[Sven Nilsen]

Forest Lake has been credited as a 1927 Maurice McCarthy design.


The following two articles suggest a different story, with Travis and John Melville noted as being the team that put the course in place.


May 25, 1924 The State -





Dec. 31, 1925 The State -

[Ronald Montesano]

What odds would you give, off the record but in public, that it is a Travis course?


I posted the link to this thread on the Travis Society facebook page. I have especial interest in the veracity of this posit.


Thanks, Sven.

[Ed Homsey]

Given that information, the Travis Society would not add Forest Lake to the Travis golf course listing.  We need at least two independent sources that clearly report Travis as the golf course designer. 

[Ed Homsey]

Travis wrote a letter to Melville on April 30, 1924, at which time, Melville was in Camden, SC, and due to go to  "Forest Hills to do some work for Mr. Abbott".  Could have meant Forest Lakes?  Travis was in New York at the time.   

[Sven Nilsen]

Travis wrote a letter to Melville on April 30, 1924, at which time, Melville was in Camden, SC, and due to go to  "Forest Hills to do some work for Mr. Abbott".  Could have meant Forest Lakes?  Travis was in New York at the time.

Ed:


Did Melville do any design work on his own?


Sven

[Ed Homsey]

Excellent question, Sven.  I was just about to pursue, and will definitely get after it.  Travis's letter to Melville does suggest that Melville was doing something on his own.  But, let's see what we can find.

[Ed Homsey]

The April 2009 Daily Gazette featured an article about golf courses in the Albany, NY area, and this statement was in the article: [/size]"John Melville designed the first nine holes at Frear Park along with the original Albany Muny".  I'll see what else we can find.
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[Ed Homsey]

"A 10-Minute History of Golf in Capital District", (date unknown--but relatively recent), credits John Melville with Frear Park, a 9-hole muni course, built in 1931, and also credits him with an 18-hole Albany muni course.  The "capital district" refers to the Albany, NY area.


John Melville was the contractor for Travis's CC of Troy course.  He asked Travis to come up to Albany to take a look at the course.  In a June 22, 1927 letter, Travis directed Melville to "come down in your car as soon as it suits you (any day will suit me) stay the nigh and we will be on our way the next morning.  Engage a quiet room at the hotel, with as little climbing stairs as possible----and if possible, with a fairly comfortable arm-chair in which one can perhaps arrange to sleep.  Lying down chokens me.  Then you will have to arrange with one of your men to drive from hole to hole with me."  That was his last visit to one of his courses.  He died just a month later, in Denver.


It appears that Melville stayed on in the Albany area for a few years.  One reference I came across describes him as "superintendent of troy country club". 

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