[Thomas MacWood]

The Architects of Golf is a remarkably thorough book but there are a few golden age architects that for whatever reason were not included in the biographical section of the book. I'm thinking of men like AG Lockwood, Carl Anderson, William Clark, HC Tippet, Peter Gannon, George Adair and Nicol Thompson...I don't believe they were included. I'm always on the look out for information on these gentleman...does anyone have any info on these guys or any of their courses? Are there any other golf architects that were excluded that should be better known?

[TEPaul]

I believe men like J. Franklin Meehan, S.Y. Heebner, Joseph Clark or even Richard Francis, Philadelphians all, should be included in a book on the history of golf course architecture. Even if some to most of them were of the unpaid "amateur/sportsman" variety the fact is conceptually their contributions to some important projects and perhaps golf architectural thinking generally may be a whole lot more significant they has been previously recognized. If one cannot take the word of a really significant American architect, George Thomas, on this from his own personal experiences, then something is wrong.

I know basically how C&W went about compiling their information because I had about an hour long conversation with Geoffrey Cornish about this once and he explained how the process was inherently limited and considering that I think they did a remarkable job.

BTW, Cornish mentioned that the man, in his opinion, who was most intrumental on motivating him to finally do something like "The Architects of Golf" was Philadelphia's William Gordon.

[Jeff_Brauer]

TEPaul,

Seriously, Francis?  He was a surveyor on one or two projects.  Not sure about the others, but my inclination is to think you stretched the definition of golf course architecture too far.  Is he credited as co-architect for any Merion renovations in your upcoming Flynn book?

The book is huge, and almost every project has someone hanging around who did something.  I think a contribution ought to be primary responsibility for one great course, or a few courses at least for average guys (need more than one to be a career).

Tom Mac,

See above.  While I know nothing of these gents, I am sure CW had to limit things somewhere.  Or, maybe they just couldn't find out anything about these guys in the pre-internet days.

[Thomas MacWood]

Jeff
I would agree, in fact I would expect most of these gents' biographies are included in the updated and yet unpublished version. Ron has told me its more or less his mission to track down these more obscure architects. You'll find these men in the section of the book that lists all the courses and their designers. In that section the unprofiled architects are listed in italics.

TE
The men I listed were all professional architects who took their show on the road, with exception of Adair who was an amateur, but he was amateur who also took his show on the road. From what I have been able to discover they all have decent portolios...with at least one significant solo design. 

The men you listed, with the possible exception of Meecham, were dabblers at best.

[TEPaul]

Mr. Jeffrey Brauer:

How have you been sir? Is Mrs. Brauer well? How about all the little no-neck monster Brauer children? Are they all clean and happy and unscathed?

Maybe Francis is a stretch but he may've been a lot more significant in the design of Merion East than we realize. Francis also may've been the second engineer closely connected to a significant project right behind Macdonald's Raynor at NGLA.

Was Macdonald the first architect to bring an engineer onboard as closely as he did with NGLA? He probably was. Even if it has never been mentioned it would definitely not surprise me at all if it was Macdonald who suggested to MCC that the thing they should do with the Wilson Committee is bring a professional engineer onboard as he had done with NGLA. Richard Francis was also an MCC member, a good golfer and he also happened to be one of the country's best experts on the Rules of Golf.

Obviously, the size of any book should have some consideration in these things but I think the question of this thread is people under the radar who may've contributed something significant. Even Francis's late night idea that essentially unraveled the final 5-7 hole routing of Merion East is one of the best and most significant examples of the nuts and bolts of architecture I'm aware of. Those are the little things that go on in the field every day on those kinds of projects that more on here should be aware of as they could be looked at as basically "make or break" events in the ultimate jigsaw puzzle of what a great course or golf architecture (certainly routing) is all about. These things should be better known and better understood by all of us on here.

That was another time back then and these so-called "amateur/sportsman" designers of that era (such as Wilson and his four man member committee) that did such good work need a whole lot more recognition for the vacuum they filled in that time, in my opinion.

Mr. MacWood has referred to them and the term "amateur/sportsman" designer as 'my invention.' It's not my invention at all---it's a most important historical fact in the evolution of golf architecture and the fact he doesn't seem to understand that or recognize it says a lot about him and his understanding of the details in the history and evolution of golf  architecture, in my opinion. It also makes this thread of his a bit more than a little ironic. But what the hell, since he just posted a thread on this basic subject maybe even he's beginning to learn something here in this vein. 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

There was an excellent essay on Gannon in one of Paul Daley's 'Golf Architecture' anthologies. I'm afraid I don't have it to hand to tell you which volume.

