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Jordan Wall

Henry and William Fownes and Oakmont ... George Crump and Pine Valley
« on: May 29, 2006, 10:29:12 AM »
From what I can tell this is the only course that the Fownes designed.

Obviously they may have had other intentions in life, but why only create one golf course, and a masterpiece at that??  
Could they have been one of the best architects ever if they continued to design golf courses??


Also, if George Crump had such a mind to design Pine Valley, though with a great architect in Harry Colt, why didnt he design more courses either??

I know Crump died before PV was finished but if he was so good at designing courses then shouldn't he have started earlier?
« Last Edit: May 29, 2006, 10:33:31 AM by Jordan Wall »
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Kyle Harris

Re:Henry and William Fownes and Oakmont
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2006, 10:32:38 AM »
Jordan,

Oakmont was a labor for life for Fownes. He modified, poked and added and subtracted from the course for all his life.

He was into agronomy and turf practices and advanced a lot of the science at the turn of the century. Oakmont's greens have always been amongst the fastest in the world for this reason.

Additionally, his work turned Oakmont from a Penal Nightmare of a course to a strategic gem.

Emil Loeffler and Arthur Jack Snyder are two architects who had worked with the Fownes boys early on and started careers from that experience.

As for Pine Valley, Crump had more contributors than HS Colt, which someone like Tom Paul can get into more. For example, William Flynn completed the last four holes upon Crump's death.

Read some of the "In My Opinion" pieces for more information. The one about George Crump by Tom MacWood (where's he been, anyway?) is particularly moving.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2006, 10:34:02 AM by Kyle Harris »
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TEPaul

Re:Henry and William Fownes and Oakmont ... George Crump and Pine Valley
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2006, 11:41:24 AM »
Jordan:

There is obviously a lesson to be learned from the likes of GCGC (Emmet and Travis, NGLA (Macdonald), Hugh Wilson (Merion), Crump (Pine Valley), Fownes (Oakmont) and Leeds (Myopia), Pinehurst #2) etc, and that is if one has the opportunity to spend as much time and time on site with a golf course as those folks did something very good will probably come out of it. It is probably not coincidental that all those golf courses took years and years to complete.  

Is it reasonable to draw any other conclusion?  ;)
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Jordan Wall

Re:Henry and William Fownes and Oakmont ... George Crump and Pine Valley
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2006, 12:15:41 PM »
Tom,

Why doesn't that happen more often now?
Wouldn't we get more great golf courses if that happened?
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tonyt

Re:Henry and William Fownes and Oakmont ... George Crump and Pine Valley
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2006, 05:39:57 PM »
Quote from: Jordan Wall on May 29, 2006, 12:15:41 PM
Tom,

Why doesn't that happen more often now?
Wouldn't we get more great golf courses if that happened?


Couldn't agree more, but not many good archies or insightful clients who understand what they have make a lot of cash by sticking around for a few more decades. Or perhaps more importantly, allow for lots of cash to be spent on an ongoing basis for years after the course opens.
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