Midlothian Country Club, H. J. Tweedie Original , 1914 US Open (Photo Tour)

[SL_Solow]

Dan, for a change we disagree.  You should have seen it before the added trees.  I was awfully young at the time and not nearly as cognizant of these issue but I can still remember the difference.

[Dan Moore]

Shelly,  I'm basing my opinion on what I saw when I played and the impact on playability.  In most cases, exception Hole #4 as I noted, I did not feel the trees came into play all that much.  I was actually surprised by that because before going there I had read then bunkers had been lost in the trees and needed to be moved in closer.  I found the hole corridors reasonably generous.  That said, for esthetic reasons I think there are a number of places they could thin things out to open up vistas amd remove some of the firs and willows that I find less than attractive on golf courses. 

[Adam Clayman]

Dan, I'm gonna join in the disagreement camp even though I have never stepped foot on Midlothian (or know where it is)

For one, "by helping define the proper route of play and strategy" in a nutshell describes exactly what's wrong with most of Chicagoland's golf courses that have been crowded with decades of planting row after row of unnecessary trees.

Also, In your response to me about the second hole there seemed a subtext equating difficulty with quality. Mr. Butler's design input epitomizes this mindset, while others have blindly followed, resulting in the areas woefully low number of quality offerings. Beverly  CC also proved that removing most of those rows of trees, can open up a great golf course.

[Ed Oden]

Dan, thanks for the tour.  These are the first quality pictures I have seen of Midlothian which, as you know, is a course I need to see.  I like the use of the short bunkers on #3 and #7 to partially obscure the approach to the green from a less than ideal preferred line:




As for the trees, I am a big proponent of tree removal based on the transformation that I have seen occur at my club by doing so.  That being said, there is a difference in my opinion between a course where trees adversely impact play and/or create maintenance issues and one where their presence merely holds the course back from reaching its potential.  Based on your comments, I take it you believe Midlothian falls into the latter category for the most part.  I would also caution people against judging playability and strategy solely on pictures.  I have photographed courses which look claustrophobic in pictures that do not feel so when playing.  Similarly, I've played course whose tightness is not readily apparent from photos.

Best wishes on the book project!

Ed

[Dan Moore]

Back Nine

#10 The Midway 386/437/433/429
The back nine starts with a straightforward medium long par 4 over with a small well protected green.  Hole is notable for a series of "cottages" adjoining the hole on Cottage Row.  The cottages designed by Howard van Doren Shaw were summer homes of the millionaires that founded the club including the home of Montgomery Ward's George Thorne which is on the National Registry of Historical Places.







One of the Midlothian Cottages (not the Thorne House)


#11 Ben Neves  400/382/353/373
The 11th is named after Ben Nevis in Scotland the highest mountain in the UK .  This was my favorite hole with a very nice raised green that no doubt gave the hole its name.  






#12 Ben Lomond  105/122/139/170
Ben Lomond is named after another peak in Scotland that is visible from Ben Neves in the Glasgow region.  A short par 3 that originally required play over a massive sand pit the hole is now a picturesque mid-length one shotter over water that would benefit from some willow removal.   The green is severely sloped and has a little shelf back left that posed a difficult pin position the day we played.  A very fine hole.


# 13 The Alps  550/520/540/521
This hole once featured a what was called "MCC" Mountain 50 yards from the tee which gave the hole its name and can be seen in the old aerial.  The mountain is now lost to time, however the remainder of the hole follows Tweedie's original corridor now lined with trees.  The final twist of the fairway is protected by trees which require one to play well right for the proper approach to the green.




# 14 Easy Street  475/300/312/316  New short par 4 Hole by 1914 by splitting original 475 yard hole
Tweedie's original 475 yarder was modified at some point prior to the 1914 and divided into a short par 4 and a par 3.  A pair of retention ponds added up the right hand side present a slight cape like strategy to the hole by challenging those tempted to go for distance over placement.  






# 15  Paresis  xxx/158/180/179  
This "new" par 3 was added pre-1914 in the vicinity of the original 14th green.  Known as the easiest of Midlothian's par 3's the green is very challenging with three very effective bunkers.    