[Ian Andrew]

Nichol Thomson

Born 1881 – oldest of the boys
One of only 6 club professionals in 1890’s (Hamilton)
Went to US for period before returning to Hamilton
Played in numerous Canadian Opens finishing 2nd (1913) but never first
Went to work for Cumming in 1902 at Toronto Golf
Returned to Hamlton in 1903
Went to Birmingham CC as professional in Alabama
Returned to Hamilton in 1912
February 1920 Stanley Thompson added to make Thompson Cumming and Thompson
1921 started Shur-put Golf ball Company with Glassco’s
1922 advert has him featured as club maker and having laid out Midland, Brantford and Niagara Falls
April 1921 Thompson Cumming and Thompson dissolved

Niagara Falls (U.S.)
A.W. Tillinghast design according to club’s archives
Project brought in by Nichol Thompson to TCT –it was a construction project done by TC&T

1920
Brantford
-Supervision on improvements to original 9 by Nichol Thompson (Canadian Golfer 1917)
-Expanded from 9 to 18 holes by Thompson Cumming & Thompson (Canadian Golfer July 1920), there was no specific architect listed
-Stanley Thompson advertisement that is referenced by some only says “constructed” not designed by (January 1922)
-June 1926 Canadian Golfer ad Thompson Co Ltd. List his designs including Brantford
-1921 Nichol Thompson add lists Brantford as his design
Conclusion – definitely a Nichol Thompson nine and possibly a Stanley Thompson nine
“The original hoes before Robbie Robinson are all excellent and make up the best parts of a pretty great course”

Owen Sound (9 holes)
“The course has been laid out by Mr. and is now under construction by Messers. TC&T.
Mr. Thompson speaks very highly of the possibilities of the property” (Nov. 1920 CG)
Opening featured Stanley Thompson (CG May 1922)
Conclusion – A Nichol Thompson Course
“Look and feels like an early Stanley Thompson course – the 7th is a gem of a hole
5 through 7 are wonderful holes”

Midland Golf & Country Club
Conclusion – A Nichol Thompson Nine
Back nine by Ross Perrot
The original course was 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 12, 11, 9
Holes 1, 3, 4, 8, 11 area ll outstanding holes.
The 11th is one of the better drop-shot holes in Ontario with a narrowing green surrounded by deep bunkers in back (exactly like Cleopatra – built 3 years later)

I wish I knew more of the courses he worked on but I’ll have to give it some more thought and then research - I'm a little tired today.

He did work on a series of Cummings courses but George was listed as the designer.


 

[Ronald Montesano]

Nicol Thompson also did the unfortunately-lengthily named Links of Niagara at Will0-Dell.

We on the US side of the ditch cannot forget William Harries, responsible for Brookfield (Western Open and USGA Junior site) and abominations such as Audubon and Brighton.  He did do Sheridan (Dan Herrman's old haunt) and Elma Meadows (two local munis) so that's a bit of retribution.  Harries was a member at Cherry Hill but learned nothing about green s from the Travis course.

[Mike_Cirba]

In Philadelphia, it does now seem clear that Francis Meehan, Edward Clarey, and Francis Warner all did more work in the 20s than anyone knew, but I'd also be remiss not to mention the man who seems to have been the Father of Philadelphia public golf, one A.H. (Ab) Smith, who was the first PhillyAm Champion in 1897 (he repeated 14 years later in 1911) and also was responsible for the term "Birdie", in a round with George Crump, and his brother WP Smith at Atlantic City CC.   

[Thomas MacWood]

Ian
Didn't Nicol Thompson do some design work early in his career in the Deep South? I believe he and HH Barker worked together at Roebuck in Alabama.

Mike
Did any of those men design anything outside Philadlephia?

[Thomas MacWood]

There was an excellent essay on Gannon in one of Paul Daley's 'Golf Architecture' anthologies. I'm afraid I don't have it to hand to tell you which volume.

I think I've read that piece. Gannon was an interesting man. He was an Irishman (his parents were Irish and he grew up in Dublin) who was born in S. America, and did most of his design work in Italy, Switzerland and France. He was also a Roman Catholic priest and a top amateur golfer.

[TEPaul]

When I think of people who were involved in architecture and who could be considered to have gone under the radar screen in recognition, I do not necessarily feel they had to have 'taken their show on the road' to be considered to have done something or been involved in something really significant in the history and evolution of golf course architecture.

