
See the second article posted above in Reply #26.
It gives a good ideas as to his activity, but also notes that he thought many clubs were reluctant to take on a big outlay at the time.
My guess is that Park was a bit of an opportunist, and was following the money while lining up as much work as possible. He stayed fairly busy through the early 20's.
The other articles from that time note he was traveling all over the East and Midwest (and to Canada). It could be that a return visit to Minnesota just didn't fall into his calculated travel plans.
Sven
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Sven,
Mystery #7-did Harvard ever get its golf course?
Regarding Harvard, I tend to believe they never built the course in Waltham.
Here are three articles to explain my thinking.
The first two articles show Harvards golf schedules in 1904 and 1905. I would think if they had a new course in Waltham, they wouldn't need to use The Country Club and Oakley.
The first article is Harvards golf schedule from 1904, found on TheCrimson.com
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/990CDBC1-958E-41F1-9D0D-2FD3DA701758.png_zpsgyihwj4s.jpeg)
The second article is Harvards golf schedule from 1905, found on the Crimson.com
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/4EB5A485-387F-4963-B0C7-BA0181C6E9D7.png_zps1jajpaap.jpeg)
The third article is from the Hartford Courant-June 25,1922: In the first and last paragraph, the author makes it sound like Harvad has never had a course to call home.
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/3F2A371A-23FB-4A38-89FA-7F9F09449D3F_zpsgfrh5jvl.png)
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Rick,
I don't know about MGC, but in some cases the pro was also the superintendent. It wasn't unusual in that era for the designer to prepare a set of plans and leave varying amounts of work in his hands, or those of the club's green committee.
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Sven,
I also looked into some of the old Taft Papyrus newspapers who kept very good tabs on Yale and Harvard. In February 20, 1902 the Taft Papyrus stated that "Harvard Golf Club is endeavoring to raise $15,250 for the purchase of a new golf course". (Similar to your first article). I could never find a follow up on the golf course, however one year and one day later there was a note regarding Harvard. "During the last year six new buildings have been erected at Harvard. The cost of which was nearly $1,025,000." Maybe this had some influence on the golf course being pushed aside?
Bret
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Rick,
I don't know about MGC, but in some cases the pro was also the superintendent. It wasn't unusual in that era for the designer to prepare a set of plans and leave varying amounts of work in his hands, or those of the club's green committee.
That's apparently what happened in Minneapolis, but Clark seems to have deviated from Park's original design. The Minneapolis morning Tribune reported that spring that the new course would be 5,250 yards, while Park's plan called for the course to be 6,348 yards, and the hole lengths in the newspaper do not match up with Park's original plan.
Clark had some chops of his own (he later designed Oak Ridge, one of the Twin Cities' best private courses), and perhaps concluded that he could come up with improvements to Park's design. Park's office never took credit for MGC.
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Mystery #8 - Was DC's first public course ever built?
The article below describe an effort to build a course in Rock Creek Park. Later reports note a 9 hole course did come into existence, but not until 1923 (with William Flynn being involved later on).
Was the first course ever built?
Golfers Magazine Dec. 1906
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Rock%20Creek%201%20-%20Golfers%20Magazine%20Dec.%201906_zps9fkjeokx.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Rock%20Creek%202%20-%20Golfers%20Magazine%20Dec.%201906_zpsro2tgzax.png)
Golf Magazine Feb. 1907
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Rock%20Creek%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907_zpsvi522wnr.png)
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Mystery #9 - What happened to this Sacramento club?
A shout out to the west coast.
This Jan. 1911 Golf Magazine blurb notes the ambitious plans for a new club in Sacramento. The first iteration of the Sacramento GC was founded in 1900. The later annual guides give a date of 1913 for the formation of the Sacramento CC (which was later remodeled by Fowler).
Was the course referred to in this article actually the CC, with the earlier GC already having gone out of existence? Or, as suggested by a 1913 Spalding Official Golf Guide article, did the old course get improved and become the CC?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Sacramento%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Jan.%201911_zpsiuk8yb2a.png)
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Looks like yes, and just waiting for a mower in '09.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8584/16569499289_b60aea2c40_o.jpg)
Ed. - a 1911 article from the DC paper "The Evening Star" mentions the course, but it's thought to be too far from the city and not very well maintained.
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Sven -
Re: Charlottesville CC - Aug. 1913 newspaper article (see below) reports note Bendelow laying out a new course for this club. No course by this name is noted in the Annual Guides...
By chance last weekend I spoke with a retired professor from the UVA law school. He has played golf in C'ville for many decades. I asked him if he had ever heard of the course referenced above. He said he had and that it was located where the Law School was once located (Clarke Hall) and is now the site of the UVA chemistry and engineering departments. The course would have been off Rugby Road, maybe half a mile north of the the Lawn. He said it was gone by the time he arrived in C'ville, but older golfers had pointed out to him the course's former site.
All hearsay, but interesting.
Bob
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Sven -
Re: Charlottesville CC - Aug. 1913 newspaper article (see below) reports note Bendelow laying out a new course for this club. No course by this name is noted in the Annual Guides...
By chance last weekend I spoke with a retired professor from the UVA law school. He has played golf in C'ville for many decades. I asked him if he had ever heard of the course referenced above. He said he had and that it was located where the Law School was once located (Clarke Hall) and is now the site of the UVA chemistry and engineering departments. The course would have been off Rugby Road, maybe half a mile north of the the Lawn. He said it was gone by the time he arrived in C'ville, but older golfers had pointed out to him the course's former site.
All hearsay, but interesting.
Bob
Bob:
This was pretty much the guess that we had on the Bendelow thread. Glad to hear a bit of confirmation.
Sven
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Mystery #10 - Colorado Springs YMCA
The location for the proposed course would have put it in the area of the Garden of the Gods. Was this course ever built?
May 1912 American Golfer -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/YMCA%20CO%20-%20American%20Golfer%20May%201912_zpsne0guscj.png)
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Sven, I love the concept of this thread, but I wonder if you would get more responses if you broke it into separate threads for each course you're investigating, with the course name in the title of each thread. Those who could contribute information on the specific courses might find the threads more easily, and Barney wouldn't have to browbeat the treehouse for responses.
Rick:
If you haven't noticed, there's a noted disdain for these types of threads from many members of the treehouse. Some don't care about history, some don't think it matters, and some have a general disregard for "cut and paste historians."
With that in mind, I thought I'd keep the intrusion down to a minimum. The thread might end up being a bit disjointed, but a straight read will give a fairly general sense of how the game developed with regards to many of the courses that aren't highlighted today.
Sven
Sven, I have nothing to add to this thread other than thanks and would second Rick's suggestion. I can't believe anyone has the attitude you mention in your post, but even if they do, that's their problem and I'm sure they're in the tiny minority.
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Sven,
Regarding this overall thread and the terrific work being done by you, Jim Kennedy, Bob Crosby, Joe Bausch, and others, that's the primary reason I've returned to GCA and hope to contribute.
In that regard, your question #8 above regarding Rock Creek Park.
It appears that work was started as planned around 1906 but ran into snags. This May 7th 1909 article in the Washington Evening Star explains the issue.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/16761918776_f58259c10b_z.jpg)
I've been unable to find anything related to golf in the Park until 1922, when this Washington Sunday Star article appeared on September 10th. The course opened on May 22nd, 1923 with Both President Harding and Chief Justice Taft playing in the first group.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7642/16580508867_c3e2ffaa02_z.jpg)
Hope this helps!
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Mike,
First, welcome back.
Second, the 1923 Rock Creek course is described as newly constructed, which raises the question of whether it had any connection to the earlier lay out.
Sven
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Mystery #11 - Saltville's Short
A while back I posted some images of the golf course in Saltville, VA (the thread can be found here: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57979.0.html).
I'm still intrigued by the abruptness of the features in the old photograph, and what looks to be a Redan style hole in the aerial.
The course looked more refined than your average small town layout, and the money and connections behind its creation lend credence to the thought that there may have been a big name involved.
So who was responsible for Saltville?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Saltville_zps81310d83.jpg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/SaltvilleGreen_zpsef9035f7.png)
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Back at reply #40 I posted an article and mentioned another from 1911, one that suggests the course was built and operating. Here it is, from The Evening Star, Friday Feb 17th, pg 2.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8637/16167389224_10eafe3cbd_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qCE6y5)rock creek (https://flic.kr/p/qCE6y5) by sylvania2009 (https://www.flickr.com/people/56044670@N04/), on Flickr
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Sven,
This article attributes the building of Saltville to Chris Whiteman
http://tinyurl.com/nuyvvek
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Sven,
I was just reading over your previous thread on Saltville. In post #19, Brian Ross linked an article from Golfdom, December 1931. After reading Jim's recent post, I realized the article in the previous thread was written by C.H. Whiteman. Whiteman makes it sound like Saltville only had 3 holes in 1925, 4 holes in 1926, 6 by 1927 and 9 by 1929.
Bret
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Mike,
First, welcome back.
Second, the 1923 Rock Creek course is described as newly constructed, which raises the question of whether it had any connection to the earlier lay out.
Sven
Sven & Jim,
Digging deeper today I agree with Jim that the original golf course laid out by Col. Sherrill was indeed built and initial findings indicate it was very near where the Tennis Center is today, which was originally a reservoir built in the late 1890s, early 1900s by the city Water Dept.
I'm fairly certain from my readings that the new golf course created in the early 20s was completely north of the original course but will keep digging.
In the meantime, let me see if this link works to a book about the history of Rock Creek Park. https://books.google.com/books/about/A_History_of_Rock_Creek_Park.html?id=3fHZAwAAQBAJ
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It appears the original golf course at Rock Creek Park was largely south of today's course, although some of the same land at the very south end of today's course may have been used.
The article below describes it as starting just south of the Brighton Reservoir, which is where today's Tennis Center is located, and proceeding north across Military Road, running between Rock Creek and 16th Street. As it was only 9 holes, it seems unlikely to have gone much further into the land of today's course.
I just purchased a book which I'm hoping includes Olmstead's 1918 plan for Rock Creek Park, so that may shed some more light in a few days.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7651/16607828839_42c34c9641_z.jpg)
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From "A Historic Resource Study - Rock Creek Park" published by William Bushong in 1990;
To varying degrees early intrusions into the park influenced site
selections for early sports facilities. In 1900 the D. C. Water Department
obtained Congressional authorization for the construction of the Brightwood
Reservoir, located on a site occupied today by the Rock Creek Tennis Stadium,
tennis courts, and ballfields between Morrow Drive and Carter Barron
Theater. The Board of Control opposed this action, but presented with what
appeared to be the inevitable enactment by Congress of legislation
authorizing the siting of the reservoir in the park, they negotiated a land
exchange compromise with the bills' proponents. The Board surrendered use of
parkland to the Water Department in exchange for the citys' purchase of
private land on the eastern boundary of the park. The resulting agreement
gave the Water Department its reservoir and a site it desired and the Board
was able to rectify a section of the boundary along Sixteenth Street. *03
As a result of the installation of the reservoir, this area of the park was
considered an acceptable site for recreational facilities. In 1907 a nine-hole
golfcourse was laid out adjacent to the Brightwood Reservoir. It was hoped
that enthusiasm for the sport would generate the purchase of additional
private acreage adjoining the park on the west side of Sixteenth Street to
expand the course to eighteen holes. 104 a 1909 newspaper account concerning
the potential construction of a clubhouse for the golfcourse indicated that a
117
potential site would be near the intersection of Blagden Avenue and Sixteenth
Street south of the reservoir. I"* A lack of funds evidently stymied these
plans. A nine-hole golfcourse was laid out and grass seed planted, but neither
the course or clubhouse went beyond this initial planning phase. However, the
work of clearing the land was not wasted because in 1916 playing fields, a
large picnic area, shelters, and tennis courts were built adjacent to the
reservoir. By the 1930s the Brightwood Reservoir had become obsolete when
new reservoirs were built in outlying areas of the city near Great Falls. The
Civilian Conservation Corps infilled the reservoir in 1937, but the pattern of
active recreational development in the area has been continued into modern
times.
