HJ Whigham

[T_MacWood]

How much credit does Whigham deserve for Macdonald's early success...Chicago, NGLA, Piping Rock, etc.?

[Jonas Peter Akins]

At the risk of reviving a dormant topic (and, having spent hours reading his work on this site, as well as the tributes paid to Mr. MacWood on his passing, I’m fully aware that I’m standing on the shoulders of a giant in the field), I wonder if more is now known about Whigham’s contributions to golf course architecture? 
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[/size]My interest in Whigham stems from the two years that I spent teaching and coaching at Sedbergh School, in England, from 2001-2003.  The most famous golfing Sedberghian is Lt. FG Tait, The Black Watch, who was killed at Koodoosberg during the Boer War, having won the Amateur Championship in 1896 and 1898.  HJ Whigham, US Amateur champion in 1896 and 1897, was also a student there and The Sedberghian records Whigham and Tait competing in a swimming race in the River Rawthey during their schooldays, though I haven’t yet found any further connections.  There were also two Old Sedberghian Amateur Golf Champions of India, NM Mitchell-Innes and G Maitland-Heriot, but they don’t seem to have played as large a role in the history of the game.
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[/size]In addition to Whigham’s victories at Shinnecock and Chicago in 1896 and 1897, respectively, and his marriage to CBM’s daughter, Frances, plus his work as a foreign correspondent and editor of Town and Country, his niece was the (in)famous Margaret, Duchess of Agyll, of “headless man” renown.  Whigham is also recorded as having been involved with at least NGLA (including that redolent passage where CBM describes riding over the property with him), Onwentsia, Chicago, Piping Rock, Sleepy Hollow, and the Lido, but the details of those contributions are not readily apparent, at least to me.
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[/size]With Sedbergh celebrating its Quincentenary this coming year, I have been thinking of a short profile of Whigham, but wanted to check if any already exists.  John Low’s excellent book more than suffices for Tait, but I’d like to know more about, and perhaps raise the profile of, this most interesting man.  Any guidance, assistance, or insights would be much appreciated.

[Niall C]

Jonas,


HJ Whigham comes from a prominent golfing family with his father, several brothers and sisters who played the game. I seem to recall they were all known by their initials which makes it hard to remember who did what, but from my dodgy memory one of them might have been a champion in India or some place. And I think the sisters were quite handy at the game as well.


Like all their class, they were likely members at several clubs including I imagine the R&A, but home turf was Ayrshire where the old man was a prominent member of Prestwick.


That's all off the top of the head so please don't take it as gospel but will check later and get back to you. Do you have his book ?


Niall

[Niall C]

I forgot to say, as an aside, the Mitchell-Innes at Sedburgh was presumably a relative of Gilbert Mitchell-Innes of North Berwick, HCEG and probably R&A.


Niall

[Bret Lawrence]

Jonas,


There is a short profile written about HJ Whigham in Golf Illustrated., November 1930. I had to split the page into two to make it legible.






Bret

[Brian Finn]

Jonas - It's just a small item, but Whigham and CBM were also involved in the early days at Exmoor, just North of Chicago.

[BCrosby]

Bret -


It might be me, but I can't see the second page.


Jonas -


Whigham and family make several appearances in the British Golf in the 1890s. There are even some pics! Among other things, John Low played him to a draw in the 1893 Oxford/Cambridge match. I would love to know if a friendship developed.


Do you know when Whigham moved to the US? He and his father-in-law were at the center of American/UK cross currents about new approaches to both architecture and the rules (think: the newly formed USGA (late 1894) developed its own code which relied heavily, but not entirely, on the St Andrews code. The differences were a topic of discussion on the UK. Was Whigham involved on the US side?).


Bob


 

[Dan Moore]

The article is generally accurate as far as Whigham’s involvement at Onwentsia but has the dates wrong.
1894 still at Macdonald’s Farwell’s Links. Played a home/away match vs Chicago Golf Club Belmont and Farwell Links both laid out by CBM.
1895 1 year at a new site McCormick Farm 9 holes.R. Foulis arrives in June.
Fall 1895 Onwentsia Club formed move to Cobb estate
1896 9 holes laid out. R. Foulis and HJ Tweedie as Secretary.
1897 expanded to 18 holes into new land in NW quadrant.
1920s Alison reconfigured a couple of holes.


