Arthur Mecan a Golden age Canadian architect

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Who has heard of this British Columbian architect? There was an article in The Globe today putting him with Stanley Thompson as the other golden age architect rom Canada. By the way Jasper Park looks as good as ever.  Oh, no birdies today, but saw at least 8 bears today mostly in the Jasper Park area but none on the course.

[Pete_Pittock]

Tiger,
It's Arthur Vernon Macan. Quite a number of threads on him this year

[Tony Ristola]

Who has heard of this British Columbian architect? There was an article in The Globe today putting him with Stanley Thompson as the other golden age architect rom Canada. By the way Jasper Park looks as good as ever.  Oh, no birdies today, but saw at least 8 bears today mostly in the Jasper Park area but none on the course.

Tiger,
He's been discussed here for some time. Royal Colwood, Victoria GC (aka Oak Bay) (both in Victoria, Vancouver Island), Shaughnessy were some of his better known projects, though Shaughnessy had many of its greens altered from what I have come to learn.

Colwood and Victoria were the first really good golf courses I played, haven't seen either in about 30-years, but many series of holes still stick out in my memory.

I really like his comments on green design, and construction in general.

"The usual practice with many of these architects is to draw plans, put a construction man in charge of the work and visit the site occasionally, some times as little as one day per month. I cannot do that. The design and construction of a (golf course) is to me a very personal job. Liken it to painting a picture, and what artist could invite another to put the paint on his canvas? Strange as it might seem, I spend infinitely more time on a golf course site during the construction period than any of them... This is the only method I know, and the only way I can satisfy myself." VM

"Today, the uninformed believe a green should be constructed with the slope from back to front, so that it will retain the ball. In brief, this suggests the shot should be a mechanical operation and the result a mathematical certainty. This is not the game of golf. Golf was not conceived as a mechanical operation but rather full of fun and adventure. Many things could happen to the ball after it pitched on the green. The ill-happenings were not regarded as ill-fortune or ill-luck, but part of the adventure, and the more skilled found methods to overcome the risks of ill-fortune." VM

(Emphasis added).

[Patrick Kiser]

Tiger,

Recently Michael Riste (see Feature Interview section as well) issued a biography on A.V. Macan and you might want to pick up a copy.  I thought there was a lot of good content.

In line with Tony's comment, possibly one of his design features was to use some front to back slope on greens.  I don't really have any evidence of this, but it seems he liked to play with depth perception into greens.  One hole that comes to mind possibly would be the 6th at Cal Club, but again ... not sure if Macan had a hand in the outcome of that hole.  It exemplifies the front to back slope with a significant recovery area out back.  A rather interesting and unique hole I would say.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=47940.0

[David_Tepper]

Tiger -

There area at least two A.V. Macan courses (public San Geronimo and private Contra Costa CC) in the SF Bay Area.

http://www.golfsangeronimo.com/
http://www.contracostacc.org/viewCustomPage.aspx?id=51

DT

[Bill_McBride]

Who has heard of this British Columbian architect? There was an article in The Globe today putting him with Stanley Thompson as the other golden age architect rom Canada. By the way Jasper Park looks as good as ever.  Oh, no birdies today, but saw at least 8 bears today mostly in the Jasper Park area but none on the course.

Tiger,
He's been discussed here for some time. Royal Colwood, Victoria GC (aka Oak Bay) (both in Victoria, Vancouver Island), Shaughnessy were some of his better known projects, though Shaughnessy had many of its greens altered from what I have come to learn.

Colwood and Victoria were the first really good golf courses I played, haven't seen either in about 30-years, but many series of holes still stick out in my memory.

I really like his comments on green design, and construction in general.

"The usual practice with many of these architects is to draw plans, put a construction man in charge of the work and visit the site occasionally, some times as little as one day per month. I cannot do that. The design and construction of a (golf course) is to me a very personal job. Liken it to painting a picture, and what artist could invite another to put the paint on his canvas? Strange as it might seem, I spend infinitely more time on a golf course site during the construction period than any of them... This is the only method I know, and the only way I can satisfy myself." VM

"Today, the uninformed believe a green should be constructed with the slope from back to front, so that it will retain the ball. In brief, this suggests the shot should be a mechanical operation and the result a mathematical certainty. This is not the game of golf. Golf was not conceived as a mechanical operation but rather full of fun and adventure. Many things could happen to the ball after it pitched on the green. The ill-happenings were not regarded as ill-fortune or ill-luck, but part of the adventure, and the more skilled found methods to overcome the risks of ill-fortune." VM

(Emphasis added).

Tony, I don't think he was the original designer of Victoria but tinkered with it as a member.   I walked in June while nursing a hand injury, along with three GCA'ers who I think liked it as much as I did.  I can't wait to get back up there and play it  myself.   Beautiful holes along the water, and on the water, not 100 feet above like Bandon or Pebble. 

Tiger, the club I joined for a while in Portland, Columbia-Edgewater, is a very good Macan course.   No front to back sloping greens though. 

[Ivan Morris]

Arthur Vernon Macan was a Dublin born and educated lawyer. A top class amateur player in Ireland, he crossed the Atlantic to the New World in 1911 intending to practice law. After he won the Pacific Northwest Amateur and the Washington State Amateur in 1913 he moved to California and gradually began to leave the law to one side. Macan spent the last fifty years of his life designing and building golf courses, particularly municipal courses, all along the Pacific coastal states including B.C. in Canada, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho and especially, California. It often crossed my mind that I should try to find out more about Macan - news that Michael Riste has written a book about Macan comes as a big (but pleasant) surprise - I'll have to look out for a copy.   

