[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

A friend of mine, and frequent lurker on this site, is playing this course next week.  I told him to make sure to take some pics for posting on GCA.  

Question, how can he contribute if he's a "non-member".  

[peter_p]

Tommy has some pictures on a cd I sent him. My computer since crashed and my file is no longer available.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I really don't know how much Flynn remains.  The basic routing is essentially the same but over the years the slope of the greens has changed and I'm not certain the bunkering is as it was when designed.  Does anyone have a copy of the original plans?
The real disaster is the conditioning.  I played there a few weeks ago and the greens, which years ago, had been fast, firm and smooth were now slow and bumpy.

[Craig Disher]

16 holes are Flynn's. Sometime in the 50s his 3rd and 4th holes were lost (the 3rd continued in the same direction as #2 and the 4th was on the 3rd's left and running back in the opposite direction) and replaced with what are now the 13th and 14th. The current 14th plays to the site of Flynn's original 14th. Many of Flynn's bunkers were removed but the ones there now are at least sited where Flynn put put them.

Tommy - I wonder if the conditioning was due to the long dry period we had around here. As you probably know, most courses suffered. Our greens are just now drying out after intense watering over the summer. I played at USNA in April and May and the greens were fairly firm.

[Mark_Fine]

Craig,
I think you would agree, what is there now doesn't look much(at all) like Flynn.  If I get time later, maybe I'll post some photos.  
Mark

[wsmorrison]

Good job summarizing what is left of Flynn at the USNA, Craig.  Craig helped find a copy of the plan for the course.  I've played there a few times and while the bunkers don't have the look of Flynn and there was obviously some deferred maintenance over the years, it remains a fun course with some real interesting holes that bear a semblence to Flynn, especially some of the greens.  

The 13th has an interesting use of strategic trees.  Here's a view from the green back towards the rolling fairway with the trees:



Here is a view of the short downhill 17th hole:

[Tommy Williamsen]

Craig, being an army brat I found that the commanding officer or at the Academy, the Superintendant, has a lot to do with conditioning.  If they love golf the course gets good.  If not--well....

[Chris_Blakely]

Does anyone know Harry Collis' orginal involvement?  He laid out the original 9 holes at the course at the academy.  Flynn renovated 9 holes and added 9 new ones.

[wsmorrison]

According to USNA archives, Harry Collis designed 18 holes (a hilly 9 and a flat 9) for the Greenbury Point Yacht and Country Club with construction completed in 1928.  In 1935, golf became a varsity sport at the Naval Academy with play at Sherwood Forest.  In the 1930s the GPYCC went bankrupt and the course fell into disuse. In 1938, the US Navy purchased part of the GPYCC land for special radio towers taking over 9 holes and resurrecting 9 holes for use as the USNA golf course, which opened in October 1940.  In 1942-1943, Flynn was hired to redesign 9 holes and add 9 holes.  The completed 18-hole course opened in May 1944.

[Craig Disher]

Wayne,
I thought that the GPYCC course was completely on the other side of the road between the clubhouse and the 1st tee and that Flynn's 1944 18 was built on virgin land. Is this not so?

[wsmorrison]

It is not so, at least according to Academy archives.  I'll get the stuff to you before we get together on November 18.  I don't think Lloyd will have time for a game, but we can play early that day if you like; the green fees are slashed and we can walk/carry our own.  I'll copy the USNA stuff and send it to you.  How's project X coming along?

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