# 16 The Moat  463/490/530/518 (was the 15th in 1901)
This is the long hole that was originally named Paresis which is based on the Greek word for let go.  Here Tweedie made good use of a rise in the fairway that comes into play on the third shot.  A large, sectionalized modern green finishes off the hole.    






#17  The Teaser  158/400/424/427  (former 310 yard 126th and 158 yard 17th combined into new par 4 pre-1914)

Now a long par four that replaced a short par 4 with a green surrounded by sand (The Moat) and a short par 3,  this long par four helps strengthen the finish.  Two trees behind the green inexplicably block what would be a wonderful view of the clubhouse as one heads down the home stretch.  






#18 Home  281/277/314/336
The 18th took a beating in 1914 when many players in the dry hot conditions were able to drive the green and winner Walter Hagen made 4 consecutive birdies.  On his final hole Chick Evans barely missed a chip-in for birdie in an effort to tie Hagen and force a playoff.  At just over 300 yards efforts have been made over the years to stiffen the challenge of the finishing hole.  The first retention pond was added in the 1980's and so  players simply played out well to the left for an easy pitch home.  In the most recent update by Bob Lohman in the early 2000's the 2nd pond was added running along the left side of the landing area up to the green putting a risk reward premium on placement of the drive and adding challenge to the approach.  The green is steeply sloped back to front.  While Tweedie, Hagen, Evans and Ouimet might have a hard time recognizing the hole, a weak finish has been toughened up a bit.  


Hagen approaching the 18th green in 1939


Midlothian Clubhouse and 1st tee in 1901

[Tom MacWood]

Dan
Thanks for sharing the pictures and info. Howard van Doren Shaw was a very accomplished architect; I admire his work. Speaking of architecture I take it the present clubhouse is not the original? It is interesting looking at the pictures of the old clubhouse - the wing on the right is in a different style. My guess it was done by one of the many progressive architects working in Chicago in the early 20th C. It bears a slight resemblance to FLW's home in Oak Park.

[Dan Moore]

Tom,  Frost and Granger are credited with the first clubhouse.  The current clubhouse is the club's third house.  The wing on the right is the locker room was part of the original house as it is seen in a pre-construction drawing in the Chicago Tribune.  Total Cost of the clubhouse was $25,000.   

[Mark Smolens]

Had a chance to play Midlothian in a better ball recently (last year?).  It's still plenty of golf course, and that first green is a nightmare.  With respect to the trees, I have to fall into Shelly's camp on this one.  A look at the work at Flossmoor's back nine reveals, imo, just what an aggressive tree removal program can do for a course.  Great pics Dan.

[Phil McDade]

Had a chance to play Midlothian in a better ball recently (last year?).  It's still plenty of golf course, and that first green is a nightmare.  With respect to the trees, I have to fall into Shelly's camp on this one.  A look at the work at Flossmoor's back nine reveals, imo, just what an aggressive tree removal program can do for a course.  Great pics Dan.

Mark:

Here's a Flossmoor thread -- some of the back nine vistas at Flossmoor, as you mention, are quite striking.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41166.0/

[Dan Moore]

In my posts about the trees I was only stating my view that the trees did not have that much impact on play.  Esthetics is another story entirely and I pointed out a number of places some tree removal would benefit.  

To further elaborate on Mark and Phil's point about the trees at Flossmoor here are some more before/after photos of the last 2 and the transformation it underwent with the removal of the overgrown willows that lined the finishing holes.  A huge improvement.

17th Before


17th After


This shot shows the clearing that took place between 17 and 18 where you can see all the way to the Clubhouse whereas in the following shot from 18 you cannot see any of the 17th hole or green.  


18 Before


18th after from the tee.  As is evident from the old photo trees would have filled the entire area just to the right of the bunkers making the green and clubhouse invisible.  seeing the task at hand greatly improves the hole and well placed bunkers fulfill the role the trees formerly filled in terms of defing the proper anbgle of play while adding the extra temptation of trying to carry them for a strategic advantage.  An esthetic and strategic improvement: well done.