Who was Norman MacBeth?

[Tom MacWood]

Who was he and is he someone worth digging into?

[Tom MacWood]

I found this in British Golf Illustrated. I assume these are the same Norman MacBeth and HJ Whigham that later delved into golf architecture.

[Charlie Goerges]

Macbeth designed some courses in southern California. I can't remember which ones off the top of my head.

[Jon Spaulding]

LACC member, owner of what ultimately became Riverside Cement (now TXI), believe he also won the SCGA Amateur. An early import from across the pond.

Wilshire CC and Midwick (pre Bell) are a couple of his highlight courses. The former is quite good, I posted some photos on it a few years ago on this site. It has the highest quirk rating in CA, but has recently been redone. Playing there in 2 weeks and will update my old thread as time permits. The latter is NLE but looks beyond solid in old photos.

Tom, to really answer the queston, contact the Emporer. You'll get too much OT fuzz or boobs looking for access to Wilshire on this site if you're looking for solid info.

[Peter Pallotta]

For some reason, Tom , I had occasion quite a while ago to look him up. Good golfer - winning in America the early 1910s and stlill when in the 1920s. I have only ever read about his design of Wilshire - but in the arcticle I read the course/design was praised highly for using the land to great advantage and hiding the hand of man.

Peter

[Gary Sato]

In light of Rans excellent review, this thread seemed appropriate.

Sadly it appears Macbeth only built 3 courses on his own and one is NLE.

Perhaps someone could discuss how good is San Gabriel CC?

[Joel_Stewart]

A simple Google came up with the following:

Norman Macbeth, Royal Lytham & St Anne's Champion

British, Pennsylvanian, Californian, American, Norman Macbeth, was 'born and bred on the links' of Royal Lytham & St Anne's golf club.

Playing against John Ball and Harold Hilton in their heyday, Norman won Lytham's Terry Silver Claret Jug, three times in a row, beginning in 1896, allowing him to keep the trophy forever.

Macbeth brought the Terry Silver Claret jug with him when he moved to the USA in 1907. Soon he was playing with the Fownes' on their Oakmont Country Club team, and on the Pennsylvania State golf team, before moving to Los Angeles to join LACC's green committee just in time to help build their new Beverly Hills country club golf course.

Macbeth consulted on a number of Southern California golf courses and then designed his memorial, like Fownes Oakmont, the other legend of Los Angeles golf courses, the Wilshire Country Club.

After winning multiple State and local titles, including a stint as Southern California Golf Association president, Norman Macbeth joined the USGA board of directors, and spent the next 20 years on the USGA Green Committee.

After his death in 1940, the Wilshire Country Club started their 'Macbeth' tournament in his honor. The winners receive the Royal Lytham and St Anne's Terry Silver Claret jug! A replica still exists in the lobby of the clubhouse, under the 'Hollywood' sign.

[DMoriarty]

[Brett Wiesley]

Wilshire CC is a MacBeth recently renovated by Kyle Philips. Looks wonderful. Not a lot of his courses but the ones still in existence are honoring him now. Especially Wilshire CC.

[Tommy Naccarato]

MacBeth seems to get referenced for a lot of places like San Gabriel, Brentwood and Midwick. (Pronounced "Mid-dic")  I'm not quite so sure he had anything to do with them as much as many would like to think, but his influence, certainly visits to other courses probably, or more then likely added some improvements to existing courses. (Pure speculation)

There are two, three if your counting LACC which he completed design. One being his pride and joy, Wilshire CC and St. Andrews Pay-As-You-Play, which was located near the corner of Reseda and Ventura Blvd's in what is today called Tarzana.  To get to El Caballero, you had to pass SAPAP.

The St. Andrews course featured two sets of greens on each hole, one out of Dr. Lyman Carter's new Cocoas bent grass, as well as rye, thus enabling golf to be played anytime of the year on a grass putting surface, this, because there were still many issues of growing grass during the summer months of such an arid environment.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Some interesting articles at this site - two about Macbeth. Clicking on the "Golf Historical Society" header will take you to the main page.

http://golfhistoricalsociety.org/wilshirecc/macbeth2.html