A notable intrusion to the park's natural character in 1911 was the
establishment of an arboretum for experimental tree planting along Rock
Creek to the north, south and east of Camp Goodwill by the U. S. Forest
Service. A cooperative agreement was reached between the Board and the
Forest Service to allow the federal agency to use the site primarily for
experiments in the hybridization of willow trees. However, by 1914 seventy
species had been introduced into this section of the park representing every
region in the United States. Some of these trees, particularly the California
Redwoods, did not survive. By 1920 2,000 trees of 170 species were being
cultivated in the park. There was a movement in the late 1910s to formalize
this arrangement with the establishment of a permanent arboretum and the
addition of a botanical garden. 106 Th e u. S. Commission of Fine Arts, which
had been requested by Congress to review potential sites for the relocation of
the Mall botanical gardens in 1916, strongly opposed any plan that would use
Rock Creek Park for this purpose. 107 Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. quoted the
commission's report at length in his 1918 planning study for Rock Creek Park.
He emphasized the point that the establishment of the arboretum in the park
had been a grave mistake that threatened to destroy the natural beauty of the
landscape if it was continued and expanded. In 1920 the experiment was
discontinued. Within a year Colonel Sherrill began planning a new use for the
area and ordered the start of construction of fairways for the Rock Creek golf
course.
During the planning phase for the golf course, former President
Woodrow Wilson wrote Sherrill to lodge a strong objection to its construction
in the park:
118
Is it possible that it is true that a golf course is to be laid out in Rock
Creek Park? I am loath to believe that such an unforgivable piece of
vandalism is even in contemplation, and therefore beg leave to enter
my earnest and emphatic protest. That park is the most beautiful in
the United States, and to mar its natural beauty for the sake of sport
would be to do an irretrievable thing which subsequent criticism and
regret could never repair. 10°
Concerned by the tone of the letter but remaining firm in his belief that the golf
course was an appropriate addition to this section of the park, Sherrill
immediately wrote to request the support from his superior officer, Chief of
Engineers Major General Lansing H. Beach, who had been so instrumental in
Rock Creek Park's early development. The Colonel asked Beach to request a
small appropriation from Congress to begin construction of the golf course. He
feared that any effort to establish the facility without specific authority from
Congress might create "so much hostility among members of Congress as to
jeapardize any future hope of securing funds to make a really first-class golf
course." 10°
Sherrill responded to the former president in an evasive fashion and did
not admit that the plans were already in the works. He diplomatically
explained that the land considered for use in the park as the golf course had
been cleared of trees before its purchase by the government and was
inaccessible to the public. He described the tract as "overgrown with brambles
and poison ivy as to be entirely worthless."* 10 Th e Colonel also assured
Wilson that a "golf course could be so constructed as not to affect the natural
beauty of the tract while its use for this purpose is not apt to mar the
appearance as much as constantly occurs at every picnic ground." 1 1 1 Wilson
was apparently satisified by the response and through his secretary conveyed
his relief regarding the choice of the site for the proposed golf course. 1 12
In October, 1921, the rough outline for the fairways of a nine-hole golf
course were laid out by landscape architect Irving W. Payne under the
authority of Colonel Sherrill.l 13 In January, 1922, Colonel Sherrill requested
and obtained the services of golf course architect William S. Flynn of Ardmore,
Pennsylvania.! 14 Flynn was a leader in the field of golf course design at this
time and today is considered an American master of golf course architecture.
His masterpiece was the revision of the course at Shinnecock Hills on Long
Island, New York, but his courses at Spring Mill and Rolling Hills, both
119
outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are also highly regarded. H5 Flynn
worked as a consultant on the design of Rock Creek golf course and spent two
days going over the ground to locate the tees and greens. The final course
design, apparently incorporating Flynn' s verbal suggestions, was prepared by
Payne. The first nine holes of the Rock Creek golf course opened in 1923 with a
remodeled farmhouse as its clubhouse. 1 *" A second nine-hole course was laid
out and opened by 1927. The immediate popularity of the course was reflected
by the fact that more than 75,000 golfers played the course in that year.H?
The facility remains a popular recreational attraction in the park and has been
in continuous operation since 1923.
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Sorry for the multiple posts, but while we're on the subject of Washington DC public golf courses, can anyone determine who designed the original "blacks only" Langston Golf Course in the late 1930s? That's a mystery I've never been able to solve to date.
The history of East Potomac Park GC is interesting as well, involving Walter Travis, Robert White, and Dr. Walter Harban.
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Mystery #11 - Saltville's Short
A while back I posted some images of the golf course in Saltville, VA (the thread can be found here: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57979.0.html).
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Saltville_zps81310d83.jpg)
Sven,
The Golfdom December 1931 article identifies your picture as the 9th green. The ninth green was a 293 yard Par 4. Whiteman notes that only three greens were bunkered: the first, second and ninth. These three holes are all Par 4's. The Par 3's were not bunkered.
Bret
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Mystery #11 - Saltville's Short
A while back I posted some images of the golf course in Saltville, VA (the thread can be found here: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57979.0.html).
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Saltville_zps81310d83.jpg)
Sven,
The Golfdom December 1931 article identifies your picture as the 9th green. The ninth green was a 293 yard Par 4. Whiteman notes that only three greens were bunkered: the first, second and ninth. These three holes are all Par 4's. The Par 3's were not bunkered.
Bret
Bret:
Not sure how I missed the Golfdom article in the first go around, although sometimes the turfweb site seems to go into lockout mode.
Going to chalk this one up to Whiteman. Would be interesting to know a bit more about his background, particularly if he played golf prior to coming to Saltville.
Sven
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Sorry for the multiple posts, but while we're on the subject of Washington DC public golf courses, can anyone determine who designed the original "blacks only" Langston Golf Course in the late 1930s? That's a mystery I've never been able to solve to date.
The history of East Potomac Park GC is interesting as well, involving Walter Travis, Robert White, and Dr. Walter Harban.
Mike:
Did Langston have a different name at one point? Was it a different course from the Lincoln Memorial GC?
Sven
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Mystery #12 - Marshall and Kenloch
The following Jan. 1917 American Golfer piece notes the beginnings of the Kenloch Club in Libertyville, IL. Both Macomber and Bendelow are credited with work at Libertyville CC, but the Annual Guides note a date of organization of 1928 for that course.
Was Marshall's course ever built? The timing would put it smack dab in the middle of the war effected years, where many projects were put on hold due to greater interests.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Libertyville%20-%20The%20American%20Golfer%20Jan.%201917_zpsjoodrxyx.png)
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Mike:
Did Langston have a different name at one point? Was it a different course from the Lincoln Memorial GC?
Sven
Sven,
Yes and yes. When it opened in 1939 the newspapers simply called it the "colored course" in Deanwood, along the Anacostia River. There was a separate Anacostia public golf course that opened in the 30s but was closed by the late 50s, so don't let that one throw you.
For years members of the "Royal Golf Club", who had played at the Lincoln Memorial course petitioned the federal government for either rights to play at the city's public courses or to build one for African Americans. Around 1934 the feds consented, although it's sketchy after that. The course was built essentially on a former garbage dump, with 9 opening in 1939 and another nine in the 50s.
It is likely from the combination of this wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Golf_Course and some other materials I found that it was likely designed by a combination of some of the members of Royal along with the Civilian Conservation Corp and WPA engineers.
**EDIT** Sven, I did find an article indicating the name of the new course was already Langston when it opened on June 11, 1939.
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Mystery #13 - Marion's Devonshire Manor
In June of 1928 Golf Illustrated notes plans for the purchase of land including the old Marion GC for the development of a new country club (most likely a real estate play) to be named Devonshire Manor. Several trade magazines from the time note the ambitious expenditures the endeavor was looking to outlay in its development.
So what happened to Devonshire? Was it just another victim of the crash? And did this seal the end of golf on the Marion GC land?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Devonshire%20Marion%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20June%201928%201_zpsni6w8g0w.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Devonshire%20Marion%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20June%201928%202_zpskhsiib2p.png)
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Sven,
There is a Marion Golf Club still in existence in Marion, MA. This 9 hole course was the first golf course designed by George Thomas. Anthony Pioppi has a chapter devoted to it in To The Nines. Is your article referring to this course or a different course?
Bret
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Sven,
Bret is correct.
Marion GC by George Thomas is still there and incorporates some very cool and very novel old stone walls. I played there about three years ago and it's a real relic.
Apparently Devonshire Manor never came to fruition.
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Bret:
Pretty sure the article is referring to the course Thomas worked on, which as you note is still in existence.
A followup question. The 1904 date attributed to Thomas is several years after golf was first played in Marion. Was Thomas' work on an existing course, or did he do a new layout on new ground?
Sven
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Sven,
I don't know the answer to your follow up question. Maybe Anthony Pioppi can help us out with the answer.
Bret
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Let me just say, Sven, it's obvious you have not read To the Nines and that makes me extremely sad.
Second, Mike is correct. It is a very cool relic. It appears that nothing has changed in over 100 years. For a more detailed explanation of the course I suggest reading To the Nines.
Third: history of Marion is still a mystery. I spent a lot of time trying to find the year Marion opened and could not. The land the course is on is part of a trust so any maps I found just showed the entire property but not specifically the golf course. The oldest scorecard I've seen date to 1910.
There is no explanation ever given that I found on why Mr. Bullivant hired Thomas. In Thomas's book Golf Architecture in America he never goes into detail about a single hole on the course.
By the way, you have to drive past Marion to get to Kittansett.
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Great photo of Marion GC...the top photo is the view from the current 6th tee towards the ocean...5th then 4th holes in view off to the right.
As far as I can tell, the mansion is still there too.
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Anthony:
I need to rectify that gap in my library.
Unfortunately, the caddie budget has been limiting those types of extravagancies.
Sven
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Sven:
New edition is out in May. We'll see if we can work out something.
Marion's 9th hole from the tee. Copyright Sue Carlson.
(http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w243/ARAYNORFAN/Marion%202.jpg) (http://s178.photobucket.com/user/ARAYNORFAN/media/Marion%202.jpg.html)
Anthony
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Mystery #9 - What happened to this Sacramento club?
A shout out to the west coast.
This Jan. 1911 Golf Magazine blurb notes the ambitious plans for a new club in Sacramento. The first iteration of the Sacramento GC was founded in 1900. The later annual guides give a date of 1913 for the formation of the Sacramento CC (which was later remodeled by Fowler).
