Geoffrey:
Thanks for bringing up the topic. As one who grew up in Port Huron, I'd like to take a shot at this.
Many people have missed the "Lake Huron Cove." Yes it's a real geological thing. It's an ancient cove, or bay of Lake Huron. It starts approximately the bottom of the lake where it enters the St Clair river on its way to Lake St Clair, the Detroit Rive, and Lake Erie. It moves from there northwest thru Lakeside Cemetery and on until it curves back to Lake Huron at Lakeport State Park. It's the actual reason for the park as the former lake bottom sand ridges become exposed and create a wonderful beach and picnic area for summer campers.
Ahhh golf you say ...
One hundred and thirteen years ago the founders of Port Huron Golf Club, doubling as the city fathers, were looking for a site for their club which was being developed for in town housing. The lake front beaches of the day attracted summer visitors from St Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and of course Detroit. Several hotels and cottages lined the beachfront. As the west edge of the Lake Huron Cove traveled north of Lakeside and Mt Hope Cemeteries it created a rolling expanse of sand ridges just a block west away from the lake and the visitors. The club bought approximately 150 acres and retained the midwest Spalding representative from Chicago, Tom Bendelow, to design a 9-hole course over the ridges. It was pretty much an around the perimeter and then back and forth layout. It opened in 1912. eight years later the club need an 18-0hole course.
One of the beach front cottage owners was John Sweeney. Besides being active in many Detroit area sports clubs and a member of the Country Club of Detroit, John later became a member of the USGA's Executive Committee. He was a founder of the CCD and in 1911 retained Harry Colt o design their course. After WWI Colt didn't travel overseas and sent his new partner Charles Hugh Alison to America to set up the North American headquarters in Detroit. Before Alison came ov er Sweeney had made a deal for him to revise several holes at the CCD. In 1920 Sweeney got together with the local club leaders and suggest that they hire C&A (Alison) to lay out their new course. Sweeney was a member of the local club and could get then a "deal."
When Alison got off the boat (or train, in Detroit Sweeney sent him up to PH to layout the new course. On his was to Port Huron, viewing the flat featureless farm land out his train window, Alison must have wondered what he had gotten himself into. However, when he transferred to the local trolley in Port Huron to make the final couple miles up the beach the lake bottom sand ridges must have brightened his outlook. Alison laid out the course on that trip, the land was cleared over the winter, and he came back in March of 1921 to layout the course features and design the greens. The club still has eight original Alison drawings from that March trip. In 1922 fourteen new Alison holes joined four of Bendelow's remains holes for the new 18-hole course. One the 1920s Alison and his American partner L E lavish made several improvements and relocated three of Bendelow's remains four greens. Their last effort was in October 1928.
Anthony