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Sven Nilsen

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Walabac CC (Randolph, VT) - Wayne Stiles
« on: March 20, 2019, 04:40:52 PM »
Anyone ever heard of this small-town New England course?  Besides from a few mentions in the newspapers from the 1920's, I can find no other mention of the club.

"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Mike Sweeney

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Re: Walabac CC (Randolph, VT) - Wayne Stiles
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2019, 09:57:34 PM »
It appears that Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT bought the original inn as a retreat. The same owner owns the golf course and he is a Brunswick graduate:


https://vermontbiz.com/news/2017/september/22/ct-prep-school-buys-three-stallion-inn-randolph


http://www.montaguegolf.com


Looks like a beautiful, but remote spot:


"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Sven Nilsen

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Re: Walabac CC (Randolph, VT) - Wayne Stiles
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2019, 10:14:41 PM »
Mike:


Pretty sure Montague was a different golf course.  It dates back to 1898, and there's a Automobile Green Book that lists both courses as in existence in Randolph.


Sven
"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Craig Sweet

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Re: Walabac CC (Randolph, VT) - Wayne Stiles
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2019, 10:17:58 PM »
Nothing Vermonters dislike more than a Flatlander moving in and splashing cash all over town...
Project 2025....All bow down to our new authoritarian government.

Brad Tufts

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Re: Walabac CC (Randolph, VT) - Wayne Stiles
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2019, 10:22:36 AM »
Here's the background on the Stedman Inn: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/5c4a70f5-af2c-4fb0-a7ec-6d2d311cb14c with the pertinent reference on pages 31-32 on the PDF.


Albert Chandler, born 1840 in Randolph, served as one of Lincoln's personal telegraph operators during the Civil War and eventually became president of Postal Telegraph and Cable Co. the only viable competitor at the time to Western Union.  Chandler returned to his native town to build a summer home in 1886.  He named it "Mari-Castle" after his first wife Marilla Stedman, and it stands today at 41 S. Main St. in Randolph


Looks like "Montague House" was built in 1887 (now at the NW corner of Montague Golf Course at the end of Randolph Ave.) for Chandler's friend Robert Kimball, potentially by the same builder of Mari-Castle.  The Three Stallions Inn that Brunswick School purchased is east of the golf course with the pool in the backyard.


The effect of the two men can be seen today in Randolph, with the Chandler Music Hall and the Kimball Public Library bearing the names of their benefactors.


Chandler's son Albert Eckert Chandler bought the former Stedman Farm (where his mother grew up) in 1923, which consisted of 50-60 acres NE of the town center, and converted the farmhouse into the Stedman Inn.  He once had greater plans back in 1916 to build a million-dollar 200-room hotel on the Stedman land but those plans died during WW1.  The younger Chandler owned the Stedman Inn for 4 years, until 1927.


My guess is that the former Walabac was north of the White River, which is the only substantial area "Northeast of the town center" that was likely cleared at the time.  It would qualify as a "hillside" as it likely slopes toward the river.  I don't think the holes east of Kimball's Montague House (the current Montague GC) would have been this course, even though Kimball died in 1903.  The Montague course property was, like today, decidedly East (if not even ESE) of the town center at the time.


Amazing how all these small towns have such a history!
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 10:55:18 AM by Brad Tufts »
So I jump ship in Hong Kong....

David Bowen

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Re: Walabac CC (Randolph, VT) - Wayne Stiles
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2019, 12:18:54 AM »
In the early 1980's I played Montague GC many times.  At that time it was a 9 hole course located completely on the west side of the river and the east side of the village of Randolph.  It was the only course in town and the property was rather cramped with no holes being terribly long.  The holes are generally flat with the exception of playing off an escarpment down to 3 holes playing on lower ground closer to the elevation of the river. 


Montague added 9 holes, either in the late 80's or early to mid-90's which I did play a couple of times.  The new 9 began with a long par 3 across the river to the east side.  There were 7 holes playing on that side of the river which are the "links style" holes mentioned in the Montague website.  The 3 Stallions Inn/Stock Farm property overlooked these holes and are seen in the photo posted by Mike Sweeney.  After the 8th, a bridge crossed the river where the 9th of the new holes played back and uphill to the club house, a modest structure located near the Montague House which I believe is seen when entering the driveway to the club. 


There was some pretty spectacular flood damage to the par 3 that crossed the river a few years ago when the hurricane hit and an aerial now shows the hole is completely on the west side of the river. 


I had never heard of the Walabac CC during my time in the area.  It is possible that the land where the newer "links-style" holes lie is a portion of the land occupied by Walabac CC.  It is pretty nice ground.  There is also land to the south of the newer holes that always  looked like it would have been nice ground for golf, but obviously I have no idea if Walabac was there either.  Contacting Mr. Sammis may yield some information.