Was the course referred to in this article actually the CC, with the earlier GC already having gone out of existence? Or, as suggested by a 1913 Spalding Official Golf Guide article, did the old course get improved and become the CC?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Sacramento%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Jan.%201911_zpsiuk8yb2a.png)
Sven,
Is it possible your article is talking about Del Paso Country Club, the site of the 2015 U.S. Senior Open?
Here are two links with some more information on Sacramento golf history:
http://www.hagginoaks.com/blog/history-local-sacramento-area-golf-courses/
http://www.delpasocountryclub.com/about-us/history-595.html
Clinton Harber, who is referred to in the Del Paso history, is also listed in the 1917 and 1920 American Annual Golf Guides under Sacramento Country Club. (Chairman-Greens Committee)
Bret
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This information concerns courses mentioned on the first page or two.
It was mentioned that the CC of Farmington was redesigned in the 30's. In September of 1935, during his PGA Course Consultation Tour, Tilly examined the entire course and made various recommendations including new 17th & 18th holes. I don't know if the work was ever done but some I've spoken with believe it was.
Arcola & Willard Wilkinson. Wilkinson was a design associate who worked for Tilly into the early 1920s. When he told Tilly that he was going out on his own, Tilly generously gave him 4 current projects that were Tilly's and that Wilkinson was working on for him including Arcola. Even though Tilly was the original hired name, this is a Wilkinson design.
Jim was correct in his answer to the question regarding which course Tilly was referring to in the article about his draining the swamps to build the course he designed. Jim mentioned that it might have been Davis Islands (he crossed out the word Shores). Tilly did the original designs for both Davis Islands and Davis Shores.
Note the newspaper article below which states that the course "is entirely on land once covered by the waters of Tampa Bay."
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo90/PhiltheAuthor/Davis%20Islands%20article_zpsile6c4pg.jpg) (http://s364.photobucket.com/user/PhiltheAuthor/media/Davis%20Islands%20article_zpsile6c4pg.jpg.html)
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This information concerns courses mentioned on the first page or two.
Arcola & Willard Wilkinson. Wilkinson was a design associate who worked for Tilly into the early 1920s. When he told Tilly that he was going out on his own, Tilly generously gave him 4 current projects that were Tilly's and that Wilkinson was working on for him including Arcola. Even though Tilly was the original hired name, this is a Wilkinson design.
Phil,
What were the other three courses offered to Willard Wilkinson from Tillinghast?
Why did it take him so long to get to Arcola? It sounds like Wilkinson left Tillinghast sometime between 1922-1924. Arcola wasn't built until 1930.
The Architects of Golf claim Willard Wilkinson designed 87 golf courses and remodeled 12. They only list 15 of his courses!
Cortland Country Club in New York claims that their golf course was the 100th course designed by Wilkinson in 1948. I'm not sure if this included his work with Tillinghast or not. He was a member of ASGCA until 1979. Any idea how many courses were built by Wilkinson?
Bret
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Bret,
The only other one that we know by name of the four is Jumping Brook in New Jersey. In fact, if you look under the brief course history written on its website it tells the account of how Tilly turned the commission over to him. It states that Tilly gave him three commissions, but since then I've come across other information that leads me to believe that it was four. At this time the only ones that seem to be attributable to them this way are Arcola and Jumping Brook.
Should we be surprised that we aren't able to name the others? No. Consider what you wrote about the lack of known Wilkinson courses mentioned in the C&W book. Likewise, in 1934 Tilly wrote that he had designed and built several hundred courses during his career to that point, yet today we can't quite identify 100 of them, this despite our discovering two dozen or so new ones in the past decade.
What took so long with Arcola? Beats me... This would make a good research project...
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Phil,
Thanks for your answers. I wasn't sure if I was missing something in regards to Willard Wilkinson that others may know. I agree it would be a good research project.
I recently found an article in The Hartford Courant-December 11, 1916, that discusses some of Tillinghast's work. I'm not sure it brings to light any new courses by Tillinghast, but the date may help?
If you've already seen this, sorry for repeating it.
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/EA74BE81-08F5-4434-954B-72072F1E5C93.png_zpsc9o8c7pv.jpeg)
Bret
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Bret,
Thanks for that newspaper account, one I hadn't seen before. The following week would see accounts in papers in various southern cities as Tilly did more than just the two courses mentioned.
You stated, "I'm not sure it brings to light any new courses by Tillinghast..." Then again it might have! The article states that Tilly had been "invited by Clifford Harmon to take a trip up the Hudson to look over a site for a nine hole links..."
That's the first mention of Harmon's name that I've ever seen and so this might be something previously unknown. Another bit of research to do!
P.S. - Bret, I did a quick bit of looking into Clifford Harmon. Evidently he was a renowned aviator and real estate tycoon who lived on an estate in Harmon-on Hudson. There are two possibilities. The first is a nine-hole course on his large estate. The other is one that I've been wondering about for quite sometime and that needs more looking into...
Hope to have the answer in a few days.
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Check the Dec. 9, 1916 New York Times, which notes Tillinghast laying out a 9 hole course.
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Mystery #14 - Sea Girt and Spring Lake CC
Anyone ever heard of this one?
Dec. 1908 Golfers Magazine -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/NJ%20-%20Golfers%20Magazine%20Dec.%201908_zpsqvhabull.png)
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Sven, what 9-hole course is that NY Times article referring to?
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Yes, I've heard of Sea Girt.
This from the Sept 6, 1908 edition of the Public Ledger:
(http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/SeaGirt/Sept6_1908_Ledger.jpg)
And the place still seems to be around in 1915 (Aug 1, 1915 Phila Inquirer):
(http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/SeaGirt/Aug1_1915_Inky.jpg)
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Sven, what 9-hole course is that NY Times article referring to?
Phil:
Here's the thread where MacWood cited the article: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,44119.0.html
Sven
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Mystery #15 - The Racetrack Courses of Memphis
After the turn of the century horse racing was banned in Memphis, TN. One of the racetracks affected was Driving Park, located in North Memphis. There was a golf club and a course associated with the location, known as the Driving Park GC. There's a reference to the course in the 1908 Golfers Guide, as well as several mentions in various Who's Who compendiums.
Another racetrack course is noted as having existed in Montgomery Park. The club was known as the Tri-State Club, and was laid out by Jack Edrington. I have found no record of this course in any of the golf guides, but it is referenced in other works without reference to the golf course.
What is curious to me is that this would have been the second of two golf course to have been built in Montgomery Park. The first was laid out in 1898 and was absorbed into the Memphis GC.
So what happened to the Tri-State Club?
Oct. 1909 Golf Magazine -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Tri-State%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Oct.%201909%201_zpsf5m8m7jv.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Tri-State%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Oct.%201909%202_zpsmkoalb1j.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Tri-State%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Oct.%201909%203_zpstzehvubz.png)
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Sven,
I haven't really found anything regarding the Tri-State Club. However, the Memphis history site has a lot of information regarding Montgomery Park.
According to the history, Montgomery Park was sold to The City of Memphis in 1912, several years after gambling was outlawed in Tennessee. The City of Memphis purchased all of the buildings in Montgomery Park from The New Memphis Jockey Club.
Montgomery Park became the permanent location for the Tri-State Fair and the name of the park was changed to Fairgrounds Park. At one point these grounds were also home to the Libertyland Amusement Park. Today the site of Montgomery Park houses the Liberty Bowl Stadium, the Mid-South Coliseum and several other attractions.
I will keep looking for info on the Tri-State Club, but I have a feeling this location did not last long. I also noticed that Overton Park Golf Course was opened in 1911-1912. Not sure if this was spurred by the closing of the other course?
Here is an aerial of the site from the 1930's:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/497B6A1F-C366-4FE2-8CD4-1DDE49F10C6F.png_zpsciscqecc.jpeg)
Bret
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Mystery #16 - Marin County's Airplane And Golf Club
Tucked up in Marin County is the small town of Olema, where in 1929 there were plans to build a combination aviation and golf club. The course was to be designed by William Bell.
I have no idea if the course was ever built.
Sausalito News - March 22, 1929 -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Wauhilla%20-%20Sausalito%20News%20March%2022%201929%201_zpsrjrwout2.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Wauhilla%20-%20Sausalito%20News%20March%2022%201929%202_zps95x479op.png)
Golf Illustrated - May 1929
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Wauhilla%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20May%201929_zpsecsxiuq0.png)
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Whilst we are getting the attention of the creme de la creme of gca.com historians, how about these mysteries which are close to my heart....
1. The pre-OTM 9 hole course at Dornoch (c<1875). According to the history (Gordon), golf had been played from at least 1616. What did it look like when OTM arrived and who made it look the way it did then?
2. Myopia HC was orginially founded in the place where I spent the first 3 years of my life (Winchester. MA). I know the founders played baseball and tennis on the site. Did they play any golf there too before they moved to Hamilton, and if so what did it look like and who designed it?
3. I moved in 1950 from Winchester to Darien, CT, which had/has a golf course (Wee Burn CC) originally designed by Deverauex Emmet. The original "Wee Burn" was in Noroton, a mile or two away from the curernt site. Any plans, routings, history of the original course?
4. When I spent a couple of years in Silicon Valley (2000-2012) my family frequented Capitola (just south of Pasateimpo, and learned that there was a plan for a "cxhampionship" course there in the "Roaring Twenties." Anybody know who was inolved or what happened to it?
5. Finally, my current "home" club is Aberdour, and it's original 9-holeer was apparently a mile or two NorthWest of the current course and was designed by Willie Park, Jr. (who had done the nearby Burntisland GC course in the late 1890's). Any more information from anybody on that potential factotum?
Thanks to all
Rich
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Rich:
Here's what I have on the early Wee Burn.
Reports of golf being played on Noroton field as early as 1893.
USGA 1898 Allied club.
1899 Guide and 1900 Harper's note course laid out by George Strath in April, 1897.
One of the 12 founding clubs of the CSGA in 1899.
Jan. 1898 Golf Magazine notes purchase of 9 additional acres and alterations planned by George Strath to extend course from 2,077 to 2,714 yards.
April 1901 Golf Magazine notes club organized in 1896 and has a 9 hole 2,775 yard course.
Feb. 1907 Golfers Magazine notes course to be lengthened from 2,700 to 3,196 yards.
April 1907 Golf Magazine notes 9 hole course to be rearranged and to be over 3,000 yards.
March 1908 Golf Magazine great changes made recently and course looked over by Findlay Douglas, J. H. T. McMurtrie and C. H. Seely who walked over the course to make suggestions on the placement of hazards.
No early plans (you might check the Maps and Plans thread), but here are some old photos from the April 1901 edition of Golf Magazine:
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Wee%20Burn%20Photos%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20April%201901_zpsa11vkcw2.png)
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As for Capitola, there was a course known as Capitola G&CC. My only record for it is from a 1938 Golfer's Year Book, which provides little information other than it was located in Capitola-By-The-Sea.
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Mystery #17 - St. Paul's Employee's Course
Brown & Bigelow, famous for its Norman Rockwell calendars, built a course around its plant in St. Paul around 1927.