Robert Foulis, H.J. Tweedie, Macdonald all had an early hand in Onwentsia but most information credits Whigham with the expansion to 18 holes.


I believe Whigham arrived in 1893 (possibly 1892) for the world’s fair.

[Bret Lawrence]

Bret -


It might be me, but I can't see the second page.


Jonas -


Whigham and family make several appearances in the British Golf in the 1890s. There are even some pics! Among other things, John Low played him to a draw in the 1893 Oxford/Cambridge match. I would love to know if a friendship developed.


Do you know when Whigham moved to the US? He and his father-in-law were at the center of American/UK cross currents about new approaches to both architecture and the rules (think: the newly formed USGA (late 1894) developed its own code which relied heavily, but not entirely, on the St Andrews code. The differences were a topic of discussion on the UK. Was Whigham involved on the US side?).


Bob

Bob,


I think I formatted the photo incorrectly.  Thanks for pointing that out.  Can you see the second half of the page now? 


Wasn’t there a Whigham who was a member of Royal Liverpool?  Macdonald seemed to play at Royal Liverpool whenever he visited Europe prior to starting Chicago Golf Club.

[Steven Wade]

This thread is old enough to join the army and just got its first reply! Impressive.


I was recently reading Wayne Morrison’s writings on the beginnings of Merion and it was mentioned that CBM and Whigham came down to Philadelphia to advise whether the land was suitable for building a golf course. It got me wondering too about whether Whigham was actually involved in any designs or perhaps there in the role of another strong player who might offer insights to shot value? I think the likeliest answer is that he was a son-in-law, friend, and probably a pretty good hang at a time when traveling wasn’t nearly as quick and easy as it is now. I’m basing this solely on the fact that when CBM got out of the game and started filtering work towards Raynor, Whigham is nowhere to be seen. One would think that if your son-in-law had studied under you and proven himself to be an important part of designs, MacDonald would have promoted an arrangement which saw Whigham designing and Raynor continuing to build.

[Tommy Williamsen]

This thread is old enough to join the army and just got its first reply! Impressive.

That is a really funny line.

[BCrosby]

Got it Bret. Thanks.

[Simon Barrington]

Jonas - It's just a small item, but Whigham and CBM were also involved in the early days at Exmoor, just North of Chicago.

Hi Brian,

I was fortunate to be a guest at Exmoor CC a few years ago, and by chance have their Centenary Book (1896-1996).

There is not mention of either CBM or Whigham being involved directly, but there is a passing reference that H.J.Tweedie (see below) who was involved:

    "...in creating a group that gathered in Belmont, IL. This group, which included a friend of the two Tweedies, C.B. Macdonald, formed the original Chicago Golf Club in 1892. H.J. served as a member of the executive committee. When Chicago Golf was moved to Wheaton, H.J. remained at the Belmont Golf Club, then moved to Exmoor in 1896. He went on to launch an astonishing number of golf courses until his untimely death on July 9, 1906. Besides Exmoor, Tweedie laid out Belmont GC, Bryn Mawr, Flossmoor, Glen View, La Grange, Midlothian, and Park Ridge, among others"

Perhaps the original Chicago Golf (Belmont) Group included Whigham too (but he is not mentioned in the Exmoor book)?
(Edit: Having re-read replies above if Whigham was indeed a Royal Liverpool Member, then very likely involved in the Belmont Group?)

Exmoor's first course was laid out by then Pro H. J. Tweedie, who was the son of the first Secretary at Royal Liverpool GC in 1869, James Tweedie, and had come with his brother to the US in 1887.

Then remodelled by Donald Ross in 1914.
Interestingly there is reference in the book to the Club asking H.S. Colt for his views in 1913, but nothing is known what became of that enquiry.

Hope that helps
Cheers

[Bret Lawrence]

I’m not sure if this is saying Whigham was a member of Royal Liverpool or not, but Tweedie does seem to include him in this tribute to Hoylake after Joe Lloyd won the 1897 US Open.





C.B. Macdonald mentioned both Messrs. Walter and Charles Whigham in his 1912 writing about National Golf Links of America.  I have seen Walter Whigham tied to Royal St. George’s in one article.

