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Adam Russell

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A Donald Ross Question
« on: February 04, 2008, 08:18:04 PM »
I need experts. Washington-Wilkes Country Club (Washington, Georgia) is my home course. 9 Holes, 1925 Ross design. Since the D. Ross Society puts him down for 24 courses that year, I want to know the impact he really would have had on such a small-profile course such as this (1920 County Census- 24,000). There is no records as I can make out of an appearance by him or construction crews of his, but I want to know whereabouts of both during 1925, and people's opinions on whether this is a bought template of holes or an original design.
The only way that I could figure they could improve upon Coca-Cola, one of life's most delightful elixirs, which studies prove will heal the sick and occasionally raise the dead, is to put rum or bourbon in it.” -Lewis Grizzard

David Stamm

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Re:A Donald Ross Question
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2008, 08:27:13 PM »
Adam, I'm no Ross expert, but if I had to guess with that workload described in 1925, more than likely it was a mail-it-in job. I may be wrong, but Ross was known to do this with topo's.
"The object of golf architecture is to give an intelligent purpose to the striking of a golf ball."- Max Behr

Adam Russell

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A Donald Ross Question
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2008, 08:38:11 PM »
Here's the catch. Washington is an influential town in Georgia history even though we're tiny by present-day numbers (4,600 in-town). We were the seat of the Confederacy for a time, the hometown of Robert Toombs, and that old money was at its height in 1925. Ross is listed for 8 courses in FL, and 2 each in NC/GA/TN. So SOMEBODY was in the South at that time. I just want to know who. If it is a mailed-in course, what would be the tell-tale signs?
The only way that I could figure they could improve upon Coca-Cola, one of life's most delightful elixirs, which studies prove will heal the sick and occasionally raise the dead, is to put rum or bourbon in it.” -Lewis Grizzard

Doug Wright

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A Donald Ross Question
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2008, 05:50:53 PM »
Adam,

The Donald Ross Society website says that Ross was not onsite for this course. That would mean that he did this through drawings with topo maps. He dispatched lieutenants like Walter Hatch to supervise the jobs. From what I've seen of his drawings for similar work at a similar time (Wellshire GC in Denver, 1926), his work on these courses was far from "mailed in."  He carefully designed the courses using the natural features available.

This is what the DRS says on its website:

"During his summers, Ross started designing and building courses throughout New England. Eventually, his practice spread into the Midwest and down the Southeast coast. In association with design assistants J.B. McGovern and Walter Hatch, Ross maintained a summer office in Little Compton, Rhode Island and satellite offices in North Amherst, Massachusetts, and Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

Of all the courses that bear Ross' name, either as original designs or as renovation projects, he probably never even saw a third of them, and another third he visited only once or twice. Given the constraints of train and car travel in those days, repeat visits were difficult to arrange. Though Ross was a voracious traveler, he did much of his design work from his home in a cottage behind the third green at Pinehurst. There he worked from topographic maps, drew up blueprints, and wrote simple but sharply-worded instructions that his construction crew knew how to implement. "

You could probably find out more about this by sniffing around your club's or the town newspaper's archives.
Twitter: @Deneuchre

michael_j_fay

Re:A Donald Ross Question
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2008, 06:56:17 PM »
I agree with Doug's numbers.

As for a mail-in template, I really do not care for the verbiage.
I have seen numerous Ross courses that were drawn from topographic maps. There are none that I would say were not site specific. Mail-in template connotes some lack of attention to the topographical map Mr. Ross was presented with. I can assure you this was not the case.

Brad Klein

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Re:A Donald Ross Question
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2008, 07:18:25 PM »
That fact that DRS, the Tufts Archives or other sources don't show Ross was there doesn't mean he wasn't there -- only that no written or documentary evidence is at hand or remains to prove he was there.

It's possible to track some other sources, such as local contemporary newspaper accounts.

Since Washington, Ga. lies idrectly on a line between Augusta and Athens, and we know he was at both places when he did those country clubs in 1926-1927, he might well have been there, or through there. I'd check the old railroad lines to see if Washington was on a stop of a line joining those two cities.

I know, for example, from his travel reords and telegrams that he left the North Carolina Mountains in mid/late July 1925 for a three week trip to Florida, traveling by train.

This is one of those many times when you might have to build a circumstantial case. My own sense, from what I could estimate, is that in about 1/4 of cases, courses designed and attributed to Ross went unvisited by him and likely done by his associates, with perhaps some or no oversight by Ross of any plans. But again, that is an educated guess.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2008, 07:27:05 PM by Brad Klein »

Adam Russell

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A Donald Ross Question
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2008, 08:33:56 PM »
Thanks for the help so far guys; really means alot. I've been looking at the maps at UGA b/t land. arch classes, 1925 GA/NC railroad lines around Biltmore Forest (which I'm guessing is where Ross sent the telegrams from)- I think it is very possible Ross could have gone through Washington on the way down to FL. I've contacted my old boss at our town's newspaper about how far back the archives go. Tomorrow I'm going to look at the earliest aerials I can get of the course- a 1938 ag. map. Then perhaps we can get to the bottom of this. Either way, I think this is one of the best examples of an untouched Ross work. But I'm biased ;D ;D
The only way that I could figure they could improve upon Coca-Cola, one of life's most delightful elixirs, which studies prove will heal the sick and occasionally raise the dead, is to put rum or bourbon in it.” -Lewis Grizzard

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