I'm curious if this course survived in any fashion over the years, or if the leaner years to come saw its demise.
Jan. 1927 Golf Illustrated -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Brown%20amp%20Bigelow%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Jan.%201927_zpswaeil7fy.png)
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Rich,
The Compilation of Maps and Routings Thread has a layout of Wee Burn from 1897. You can find the same map posted in replies 315 or 622.
The older Wee Burn club hosted the CT Amateur in 1900 and 1906. Here is some information on Wee Burn Golf Club from Connecticut Magazine-1900:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/F0FFCAB3-B47F-4562-9758-DAC71C35DB21_zpsypnqzdbw.jpg)
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/09EA75DC-CB95-4F9E-BD3D-3F9A261D52F1_zpsklridatr.jpg)
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/9E84BE6A-6C16-4DCA-8C25-AA388DBAA6B7_zpsumsmj0o6.jpg)
Bret
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Mystery #17 - St. Paul's Employee's Course
Brown & Bigelow, famous for its Norman Rockwell calendars, built a course around its plant in St. Paul around 1927.
I'm curious if this course survived in any fashion over the years, or if the leaner years to come saw its demise.
Jan. 1927 Golf Illustrated -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Brown%20amp%20Bigelow%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Jan.%201927_zpswaeil7fy.png)
My friend and former colleague Joe Bissen has written a terrific book about NLE courses in Minnesota called "Fore! Gone." (2014, Five Star Publishing, available on Amazon.) In it he devotes a short chapter to the B&B course called Quality Park. It was designed by Tom Vardon, opened in 1925 and hosted at least one tournament for local pros. Willie Kidd, head pro at Interlachen, won a 36-hole event there with a course record 103 (-3), which included a hole in one. It's not clear how long the course lasted; it's now the site of a Target store on University Avenue in St. Paul.
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Rich,
The Compilation of Maps and Routings Thread has a layout of Wee Burn from 1897. You can find the same map posted in replies 315 or 622.
The older Wee Burn club hosted the CT Amateur in 1900 and 1906. Here is some information on Wee Burn Golf Club from Connecticut Magazine-1900:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/F0FFCAB3-B47F-4562-9758-DAC71C35DB21_zpsypnqzdbw.jpg)
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/09EA75DC-CB95-4F9E-BD3D-3F9A261D52F1_zpsklridatr.jpg)
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/9E84BE6A-6C16-4DCA-8C25-AA388DBAA6B7_zpsumsmj0o6.jpg)
Bret
Brret (and Sven) thanks for the info and particularly for the link to the compilation thread. I now know exactly where the original WBCC was located, and the certainly isn't any remnant of the man-made works. The "Wee Burn" still exists. It is called Stony Brok.
Rich
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From an old thread:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,22499.0/wap2.html
Sean_Tully:
Wauhilla Aviation Country Club
Planned and construction started in the spring of 1930, have not found anymore info on the course as I am focusing on the earlier years of California golf.
Was to be designed by William P. Bell (Sr.) in Marin County near Olema(West side). Wauhilla had a very novel idea in that they had plans for the members to fly into the course from numerous airports in the western states. From San Francisco it would have been a 20 minute flight.
The times must have been pretty damn good just prior to the depression as the scope for the Wauhilla project shows just how big the ideas were at the time. It seems that with Sandhills in 1995 we saw the second coming of a golf course that would be accessed primarily by air.
Tully
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Rihc Goodale,
As I recall, one of the founding members of Myopia had a small golf course on his estate (Appleton?), but the course where it is today is the first one the club built. I can go back and dig up more info if you'd find it helpful.
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Rihc Goodale,
As I recall, one of the founding members of Myopia had a small golf course on his estate (Appleton?), but the course where it is today is the first one the club built. I can go back and dig up more info if you'd find it helpful.
Miek
Good to hear from you!
http://www.winchestermass.org/myopiahistory.html
As per above, it is clear that Myopia was founded in Winchester and then moved to Hamilton after a few years. Give the fact that the site of the old club was pretty much adjacent to the current Winchester Country Club, I wonder if those myopic teenagers ever thought about building a golf course on that original land?
Rich
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Mystery #18 - Kirchner and Ellenville
Golf in Ellenville, NY started around 1899 with Tom Bendelow laying out the Ellenville GC, noted as being connected with the Terwilliger's Hotel. The 1901 Harpers Guide notes a course of a different name (Mount Meenagha GC), which might have been the same as the Terwillger's course.
In 1909, Golf Magazine reported that Charles Kirchner had laid out a short course in Ellenville. I have no other record of this course, and am curious as to Kirchner's identity.
Golf Magazine - Dec. 1909
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Ellenville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Dec.%201909_zpspbjqllmf.png)
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Mystery #19 - Golden Gate Park
Early reports note two separate efforts to build a course in or near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
The first plan was reported in the May 1902 edition of Golf Magazine. I don't think this course was ever built.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Golden%20Gate%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20May%201902_zps3oybduqu.png)
The second course was described a Nov. 1911 American Golfer article. The timing doesn't match up with any courses for which I have a record in San Francisco.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Golden%20Gate%20-%20American%20Golfer%20Nov.%201911_zps6hw1qrey.png)
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Miek
Good to hear from you!
http://www.winchestermass.org/myopiahistory.html
As per above, it is clear that Myopia was founded in Winchester and then moved to Hamilton after a few years. Give the fact that the site of the old club was pretty much adjacent to the current Winchester Country Club, I wonder if those myopic teenagers ever thought about building a golf course on that original land?
Rich
Rich,
I don't think the timing was right for those Myopians to have been so golf-focused that early. My understanding of golf in and around Boston is that it primarily began as described in the following two wonderful articles;
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1909/ag13i.pdf
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1918/ag195e.pdf
Great to hear from you, as well!
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Sven,
It appears that some of the original 1904 Rock Creek Park course was indeed incorporated into the course that opened in the 1920s. I'll post more later but some of you might be amused to learn that Rock Creek Park muni is where The Lurker started playing the game.
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Mystery #20 - What did Wilkinson do in Maryland?
A March 1923 Golf Illustrated article notes the activity of Williard Wilkinson in the state of Maryland. I have not seen any record of Wilkinson having worked in the state before, and have only heard of one of the four courses noted in the article.
Chesapeake CC (Annapolis) - Was this course ever built? Did it become known by another name?
Severn River Valley location - No idea as to what course this is referring to.
Wicomico CC - Have never heard of a club by this name.
Hagerstown CC - Have a record for 9 holes being added to this course in 1923, but did not know it was Wilkinson.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Maryland%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20March%201923_zps3fmdqqai.png)
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Sven,
The last article you posted describes Chesapeake Country Club as situated on three hundred forty-one acres flanked on one side by the Chespeake Bay and on another by Ogleton Lake.
This sounds exactly like Annapolis Roads: 341 acres flanked by the Chesapeake Bay on one side and Lake Ogleton on the other.
The Annapolis Roads history never mentions a course prior to the Charles Banks course.
Bret
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Sven,
The last article you posted describes Chesapeake Country Club as situated on three hundred forty-one acres flanked on one side by the Chespeake Bay and on another by Ogleton Lake.
This sounds exactly like Annapolis Roads: 341 acres flanked by the Chesapeake Bay on one side and Lake Ogleton on the other.
The Annapolis Roads history never mentions a course prior to the Charles Banks course.
Bret
Bret:
It does sound like the Chesapeake CC morphed into Annapolis Roads. I'm not convinced the course that Wilkinson planned was on the exact same land used by Banks, but it could have been (the Wilkinson description makes it sound like there was more coastal frontage).
It is of interest to note the timing of Wilkinson's involvement (1923) and the later Banks' project (1928). One wonders if after the initial plan was scrapped, they were thinking of bringing in Raynor, and Banks ended up with the job after his death, especially considering CBM and SR had just finished their work at Gibson Island.
A fairly concise write up of the history of Annapolis Roads was linked to by Jim Kennedy on another thread:
http://thelifeofanangloamerican.blogspot.com/2014/01/annapolis-roads-on-chesapeake-bay.html
Sven
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Sven, I don't have anything definitive but I'm fairly certain that the Wicomico course in Salisbury, MD became Green Hill Country Club with nine holes built in the 20s along the Wicomico River. http://www.greenhillcc.com/about-gh/our-history-est-1927
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Whilst we are getting the attention of the creme de la creme of gca.com historians, how about these mysteries which are close to my heart....
5. Finally, my current "home" club is Aberdour, and it's original 9-holeer was apparently a mile or two NorthWest of the current course and was designed by Willie Park, Jr. (who had done the nearby Burntisland GC course in the late 1890's). Any more information from anybody on that potential factotum?
Thanks to all
Rich
http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/scotland-63/scotland-central-east/fife/1260-scot-ce-aberdour-golf-club
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Sven,
The last article you posted describes Chesapeake Country Club as situated on three hundred forty-one acres flanked on one side by the Chespeake Bay and on another by Ogleton Lake.
This sounds exactly like Annapolis Roads: 341 acres flanked by the Chesapeake Bay on one side and Lake Ogleton on the other.
The Annapolis Roads history never mentions a course prior to the Charles Banks course.
Bret
Bret:
It does sound like the Chesapeake CC morphed into Annapolis Roads. I'm not convinced the course that Wilkinson planned was on the exact same land used by Banks, but it could have been (the Wilkinson description makes it sound like there was more coastal frontage).
It is of interest to note the timing of Wilkinson's involvement (1923) and the later Banks' project (1928). One wonders if after the initial plan was scrapped, they were thinking of bringing in Raynor, and Banks ended up with the job after his death, especially considering CBM and SR had just finished their work at Gibson Island.
A fairly concise write up of the history of Annapolis Roads was linked to by Jim Kennedy on another thread:
http://thelifeofanangloamerican.blogspot.com/2014/01/annapolis-roads-on-chesapeake-bay.html
Sven
Sven,
Thanks for the link. According to Annapolis Roads An Olmsted Designed Community by James G. Gibb, Charles Banks was recommended by Percival Gallagher in April 1926. The source cited is a letter from Percival Gallagher (Olmsted Brothers) to Rella Armstrong (owner of the property) in April 1926.
The author makes it sound like Rella Armstrong was aware of Gibson Island and a few other locally planned communities. Her goal from the beginning was to have a community of small cottages, a golf course and a hotel. Her correspondence with the Olmsted Brothers doesn't appear to begin until February 1926.
Here is a link, if you want to take a look:
http://www.annapolisroads.net/editor_upload/File/Annapolis%20Roads%20History/AR%20History%2011_30_12%20Review.pdf (http://www.annapolisroads.net/editor_upload/File/Annapolis%20Roads%20History/AR%20History%2011_30_12%20Review.pdf)
Bret
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Sven,
It does appear that at least some of today's Rock Creek Park GC contains vestiges (including at least one hole) from the 1904 version as recounted in "The Nature Faker" by Wayne Morrison and Tom Paul who recount below;
In his August 24, 1924 Washington Post column, From Tee to Green, Henry Litchfield
West wrote of the planned expansion of the Rock Creek Park golf course,
“Fully twenty years ago Col. Jay J. Morrow, then engineer commissioner of the
District, and the writer endeavored to introduce a public golf course in the District and
a portion of Rock Creek park north of the Military road was selected as a site. The
work clearing the fairways was done by the chain gang and street sweepings were used
for fertilizer, no money being available for labor or supplies. The project finally fell
through because Congress looked with disfavor upon golfing as a recreation at public
expense. That was twenty years ago and golf was not the popular, universal sport it is
today."