Frankly, the fact that some of them simply concentrated on a single project for so long just might be one of the most important factors to understand here with what it takes to produce something truly significant and enduring and respected!

And this just may be what some of these famous so-called "amateur/sportsmen" designers did---eg they never stretched themselves and their talents thin by trying to do more than they could to produce something really significant.

This just may be one of the really fundamental truths of what it might take from ANYONE to do something really good and really enduring.

Myopia, GCGC, Oakmont, NGLA, Merion, Pine Valley, Pinehurst are some of the real examples of this fundamental truth, in my opinion. The common theme with those courses is their designers took years with them and on them. It may not mean this is the only way to produce something great because it clearly isn't but if some of us can't understand how much it may help to produce something great, then I think we are missing something very important in the understanding of golf architecture.

[Thomas MacWood]

TE
What do you know about CH Anderson, his career seems to a parallel Flynn's? They were high school rivals in Boston. They turned professional within weeks of one another and it appears they became golf architects around the same time. I would guess Anderson could hold some clues for both Flynn and Toomey.

Back in the day I think Venice (Fla) CC was considered his best design, he was very active in Florida. Does anyone know anything about Venice? He also did some work in Connecticut. Ridgewood? And a course down in Venezuela.

[TEPaul]

I don't know a thing about CH Anderson. Why would he hold some clues for Toomey and Flynn?

[Sébastien Dhaussy]

There was an excellent essay on Gannon in one of Paul Daley's 'Golf Architecture' anthologies. I'm afraid I don't have it to hand to tell you which volume.

I think I've read that piece. Gannon was an interesting man. He was an Irishman (his parents were Irish and he grew up in Dublin) who was born in S. America, and did most of his design work in Italy, Switzerland and France. He was also a Roman Catholic priest and a top amateur golfer.

Christoph Meister's essay on James Peter GANNON - ' Peter the Great'- is in the Volume 3 of 'Golf Architecture'. A good read on an interesting life.

[Thomas MacWood]

I don't know a thing about CH Anderson. Why would he hold some clues for Toomey and Flynn?

Because their careers paralleled one another Anderson might be able to close some of the gaps in information you have with both Flynn and Toomey.

[TEPaul]

"Because their careers paralleled one another Anderson might be able to close some of the gaps in information you have with both Flynn and Toomey."


Like what, for instance?

[Thomas MacWood]

Like how Flynn first got into golf architecture, what he was doing between 1909 and 1922, how he became associated with Toomey, and information about Toomey's background.

[TEPaul]

"Like how Flynn first got into golf architecture, what he was doing between 1909 and 1922, how he became associated with Toomey, and information about Toomey's background."


How do you think the life and times of CH Anderson is going to hold some clues to how Flynn first got into architecture, what he was doing between 1909 and 1922 and how he became associated with Toomey or information about Toomey's background? This sounds to me like another of your "wild-goose-chases" of the likes of H.H. Barker and Merion or Willie Campbell and Myopia. In 1916, since Campbell was dead and Barker had left the USA for good are you now going to claim that CH Anderson was the second best architect in America right behind C.B. Macdonald?

[Thomas MacWood]

Never mind.

[TEPaul]

"Never mind."


Damn right. That's one of the best posts you've ever put on here.

Instead of making a career on here of trying to find gaps in everyone else's histories why don't you spend about a decade doing some really in-depth, independent, expert research on the life and times of CH Anderson and then get back to us on it? 

[Thomas MacWood]

Another golf architect I would like to learn more about is George Merritt. He was involved in early designs in New England and Florida, and I believe also did some work out in the Pacific NW.

[Chris_Blakely]

I would like to know more about Frank MacDonald.   He was active in the Chicago / midwest in the 20's and was a partner with Charles Maddox.  I would like to know more about his course that is now part of the Indiana Dunes lake shore in Beverly Shores, Indiana.

[Thomas MacWood]

Chris
I've seen come old pictures of some Macdonald's work and it was very striking - bold, flambouyant bunkering al a Dr. Mackenzie or Billy Bell.

[Mike Cirba]

Tom,

I read recently where Carl H. Anderson participated in the Opening Day four-ball tournament in 1926 at Musconetcong Golf Club in Hackettstown, NJ, teaming with the local club pro against two others.   The course opened nine holes at that time and until the 60s was a nine hole course.   Today it still exists as a public facility known as Minebrook GC.

Given the obscurity of the course and club in the middle of northern NJ, and the background of Anderson in architecture, it's certainly possible and probably likely that he designed the course at Musconetcong.

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