[Bill_McBride]

Arthur Vernon Macan was a Dublin born and educated lawyer. A top class amateur player in Ireland, he crossed the Atlantic to the New World in 1911 intending to practice law. After he won the Pacific Northwest Amateur and the Washington State Amateur in 1913 he moved to California and gradually began to leave the law to one side. Macan spent the last fifty years of his life designing and building golf courses, particularly municipal courses, all along the Pacific coastal states including B.C. in Canada, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho and especially, California. It often crossed my mind that I should try to find out more about Macan - news that Michael Riste has written a book about Macan comes as a big (but pleasant) surprise - I'll have to look out for a copy.   

I didn't know Macan moved to California, thought he always lived in Victoria.   Do you know where in California?

[Tony Ristola]

Who has heard of this British Columbian architect? There was an article in The Globe today putting him with Stanley Thompson as the other golden age architect rom Canada. By the way Jasper Park looks as good as ever.  Oh, no birdies today, but saw at least 8 bears today mostly in the Jasper Park area but none on the course.

Tiger,
He's been discussed here for some time. Royal Colwood, Victoria GC (aka Oak Bay) (both in Victoria, Vancouver Island), Shaughnessy were some of his better known projects, though Shaughnessy had many of its greens altered from what I have come to learn.

Colwood and Victoria were the first really good golf courses I played, haven't seen either in about 30-years, but many series of holes still stick out in my memory.

I really like his comments on green design, and construction in general.

"The usual practice with many of these architects is to draw plans, put a construction man in charge of the work and visit the site occasionally, some times as little as one day per month. I cannot do that. The design and construction of a (golf course) is to me a very personal job. Liken it to painting a picture, and what artist could invite another to put the paint on his canvas? Strange as it might seem, I spend infinitely more time on a golf course site during the construction period than any of them... This is the only method I know, and the only way I can satisfy myself." VM

"Today, the uninformed believe a green should be constructed with the slope from back to front, so that it will retain the ball. In brief, this suggests the shot should be a mechanical operation and the result a mathematical certainty. This is not the game of golf. Golf was not conceived as a mechanical operation but rather full of fun and adventure. Many things could happen to the ball after it pitched on the green. The ill-happenings were not regarded as ill-fortune or ill-luck, but part of the adventure, and the more skilled found methods to overcome the risks of ill-fortune." VM

(Emphasis added).

Tony, I don't think he was the original designer of Victoria but tinkered with it as a member.   I walked in June while nursing a hand injury, along with three GCA'ers who I think liked it as much as I did.  I can't wait to get back up there and play it  myself.   Beautiful holes along the water, and on the water, not 100 feet above like Bandon or Pebble. 

I wonder who designed the multi-tier green along the road, the 7th as well. Two fairly wild ones.

I recall reading that after the Canadian Open in 66 the pro's complained about the greens,  and that caused them to be changed.

[Tom MacWood]

Of the non big name architects Macan has been one of the most heavily discussed on this site, for a number of years now. Jeff Mingay has written several articles on Macan.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Tony,

I've been consulting at Victoria Golf Club since January 2009... the 7th green is a work of art. I had presumed that green must be attributable to Macan. But, no. I recently received some photos of the course taken 'pre-Macan' and that green is there, in the photos, as is today. The current 3rd was built post-1913, so it's likely Macan had something to do with creating that incredibly distinct green, though.

As I understand, Macan spent extended periods of time in Calfornia during certain parts of his career in golf architecture but his home base was always Victoria. 

[Ivan Morris]

@Bill McBride - first of all do you realize how famous your name is in Ireland? I only knew the barest details of Macan's origins and his major contribution to Pacific Northwest golf prior to Michael Riste's valuable research being published. I made my post before I found out about the existence of the PNGA History book. I would say very few Irishmen today would know anything of AV Macan but I will do my bit to 'resurrect' him and see that he is given his due.     

[Bill_McBride]

@Bill McBride - first of all do you realize how famous your name is in Ireland? I only knew the barest details of Macan's origins and his major contribution to Pacific Northwest golf prior to Michael Riste's valuable research being published. I made my post before I found out about the existence of the PNGA History book. I would say very few Irishmen today would know anything of AV Macan but I will do my bit to 'resurrect' him and see that he is given his due.     

Ivan, does it count if my family was from County Armagh?   My great grandfather William Cardwell McBride came from there to the States in the 1840s.

[Garland Bayley]

I bumped my recent Macan related thread in case Tiger wishes to read.

[Ivan Morris]

Good for you, Bill McBride from Armagh! Look up Willie John McBride, rugby player.

[Garland Bayley]

Arthur Vernon Macan was a Dublin born and educated lawyer. A top class amateur player in Ireland, he crossed the Atlantic to the New World in 1911 intending to practice law. After he won the Pacific Northwest Amateur and the Washington State Amateur in 1913 he moved to California and gradually began to leave the law to one side. Macan spent the last fifty years of his life designing and building golf courses, particularly municipal courses, all along the Pacific coastal states including B.C. in Canada, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho and especially, California. It often crossed my mind that I should try to find out more about Macan - news that Michael Riste has written a book about Macan comes as a big (but pleasant) surprise - I'll have to look out for a copy.   

He did not move to California.
I believe he only did 3 courses in California.
He certainly did more private courses than "municipal" courses. Around Vancouver would be where he did the most municipal courses probably." He did privates at perhaps a 3 to 1 ratio to municipal courses.
His biography makes no mention of him practicing law in North America.