"A curious thing has now happened. In planning an additional nine holes for the
public course in Rock Creek Park, there has been discovered one of the tees
constructed twenty years ago and it is to be utilized. It is found in the woods, north of
the Military Road and the flight of time is illustrated by the fact that two trees have
grown up in the center of the tee. The hole as then laid out by a couple of enthusiastic
amateur golfers has met with the approval of William Flynn, the architect of the
proposed addition to the course, and will be completed according to the original idea.
The hole is a short one, a tee shot across a hollow to a green on the side of a hill
opposite the tee."
"The discovery of the old tee and the decision to make use of it proves the truth of the
old adage that time at last makes all things even.”
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Mystery #21 - Did Yellowstone ever get a course?
The May 1905 edition of Golfers Magazine reported on a proposed course near the Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone.
Was the course ever built?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Yellowstone%20-%20Golfers%20Magazine%20May%201905_zpsselfjqfe.png)
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Mystery #21 - Did Yellowstone ever get a course?
The May 1905 edition of Golfers Magazine reported on a proposed course near the Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone.
Was the course ever built?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Yellowstone%20-%20Golfers%20Magazine%20May%201905_zpsselfjqfe.png)
Unless it was built with the original National Hotel.
The "Mamoth Springs" hotel began construction in 1913 I think and built off the original National hotel.
http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/hisnps/NPShistory/quinn.pdf
edit The "National" was often call the Mammoth Springs back then. Mystery continues
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Mystery #22 - Who built August Belmont Jr.'s course?
Belmont, who was one of the most important figures in American thoroughbred racing (Belmont Park is named after him and the horse Man O'War was so dubbed by Belmont's wife while he was serving abroad in WWI at the age of 65).
Belmont's estate was located in Babylon, NY. The June 30, 1895 edition of the Los Angeles Herald reported that Belmont was having a course laid out and that a "old Scotsman" had been hired to oversee the construction.
So what happened to Belmont's course, and who was the Scotsman that built it?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/August%20Belmont%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Herald%20June%2030%201895_zpsnosxdn12.png)
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Mystery #22 - Who built August Belmont Jr.'s course?
Belmont, who was one of the most important figures in American thoroughbred racing (Belmont Park is named after him and the horse Man O'War was so dubbed by Belmont's wife while he was serving abroad in WWI at the age of 65).
Belmont's estate was located in Babylon, NY. The June 30, 1895 edition of the Los Angeles Herald reported that Belmont was having a course laid out and that a "old Scotsman" had been hired to oversee the construction.
So what happened to Belmont's course, and who was the Scotsman that built it?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/August%20Belmont%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Herald%20June%2030%201895_zpsnosxdn12.png)
A lurker alerted me to this article, Sven:
http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50400909/?terms=august%2Bbelmont%2Bgolf%2Bcourse
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Joe,
Considering the lengths spoken of in that article, "twelve-hole course, with a circuit of two and three quarter miles at first, and as there is ample room for a larger course, the greens may be extended to eighteen holes, with a circuit of three and a half miles," that was one hefty 12-hole at that time course even for a man who was described as having just "taken up this golf craze with a vengeance."
Also, my math skills might be poor, but I see the lengths as:
12 holes @ 2.75 miles = 2.75 x 1760 yards = 4,840 yards = 403 yards per hole on average
18 holes @ 3.5 miles = 3.5 x 1760 yards = 6160 yards = 342 yards per hole on average
Seems like quite a quirky layout going from the first 12 to the last 6 holes to cause a drop of 61 yards per hole! :o
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Mystery #18 - Kirchner and Ellenville
Golf in Ellenville, NY started around 1899 with Tom Bendelow laying out the Ellenville GC, noted as being connected with the Terwilliger's Hotel. The 1901 Harpers Guide notes a course of a different name (Mount Meenagha GC), which might have been the same as the Terwillger's course.
In 1909, Golf Magazine reported that Charles Kirchner had laid out a short course in Ellenville. I have no other record of this course, and am curious as to Kirchner's identity.
Golf Magazine - Dec. 1909
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Ellenville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Dec.%201909_zpspbjqllmf.png)
Charles Kirchner was co-editor w/Tom Bendelow of Spalding's Official Golf Guide.
Bert H. Terwilliger was born in Ellenville, May 21, 1874, son of Uriah E. and Alice A. (Hoar) Terwilliger, Uriah was also born in Ellenville, in 1850, and was educated at the Claverack Military Academy. For upward of thirty years he owned and conducted the resort of Mount Meenagha, a beautiful and popular vacation place of five square miles in the mountains near Ellenville. (NewYorkRoots)
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An article containing a photo of the hotel, Terwilliger, and a mention of Bendelow's 1899 course.
Maybe Kirchner was called in because the guests were tired of all the up and down holes that TB built. ;)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7648/16783414660_4fd63e86ac_o.jpg)
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Great stuff Jim.
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Mystery #23 - Key West's Second Course
Tucked into a Feb. 1930 Golf Illustrated article on golf in Florida is a short mention of two golf courses located at Key West.
In addition, a 1928 list of Florida courses notes both the 18 hole 6,220 yard municipal course and a 9 hole 3,500 yard course dubbed the Key West CC. We know the 18 holer as the Langford & Moreau project.
Anyone have any information on the 9 holer?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/The%20Links%20Club/Florida%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Feb.%201930_zpsj4bjzmdb.png)
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Sven,
L&M's course (KWCC) didn't have 18 holes until 1960, and it was also a muni project when it was built. Perhaps the author was confused.
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Mystery #24 - Atlanta's Silver Lake Course
The April 1907 edition of Golf Magazine reported on a proposed resort and golf course near Silver Lake in Atlanta.
Did this project ever come to fruition?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Silver%20Lake%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20April%201907_zpsij2d4o4j.png)
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Mystery #25 - CBM, Otto Kahn and New Jersey?
The first article below is taken from the Feb. 1917 edition of Golf Illustrated. It lists a number of courses designed by Charles Blair MacDonald prior to that date, including a private course for Otto Kahn. We know about Oheka (lka as Coldstream) on Long Island, which is credited to Seth Raynor in 1923 (with Kahn doing much of the bunker work). So what course is the article discussing?
There's an old thread in which Steve Shaffer linked to a New York Times article from July 7, 1920 discussing the sale of Kahn's Morristown, NJ estate and his plans to move to his new Cold Spring Harbor property on Long Island. The article notes the existence of an 18 hole course at "Cedar Court." I've also attached a modern aerial of the location of Cedar Court.
Was this an unknown CBM design?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/CBM%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Feb.%201917_zpsm21le3k6.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Otto%20Kahn%20NJ%20-%20New%20York%20Times%20July%207%201920_zpsdv1r8yy2.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Cedar%20Court%20Modern%20Aerial_zpskkxmnok4.png)
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Mystery #24 - Atlanta's Silver Lake Course
The April 1907 edition of Golf Magazine reported on a proposed resort and golf course near Silver Lake in Atlanta.
Did this project ever come to fruition?
Sven -
News to me. I don't think it ever happened. Silver Lake is now a residential neighborhood located just north of the Capital City Brookhaven course (more or less across the street from P'tree GC). My guess is that it was a project floated by George Adair (father of Perry Adair) that was later relocated a few miles south to the current Brookhaven course location (1912).
Adair built Brookhaven, Druid Hills and, slightly earlier, East Lake. All began life as real estate developments.
My suggestion that Adair was involved is because he was the only person I know of building golf courses in ATL at the time.
Bob
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Mystery #26 - Seton Hall's 9 Holer
The Jan. 1905 Golfers Magazine reported on plans to build a 9 hole course for Seton Hall.
Was the course ever built?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Seton%20Hall%20-%20Golfers%20Magazine%20Jan.%201905_zpszzo8legl.png)
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A map of Rock Creek:
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8816/17042146606_e30354a4f7_o.jpg)
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Jim,
I wonder if any of that proposed extension was ever built. Supposedly at least one hole on the 1923 "Flynn" course was a par three across a ravine that was "found" during planning/construction and utilized in the new course. It looks like it's possible it could have been the original 5th, as well, but I'd have to look at a map of today's course, as that's the only hole with a green north of Military Road, where all of today's course is located.
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When you look at the 1988 Google Earth map and compare it to the newspaper sketch I think you'll see that it doesn't seem possible that any green site from the old course could have made it onto the new.
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Jim,
Litchfield's 1924 Washington Post story above does only mention that they found a "tee", so they may have surmised, incorrectly apparently, where the original hole/green was intended. I have to run out right now but might that have been the old 6th tee from Google?
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Mystery #27 - Kansas City's Old Elm
The Feb. 1921 edition of Golf Illustrated reported on plans for a new club in Kansas City which would focus solely on golf and would offer a degree of exclusivity.
Any idea as to what this turned out to be?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Kansas%20City%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Feb.%201921_zpsqo8lrkoo.png)
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Mystery #28 - Who did Kenwood in Bethesda?
Kenwood G&CC in DC supposedly dates back to 1928. Copied below is an Aug. 1929 Golf Illustrated photo of the course.
So who designed it?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Kenwood%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Aug.%201929_zpspwmiovmk.png)
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Sven,
I suspect that Donal Chamberlin who owned and built Kenwood, and who had an engineering background may have done it. I'm guessing but earlier versions of this course from aerials look a bit simplistic. Chamberlin was an interesting fellow with some social views that thankfully seem to be passing into the dustbin of US history.
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I like Mystery #25 - since we only live a few minutes away I drive past the site all the time - it's Honeywell's Corporate HQ (Allied Signal). I thought it was an old estate, since there are many in the area, that was converted to a corporate campus. The old estates in the area were located correctly as the NJ Transit Midtown Direct train line touches an edge of the property....a great way to get to your country estate via private rail car from NYC "back in the day".
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Mystery #25: Otto Kahn Estate.
Sven,
Otto Kahn purchased the land in Cold Spring Harbor in 1914. From 1914-1916 Kahn had a man-made mountain built for his estate. By 1917, Oheka was the highest point on Long Island. Construction on the house and gardens began in 1917 and the Oheka estate was completed by 1919. This is all according to an historical timeline on Oheka.com. There were no specific dates on the golf course in this time line. I think the timing of Oheka leaves open the possibility that Whigham was talking about Oheka and not Cedar Court. It's interesting to note that the timing of Oheka was very similar to that of The Lido Golf Links, which Kahn was an investor in.
On Page 305 in Scotland's Gift Golf, CBM states: "I tried to deter Otto Kahn from building eighteen holes, but he thought he would like to have a fine lawn in front of his beautiful Long Island house. Of course, that in itself is worth while".
CBM felt he had enough of a connection to Oheka to include it in his book, whether he designed it in 1917 or Seth Raynor designed it in 1922.
The article you posted also includes a reference to a private course for Payne Whitney. The Evangelist of Golf lists a course for Harry Payne Whitney in 1922. What is interesting is that Harry Payne Whitney and Payne Whitney are two completely different people. Theses two were brothers, but the younger brother Wiliam went by his middle name Payne most of his life. Payne Whitney owned the Greentree Estate in Manhasset, while Harry Payne Whitney owned an estate in Wheatley Hills which he inherited from his father. Did CBM/Raynor design a course at the Wheatley Hills estate also? Or did they just design the three greens on 25 acres in Manhasset?
Bret
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Sven,
While looking through some old estate photos I came across W.K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s private estate called "Eagles Nest." The thread on definitive Seth Raynor courses mentions an article in which Seth Raynor designed a private layout for W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. around 1925. Here is an old aerial from the estate, including what looks like a three green golf course: Today the estate is home to the Vanderbilt museum and seems to have some scars left over from the old layout.
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/99AF05B0-90D9-48DD-A1CA-4558479D1680_zpslkfdl7ky.png)
Bret
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Disregard my last post on Seth Raynor, I was wrong. According to the Vanderbilt Museum, the golf course was designed by Devereux Emmet. The holes were named after Vanderbilt's yachts. Thanks to Anthony Pioppi for passing along this information from the museum.
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Mystery #29 - Where was Silver Lake?
I've tried to track down the location of this course (article from the Nov. 1915 American Golfer). Any ideas?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Silver%20Lake%20-%20American%20Golfer%20Nov.%201915_zpsk93jz668.png)
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Sven,
A brief search indicates to me they are really talking about Silver Islet Mine which appears to have been a very small islet in Lake Superior at the tip of what is now Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay Ontario. Here's a link to Google maps and the islet location.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/48%C2%B019'19.0%22N+88%C2%B048'41.0%22W/@48.3125452,-88.8294942,5580m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0 (https://www.google.ca/maps/place/48%C2%B019'19.0%22N+88%C2%B048'41.0%22W/@48.3125452,-88.8294942,5580m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0)
Eagle River Michigan is due south across the other side of Lake Superior. Silver Islet is definitely Canadian.
The islet itself is/was tiny as you'll see in the aerial. If you zoom in on the islet there are a couple of photos that show the islet now. Clearly it is not 25 miles long. That part of the story seems erroneous. As the article states they built a coffer dam to enlarge the islet enough to accommodate mining operations - there's a picture here.
http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56085/data (http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56085/data)
Or, if you've got a half hour you could watch this documentary on the mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0qGobP1guY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0qGobP1guY)
Re the golf course, my guess is that it was on the mainland where there is still a village called Silver Islet. It appears that this was where the summer resorters would come to. Here's a link to a picture of a summer picnic at Silver Islet around 1910.
http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56089/data (http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56089/data)
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Mystery #30 - Southern Wisconsin Resort?
At the bottom of the following Oct. 1921 Golf Illustrated article is a quick report on a proposed project just over the Wisconsin border from Illinois.
Any thoughts on whether or not this project ever materialized?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Chicago%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Oct.%201921_zps00km1j7u.png)
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Might be Nippersink which is just over the Wisc. border in Genoa - James Foulis - 1922 - adjacent to two lakes - 60 or so miles from Evanston.
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Jim:
I think you're right on Nippersink. It was known as Nippersink Lodge and Nippersink Manor early on and the timing is right.
Thanks,
Sven
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Mystery #31 - Terminal Island's Golf Course
The following article appeared in the July 24, 1898 edition of the Los Angeles Herald.
Anyone have any more information on this course, or on Mr. Grindley?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Terminal%20Island%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Herald%20July%2024%201898_zps6waa5lrk.png)
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Mystery #32 - Chicago's Masonic Courses
The June 1916 edition of Golf Illustrated reported on plans to build four courses around Chicago for the Masons.
Were any of these courses built?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Chicago%20Masonic%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20June%201916_zpsp7v6hcy7.png)
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Mystery #33 - Massapequa's Missing Courses?
The same June 1916 Golf Illustrated reported on a massive project just starting up on the South Shore of Long Island.
So what happened to Massapequa Golf, Inc. and all of its plans?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Massapequa%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20June%201916_zpsuuanqdzp.png)
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Some of it doesn't quite line up (city vs. state, location a little off but not much off) but is there any chance this eventually morphed into Bethpage? Probably not, I guess, as the dates aren't close, but it had to be in the same area.
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David:
I don't think so, other than the perhaps borrowing the idea (which was already done at Salisbury).
Sven
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You're right, I think
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Looking through the BDE - nothing past 1916 - MGL.Inc., was a stock company offering shares to build the project, to be known as the "New York Golf Park".
Casualty of WW1, or just overly ambitious?
There was a Massapequa Golf Course. but it went over to housing by the early fifties.
A blurb about William C. Freeman, Chairman
http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/?spot=2376728#spot=2376728
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I can't post articles right now, but the January 24, 1916 Boston Herald mentions the project with William C. Freeman as the driving force. Plan was for four semi-public courses on a property straddling the LIRR, with possible development of four more courses on a large adjacent property used as a buffer for a reservoir. (This might help pinpoint where it was to be.) Article mentions the desire to hold tournaments like Pinehurst.
There are also a number of other articles in various papers that spring, but then the project seems to disappear before anything was done. Seems like he was trying to drum up interest.
From the description one can figure out about where the planned course was supposed to be located, but there is no course there.
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Here's a longer piece on the project from the April 1916 edition of Golf Illustrated.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Massapequa%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20April%201916%201_zpsm1gcfqbh.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Massapequa%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20April%201916%202_zpskogk5h4i.png)
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Basically the same copy in the BDE that's used in the above.
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As for Grindley of LACC, I think he was a professional. In one article he is referred to as "Coach Grindley" and is playing an exhibition match against another local pro. Other than than I know nothing about him. LACC back then was in a different location much closer to downtown.
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Sven,
The proposed Massapequa project was far from where Bethpage State Park would be created. There are a number of ways to show this, but the easiest one is to realize that there are three main lines of the LIRR that run from NYC through the Island. The one that Massapequa straddles is the south line whereas the two stations serving the Bethpage State Park area (Bethpage and Farmingdale) are on the central line.
In addition, more than 95% of the land that would make up Bethpage State Park was not for sale at that time as it was the property of Benjamin Yoakum. It was his heirs who would sell to the state to create Bethpage.
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Jim Kennedy forwarded the following May 10, 1916 The Pittsburgh Gazette Times article on the Chicago Masons courses:
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Chicago%20Masons%20-%20Pittsburgh%20Gazette%20Times%20May%2010%201916_zpsfwhadebv.png)
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Mystery #34 - Pemberbrook
The May 1923 edition of Golf Illustrated reported on Willie Park's latest activities, including work for a Pemberbrook CC in Hartford, CT.
Has anyone ever heard of a course by this name? Was it possibly a different course, built around 1923-24?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Willie%20Park%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20May%201923_zps674dyrp3.png)
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Sven,
A brief search indicates to me they are really talking about Silver Islet Mine which appears to have been a very small islet in Lake Superior at the tip of what is now Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay Ontario. Here's a link to Google maps and the islet location.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/48%C2%B019'19.0%22N+88%C2%B048'41.0%22W/@48.3125452,-88.8294942,5580m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0 (https://www.google.ca/maps/place/48%C2%B019'19.0%22N+88%C2%B048'41.0%22W/@48.3125452,-88.8294942,5580m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0)
Eagle River Michigan is due south across the other side of Lake Superior. Silver Islet is definitely Canadian.
The islet itself is/was tiny as you'll see in the aerial. If you zoom in on the islet there are a couple of photos that show the islet now. Clearly it is not 25 miles long. That part of the story seems erroneous. As the article states they built a coffer dam to enlarge the islet enough to accommodate mining operations - there's a picture here.
http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56085/data (http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56085/data)
Or, if you've got a half hour you could watch this documentary on the mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0qGobP1guY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0qGobP1guY)
Re the golf course, my guess is that it was on the mainland where there is still a village called Silver Islet. It appears that this was where the summer resorters would come to. Here's a link to a picture of a summer picnic at Silver Islet around 1910.
http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56089/data (http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56089/data)
Bryan,
This is interesting. So, the article says the course was "on the island" but clearly the pictures show that's not possible. Take a look at this link:
http://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/56096/data?n=4
The description is as follows:
Stunning black and white photo of the buildings on Silver Islet and their reflection in the water of Lake Superior. In 1868, silver was first discovered there and by 1871 more than 175 men were employed at the mine, located on a 90-square-foot rock island three-quarters of a mile offshore in Lake Superior.
I wonder if the "Silver Islet" on google maps is the actual rock island (as it appears to be about .75 miles off shore) and the "Burnt Island" is the old "Silver Island"?
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Following up on the Masonic courses, Acacia CC (Langford & Moreau) was noted as being organized by Masons in a May 1923 Golf Illustrated article, suggesting the plan may have been partially fulfilled.
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Pemberbrook is probably an error, he did do 9 holes at Tumble Brook CC (Inc. in 1922, opened in 1924,) which is in W. Hartford.
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Jim:
That makes a lot more sense.
Sven
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An easy one to make as it followed Philmont, Phladelphia, Pittsburgh & Pittsburgh. :)
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Mystery #35 - Boom Goes The Dynamite
The May 1917 edition of Golf Illustrated reported that Arthur Lockwood had used dynamite to form bunkers on two courses in Maine.
The only attribution I have for him in Maine is Northeast Harbor, which is also credited to Donald Ross (as a 9 hole renovation in 1916).
Any ideas as to the other course he would have been blasting on.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Lockwood%20Bunkers%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20May%201917_zpsejuixmd5.png)
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Mystery #36 - Albuquerque's First Course?
The earliest record I have for a course in Albuquerque is from 1914. The following Dec. 1904 Golf Magazine article describes plans for a course ten years earlier than that date.
Was this first course ever built?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Alberquerque%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Dec.%201904_zps79v87rts.png)
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Mystery #37 - Beverley Terrace
The April 22, 1921 edition of the Morning Oregonian included the following article describing a proposed course near Oakland to be done by William Watson.
Any thoughts on if this course was ever built, and if it was known by another name?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Beverley%20Terrace%20-%20Morning%20Oregonian%20April%2022%201921_zpsqbbsced2.png)
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Mystery #38 - William Robertson and Covina
Any idea as to what course is described in this Jan. 6, 1900 San Francisco Call article?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Covina%20-%20San%20Francisco%20Call%20Jan.%206%201900_zpstox5gkdr.png)
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Mystery #38 - Philip Honeyman
The following article is taken from the April 15, 1896 edition of the New York Tribune. It describes the work of Philip Honeyman, noting his involvement with Lenox, Bluff Point (Lake Champlain), Louisville and Memphis.
The Bluff Point work makes it sound like he laid out a new course. I am surmising that this is the course that later became Plattsburgh CC.
The Louisville course is a total mystery. It is possible it was the Cherokee Park course, but my records show that course as only having 9 holes. Perhaps he was brought in for the Louisville GC course, which is attributed to Lawrence Tweedie in 1897.
My best guess on the Memphis course is that this was the Memphis GC course which dates to 1896.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/New%20Courses%20-%20New%20York%20Tribune%20April%2015%201896%201_zpshn1ekrrp.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/New%20Courses%20-%20New%20York%20Tribune%20April%2015%201896%202_zpsytgsikgy.png)
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Mystery #25 - CBM, Otto Kahn and New Jersey?
The first article below is taken from the Feb. 1917 edition of Golf Illustrated. It lists a number of courses designed by Charles Blair MacDonald prior to that date, including a private course for Otto Kahn. We know about Oheka (lka as Coldstream) on Long Island, which is credited to Seth Raynor in 1923 (with Kahn doing much of the bunker work). So what course is the article discussing?
There's an old thread in which Steve Shaffer linked to a New York Times article from July 7, 1920 discussing the sale of Kahn's Morristown, NJ estate and his plans to move to his new Cold Spring Harbor property on Long Island. The article notes the existence of an 18 hole course at "Cedar Court." I've also attached a modern aerial of the location of Cedar Court.
Was this an unknown CBM design?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/CBM%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Feb.%201917_zpsm21le3k6.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Otto%20Kahn%20NJ%20-%20New%20York%20Times%20July%207%201920_zpsdv1r8yy2.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Cedar%20Court%20Modern%20Aerial_zpskkxmnok4.png)
Did the Cold Spring Country Club along the Oheka castle used to be the Coldstream Golf Club?
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John,
The Coldstream Golf Club was a separate entity. Their golf course was located on property south of the old Meadow Brook Club in Westbury.
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John,
Here is a screenshot of an article from SEGL archives showing the golf clubs of Western Long Island at the time. Number 14. is Oheka Golf Club (Khan Private), Woodbury. Number 17. is Coldstream Golf Club, Hempstead. Sorry I cut the map off, but the Seagle site is inaccesible for a cleaner version. The Khan estate is just out of the frame. (http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/127F6A50-24BC-444C-B920-CF6202286BFE.png_zpsflwzh9nc.jpeg)
Bret
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John,
Here is a screenshot of an article from SEGL archives showing the golf clubs of Western Long Island at the time. Number 14. is Oheka Golf Club (Khan Private), Woodbury. Number 17. is Coldstream Golf Club, Hempstead. Sorry I cut the map off, but the Seagle site is inaccesible for a cleaner version. The Khan estate is just out of the frame. (http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/127F6A50-24BC-444C-B920-CF6202286BFE.png_zpsflwzh9nc.jpeg)
Bret
That's a fascinating map. What year is it from?
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Mark:
The map is from the Sept. 1928 edition of Golf Illustrated. Here's a sharper image of it.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Long%20Island%20Courses%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20Sept.%201928_zpsei1clg1w.png)
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Here's a July 1917 Golf Illustrated map of Metro courses for comparison.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Metro%20Golf%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20July%201917%201_zpskkqosrgi.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Metro%20Golf%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20July%201917%202_zpsjsd2obyf.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Metro%20Golf%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20July%201917%203_zpsd6aejyz8.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Metro%20Golf%20-%20Golf%20Illustrated%20July%201917%204_zpsov8wpju0.png)
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Thanks, guys.
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Mystery #39 - Diddel in Tennessee
A May 15, 1930 Cambridge City Tribune article discusses the beginning of the new Hartley Hills CC in Hagerstown, IN. William Diddel had been hired to lay out and construct the course.
Buried within the article is a discussion of Diddel's ongoing projects, including a course in Memphis, Tennessee. This was the first reference I'd seen to Diddel working in that state, and the only course in Memphis that corresponds to the timeline is Pine Hill GC which is noted as having opened in 1932.
So was Pine Hill a Diddel design?
[I'll post the article later, right now I'm getting the hanging cat on Photoshop.]
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Mystery #39 - Diddel in Tennessee
A May 15, 1930 Cambridge City Tribune article discusses the beginning of the new Hartley Hills CC in Hagerstown, IN. William Diddel had been hired to lay out and construct the course.
Buried within the article is a discussion of Diddel's ongoing projects, including a course in Memphis, Tennessee. This was the first reference I'd seen to Diddel working in that state, and the only course in Memphis that corresponds to the timeline is Pine Hill GC which is noted as having opened in 1932.
So was Pine Hill a Diddel design?
[I'll post the article later, right now I'm getting the hanging cat on Photoshop.]
PH is a municipal golf course. The Memphis Parks Commission lists it as opening in 1932 but names Kevin Tucker as architect.
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JM:
I'm pretty sure Tucker is still working today. I don't think he was around in 1932.
Sven
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Mystery #40 - Raynor in Port Washington
A Jan. 14, 1923 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article gives a brief description of Raynor's career, and notes a number of projects he had in the works at that time. One of those is a course in Port Washington, NY.
I'm curious as to what course this may have been. Rayner was certainly working near that locale in the early '20's (Brockville, Locust Valley, etc.), but there is no course that jumps out as being classifiable as a Port Washington location.
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4. When I spent a couple of years in Silicon Valley (2000-2012) my family frequented Capitola (just south of Pasateimpo, and learned that there was a plan for a "cxhampionship" course there in the "Roaring Twenties." Anybody know who was inolved or what happened to it?
Followup to one of Rich Goodale's questions from earlier in the thread.
There was a plan for a course to be built in Capitola in the early '20's, and the architect involved was Herbert Fowler.
El Patio, Sept. 2, 1921 -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/snilsen7037/Capitola%20-%20El%20Patio%20Sept.%202%201921%201_zpso9mlbdr5.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/snilsen7037/Capitola%20-%20El%20Patio%20Sept.%202%201921%202_zpsodbkmill.png)
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Mystery #41 - Walter Hatch
The July 12, 1923 Portsmouth Daily Times touches on the activities of Ross associate Hatch. Hatch was in town looking over the new links of the "Country Club" and made suggestions to rearrange part of the course. From what I can gather, given the location of the course noted in the article, this was not the same course as the Elks CC in Portsmouth that Ross is noted as renovated and creating an additional 9 holes. It begs the question if this work was being done by Hatch in his role as a Ross foreman, or if he was working on his own.
The same question applies to the mentions of Galveston and Dallas. There are no Ross (or Hatch) projects that I know of that coincide with the date of this article.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Walter%20Hatch%20-%20Portsmouth%20Daily%20Times%20July%2012%201923_zpsmjr5bdta.png)
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Mystery #42 - What saved Newport?
The Oct. 1903 edition of The Golfer discussed the waning interest in golf at Newport. From the sounds of it, the links were on the verge of being replaced by a racetrack for the newfangled automobile.
So what resurrected the interest in golf, and kept alive a club we know consider one of the historic sites of golf in the United States?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Newport%20-%20The%20Golfer%20Oct.%201903_zpssvfe7asy.png)
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So I've long been curious about something I noticed once in an old Phoenix aerial image ...
Encanto (sometimes called Encanto Park) is a city of Phoenix (AZ) muni originally designed by William P Bell in the 30s. The first few holes of the course sit next to a man made lake that's part of a city park--it's not in play much. A big slice on #1 could get wet--that's about it. But the tee of #5 (a par 3 and the last hole along that edge of the property) sits on a little island. It's an odd feature so I went looking into old aerials at one point and fund that island tee only goes back to sometime in the 1980s. But what really surprised me was that what was there previously appears to me to be an actual island green (not so much Sawgrass style, think more like Cherry Hills). It's possible this was the green for the 5th hole, but could also have been the 7th. The earliest aerials I can find of the area only date back to the 50s. I'm curious is this island green was an original part of Bell's design or if it was something that was for some reason added later. Also curious why the city eventually did away with it.
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Mystery #43 - What happened to the Ross designs in Hollywood, FL?
The Feb. 24, 1923 edition of The Miami News reported Donald Ross had been hired to lay out several additional 18 hole courses in Hollywood. I am assuming this was in addition to the 18 hole course that opened in 1924 that is credited to H. Tippett.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Hollywood%20-%20The%20Miami%20News%20Feb.%2024%201923_zpslq8spfif.png)
Later reports (Nov. 1925 Golf Illustrated and an Aug. 28, 1927 The Miami News article) note the two courses under construction and nearing completion.
So what became of these courses?
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Mystery #3 - A New Club in Topeka
The June 1905 edition of Golf Magazine reported on a new club being formed in Topeka, with the course being laid out by Robert Fullarton. The early guides note that the first course in the city for the Topeka GC was laid out in 1899 by Willie Dunn. Later guides refer to the Topeka CC with a date of formation of 1905.
If you read the modern day Topeka CC website (https://www.topekacc.org/Club-Info.aspx (https://www.topekacc.org/Club-Info.aspx)), their version makes it sound like plans for the club started in 1899, but it wasn't until 1906 that the course was laid out by Bendelow on the newly purchased Dudley estate.
So what do we make of the article below? Was Fullarton's work at a separate club? Was his work at the Topeka CC, and for some reason the club went with Bendelow's plans instead? Did the CC evolve out of the previously existing GC, which most certainly had a golf course?
Topeka CC's mysteries continue on into the 20's, where contrary to their own history it has been noted that Langford came in to build an 18 hole course. The Langford/Maxwell dynamic has been discussed elsewhere on this site.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Topeka%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20June%201905_zpsrrnjfwjk.png)
Sven,
Taking us back to the first page. If Topeka Country Club or Shawnee Country Club ever want to update their history, the loc.gov website would be a great place to start. The Topeka State Journal thoroughly covered these courses throughout the early part of the century. Topeka Golf Club was founded in 1899 and laid out on a separate piece of property than the Topeka Country Club of 1905. Here is a layout of Topeka Golf Club-1899:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/05A22D87-7894-4FF7-9458-54988A078D8A_zpsltjhlgod.jpg)
This is the story that accompanies the layout, mentioning the organization of the golf club:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/2C7288D9-E9A6-49AB-A695-7CF5741DC6C7_zpsev2iouys.jpg)
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/704C70AA-0211-4506-AFED-1C85A1BEA3CA_zpsv841h0dz.jpg)
The Topeka Country Club actually leased the Dudley estate for many years before purchasing it. The land they owned was the 120 acres in Highland Park that they leased to the Shawnee Club. When Topeka Country Club purchased 67 acres to extend their nine hole course to eighteen, they sold the Highland Park land to the Shawnee Club. This story is from The Topeka State Journal-June 19, 1920:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/5F6FD575-CB34-4B0F-B584-61208F58BB94_zpsn8t7prr7.png)
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(Continued from previous post)
As far as Topeka Golf Club evolving into Topeka Country Club I really can not say for sure.
The Country Club was founded in 1905. There are a couple of pictures showing the progress of the club house, but there was never a mention of an architect that I could find in 1905-1906. However in 1917, there is a very good write-up on Robert Fullerton. In the last paragraph the author mentions he staked out the country club:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/6CBAAAC5-0EA8-4EDB-BD14-A03473225534_zpsdxghhcsr.jpg)
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/F257508F-93B9-49F3-85B2-21C1431E30E5_zpsra38ywwa.jpg)
Is there any evidence that Bendelow designed the nine holes at TCC? If so, could it be possible that Bob Fullerton simply built Bendelow's design? I ask because in the next article, he appears to be in charge of construction for Langfords design:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/2B29EF63-7176-400B-90C4-8F89C9551DA1_zpsan4r7u4l.jpg)
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Topeka Country Club-1920, prior to Langford's redesign:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/A1D1ADFB-EC6C-4616-818B-D196B0689391_zpsmktmm8om.jpg)
Hole number 9 may have survived?
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Mystery #42 - What saved Newport?
The Oct. 1903 edition of The Golfer discussed the waning interest in golf at Newport. From the sounds of it, the links were on the verge of being replaced by a racetrack for the newfangled automobile.
So what resurrected the interest in golf, and kept alive a club we know consider one of the historic sites of golf in the United States?
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Newport%20-%20The%20Golfer%20Oct.%201903_zpssvfe7asy.png)
pg.147
https://issuu.com/lhasak/docs/ncc_issu
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Mystery #44 - Bendelow near Louisville
A Feb. 1907 Golf Magazine article notes plans for a new course in the Glenview neighborhood near Louisville, KY. Bendelow was brought in to examine the land and develop the layout of an 18 hole course.
I can find no record of a course in this area, and have no idea what happened to this project.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Bendelow/Glenview%20Louisville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907%201_zps97ifwhw8.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Bendelow/Glenview%20Louisville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907%202_zpselxrs352.png)
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Mystery #44 - Bendelow near Louisville
A Feb. 1907 Golf Magazine article notes plans for a new course in the Glenview neighborhood near Louisville, KY. Bendelow was brought in to examine the land and develop the layout of an 18 hole course.
I can find no record of a course in this area, and have no idea what happened to this project.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Bendelow/Glenview%20Louisville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907%201_zps97ifwhw8.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Bendelow/Glenview%20Louisville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907%202_zpselxrs352.png)
Sven, I think this almost has to be modern day Louisville Country Club? Travis coming later to redesign? Sound right?
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Mystery #44 - Bendelow near Louisville
A Feb. 1907 Golf Magazine article notes plans for a new course in the Glenview neighborhood near Louisville, KY. Bendelow was brought in to examine the land and develop the layout of an 18 hole course.
I can find no record of a course in this area, and have no idea what happened to this project.
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Bendelow/Glenview%20Louisville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907%201_zps97ifwhw8.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/Bendelow/Glenview%20Louisville%20-%20Golf%20Magazine%20Feb.%201907%202_zpselxrs352.png)
Sven, I think this almost has to be modern day Louisville Country Club? Travis coming later to redesign? Sound right?
John,
I think that sounds right. Fits the timeline for the CCL & LGC merger and the relocation from their Zorn Avenue location to their current location under the reorganized name of Louisville CC. Not sure when Travis came in and added the second nine. The timeline fits Audabon CC as well, but the location doesn’t seem right. Standard Country Club took over the Zorn Avenue site until they relocated in the 1950s. River Run Country Club was formed there and went out of business a few years ago. The course now is a dog walking park. Louisville CC is still going strong at the site they built on in the early 1900s.
Nigel
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Sven,
The last article you posted describes Chesapeake Country Club as situated on three hundred forty-one acres flanked on one side by the Chespeake Bay and on another by Ogleton Lake.
This sounds exactly like Annapolis Roads: 341 acres flanked by the Chesapeake Bay on one side and Lake Ogleton on the other.
The Annapolis Roads history never mentions a course prior to the Charles Banks course.
Bret
Bret:
It does sound like the Chesapeake CC morphed into Annapolis Roads. I'm not convinced the course that Wilkinson planned was on the exact same land used by Banks, but it could have been (the Wilkinson description makes it sound like there was more coastal frontage).
It is of interest to note the timing of Wilkinson's involvement (1923) and the later Banks' project (1928). One wonders if after the initial plan was scrapped, they were thinking of bringing in Raynor, and Banks ended up with the job after his death, especially considering CBM and SR had just finished their work at Gibson Island.
A fairly concise write up of the history of Annapolis Roads was linked to by Jim Kennedy on another thread:
http://thelifeofanangloamerican.blogspot.com/2014/01/annapolis-roads-on-chesapeake-bay.html (http://thelifeofanangloamerican.blogspot.com/2014/01/annapolis-roads-on-chesapeake-bay.html)
Sven
Sven,
Thanks for the link. According to Annapolis Roads An Olmsted Designed Community by James G. Gibb, Charles Banks was recommended by Percival Gallagher in April 1926. The source cited is a letter from Percival Gallagher (Olmsted Brothers) to Rella Armstrong (owner of the property) in April 1926.
The author makes it sound like Rella Armstrong was aware of Gibson Island and a few other locally planned communities. Her goal from the beginning was to have a community of small cottages, a golf course and a hotel. Her correspondence with the Olmsted Brothers doesn't appear to begin until February 1926.
Here is a link, if you want to take a look:
http://www.annapolisroads.net/editor_upload/File/Annapolis%20Roads%20History/AR%20History%2011_30_12%20Review.pdf (http://www.annapolisroads.net/editor_upload/File/Annapolis%20Roads%20History/AR%20History%2011_30_12%20Review.pdf)
Bret
Bret:
A little follow up on Annapolis Roads. I've copied below an early Olmsted plan for the course (I'm guessing you've already seen this). Pretty sure this is the early plan Banks was discussing in the passage below from the first link you posted:
On June 12th 1926, Gallagher and Armstrong met with Banks in his New York City office. Banks desired a "position for [the] 18th hole that would command a view of the Bay and be a "knockout" as to situation and thus terminate the course with a real effect." He also "pointed out that too much of the course, as [Gallagher and Armstrong] had suggested...on their preliminary plan, ran east to west and was therefore difficult for play on account of the sun." Banks desired "to run more of the greens in the other direction although the land [was] limited to do this in every case." Banks then visited the site with Carr's survey team on June 28th to get a better feel for the ground on which he was to layout the course.
(https://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Annapolis%20Roads%20Olmsted%20Plan%20-%201926_zps1brnkxsv.jpg)
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Sven,
I have never seen that map before. Thanks for posting this. After rereading your remarks from the thread, I think you were right. The map above shows some holes along the water and a completely different routing than what Banks planned or built for Annapolis Roads. Nice find!
Bret
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Here's a chicken/egg question: George once sent me a drawing/article about the Banks green at AR that had a bunker in the middle of it like Riviera's 6th. The construction of the two courses share a similar time frame, so who was the chicken, and who was the egg, and what are the origins of this type of green?
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Jim:
That was the 5th hole. Not many answers on the inspiration, although it is suggested a scaled down version of the hole was done at Fox Chapel.
Sven
July 23, 1929 Brooklyn Daily Eagle -
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Annapolis%20Roads%20-%20Brooklyn%20Daily%20Eagle%20July%2023%201929_zpsv9vrcbc3.jpeg)
April 27, 1930 Baltimore Sun -
(https://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Annapolis%20Roads%20-%20Baltimore%20Sun%20April%2027%201930%201_zpsapkmtkth.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Annapolis%20Roads%20-%20Baltimore%20Sun%20April%2027%201930%202_zpsbn6qkr5l.png)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Annapolis%20Roads%20-%20Baltimore%20Sun%20April%2027%201930%203_zps2ufqtxbe.png)
(https://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Annapolis%20Roads%20-%20Baltimore%20Sun%20April%2027%201930%204_zpshdevmaog.png)
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Jim,
I think the 5th green at Annapolis Roads may have been an adaptation of the Lions Mouth. I think the bunker cut into the green significantly, but it's hard to tell if there was actually any putting surface in front of the bunker. The bunker was more in the center of the approach than it was plumb in the center of the green, but it did stretch into the center of the green. At least from what I can see in older aerials.
EDIT:Adding in an aerial from 1959. After looking again maybe there was putting surface in front of the green at one time? I thought this aerial was earlier. Here is the 1959 aerial shot from the USGS site:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/CC66EFCA-A93D-4607-94CB-1AE17864EE1F_zpsu323vbcy.jpg)
Bret
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Agreed. The 9th hole at Fox Chapel once featured a Lions Mouth as well.....
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/iwse6ka04prnjk6/LM.FCGC.PFC.00238.jpg?raw=1)
Jim,
I think the 5th green at Annapolis Roads may have been an adaptation of the Lions Mouth. I think the bunker cut into the green significantly, but it's hard to tell if there was actually any putting surface in front of the bunker. The bunker was more in the center of the approach than it was plumb in the center of the green, but it did stretch into the center of the green. At least from what I can see in older aerials.
EDIT:Adding in an aerial from 1959. After looking again maybe there was putting surface in front of the green at one time? I thought this aerial was earlier. Here is the 1959 aerial shot from the USGS site:
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag323/bretjlawrence/CC66EFCA-A93D-4607-94CB-1AE17864EE1F_zpsu323vbcy.jpg)
Bret
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Mystery #45 -
Cragsmer Country Club, a John Van Kleek design on Lookout Mountain. Anyone ever heard of it?
May 1, 1927 Chattanooga Daily Times -
(https://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/A1%20Album/Cragsmer%20-%20Chattanooga%20Daily%20Times%20May%201%201927_zpsspvhzj4p.jpg)
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As far as I know, there was never a course at Cragsmere, which is the name of a cabin built by a former slave near Mentone, Alabama. Mentone is on the southern tip of Lookout Mountain, the opposite end from the Lookout Mountain Golf Club near Chattanooga.
The Cragsmere house is now an event venue, having been sold at auction a few years ago.
My guess is that this project never got off the ground, and had taken its name from the already existing home.
Where did you find this news article?
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Doug:
Thanks for the Alabama reference. Realized I already had a listing for it in my files, so I must have seen a reference to it somewhere before.
Sven
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Mystery #46
George Thomas and Jack Malley in Death Valley
In 1930 it was reported that Jack Malley would be building a course in Death Valley, with Thomas offering assistance on construction issues.
The only course I know of from that era in that area is Furnace Creek, which is given various dates of origination ranging from 1927 to 1939 (the only concrete information I have is that it appeared in a 1938 Golf Guide).
Anyone know more about the origins of Furnace Creek, or if Malley and Thomas ever got their project off the ground?
Feb. 15, 1930 Los Angeles Evening Express -
(https://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc435/snilsen7/snilsen7062/Death%20Valley%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Evening%20Express%20Feb.%2015%201930_zpsud84kkyg.png)
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So I've long been curious about something I noticed once in an old Phoenix aerial image ...
Encanto (sometimes called Encanto Park) is a city of Phoenix (AZ) muni originally designed by William P Bell in the 30s. The first few holes of the course sit next to a man made lake that's part of a city park--it's not in play much. A big slice on #1 could get wet--that's about it. But the tee of #5 (a par 3 and the last hole along that edge of the property) sits on a little island. It's an odd feature so I went looking into old aerials at one point and fund that island tee only goes back to sometime in the 1980s. But what really surprised me was that what was there previously appears to me to be an actual island green (not so much Sawgrass style, think more like Cherry Hills). It's possible this was the green for the 5th hole, but could also have been the 7th. The earliest aerials I can find of the area only date back to the 50s. I'm curious is this island green was an original part of Bell's design or if it was something that was for some reason added later. Also curious why the city eventually did away with it.
It was a par three originally built with an island green, Matthew. This is from right around opening day.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52513044125_6212c29618_4k.jpg)
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Thanks Mike! This is fantastic!