[Brian Finn]

Jonas - It's just a small item, but Whigham and CBM were also involved in the early days at Exmoor, just North of Chicago.

Hi Brian,

I was fortunate to be a guest at Exmoor CC a few years ago, and by chance have their Centenary Book (1896-1996).

There is not mention of either CBM or Whigham being involved directly, but there is a passing reference that H.J.Tweedie (see below) who was involved:

    "...in creating a group that gathered in Belmont, IL. This group, which included a friend of the two Tweedies, C.B. Macdonald, formed the original Chicago Golf Club in 1892. H.J. served as a member of the executive committee. When Chicago Golf was moved to Wheaton, H.J. remained at the Belmont Golf Club, then moved to Exmoor in 1896. He went on to launch an astonishing number of golf courses until his untimely death on July 9, 1906. Besides Exmoor, Tweedie laid out Belmont GC, Bryn Mawr, Flossmoor, Glen View, La Grange, Midlothian, and Park Ridge, among others"

Perhaps the original Chicago Golf (Belmont) Group included Whigham too (but he is not mentioned in the Exmoor book)?
(Edit: Having re-read replies above if Whigham was indeed a Royal Liverpool Member, then very likely involved in the Belmont Group?)

Exmoor's first course was laid out by then Pro H. J. Tweedie, who was the son of the first Secretary at Royal Liverpool GC in 1869, James Tweedie, and had come with his brother to the US in 1887.

Then remodelled by Donald Ross in 1914.
Interestingly there is reference in the book to the Club asking H.S. Colt for his views in 1913, but nothing is known what became of that enquiry.

Hope that helps
Cheers

It's very possible I am mixing up Whigham and Tweedie, but a quick search of the gca archives (Exmoor Whigham) suggests I may not be.  A few potentially relevant posts come out of that search, with this (reply #2476) being a particularly interesting one.

The Creation of NGLA in Chronological, Contemporaneous News Articles

FWIW, the passage also addresses some of what Steven Wade was wondering about Whigham's level of involvement in course design. 

Additionally, when I played there a few years back with David Schmidt (a long time contributor to gca), he gave me a pretty detailed tour and history of the club, which most certainly mentioned CB MacDonald, and I thought, Whigham.  But, I did have quite a few Schlitz after that, so who knows. 

[Dan Moore]

H.J. Whigham, a Scot, grew up playing at Prestwick where his father DD Whigham was a member. DD was a contemporary of Macdonald’s at St Andrews.


There is a new deeply researched Exmoor history book available. I wouldn’t rely on the older one.


The current routing of the course (as later revised by Dick Nugent) was put in place in 1909 by Stewart Gardner their professional. That wiped out earlier versions that involved CBM and Tweedie.

[Bret Lawrence]

Here is a link to H.J. Whigham’s 1897 book: “How to Play Golf”
(For anyone interested)

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hn5qc2&seq=1


An article discussing the hopes that Macdonald and Whigham would visit Town & Country in 1897 to offer suggestions for their golf course. Foulis is also mentioned::




H.J. Whigham was the Chairman of the Greens committee at NGLA in 1927 and likely held that position at many of the courses he was involved with.  He was one of three members (Macdonald being the chairman) on the Piping Rock Golf Construction committee in 1922.  Whigham was also listed as an honorary member at Garden City Golf Club in 1920.


The Garden City Golf Club, Club Book for 1920:



This Piping Rock listing for Macdonald may come as a surprise to some readers who have been disillusioned by previous writings.  Macdonald was still on board at Piping Rock in 1922 and very much in control with what was happening to the golf course.  Macdonald was one of two honorary members and the Chairman of the Golf Construction committee.  After Piping Rock, he designed several  courses for members of Piping Rock including Ocean Links, The Creek, Brookville, and others. The myth that Macdonald didn’t get along with Piping Rock doesn’t seem to be factual.  In fact, when Macdonald or Raynor would bring superintendents or architects to see what a first-class course was supposed to look like, Piping Rock was always one of the stops on the tour.  Whigham and Macdonald are both listed on page 5, Macdonald’s honorary membership is listed on Page 33.


https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044098896665&seq=38


To follow up on the Macdonald quote from his book, it’s important to read his quote to the end.:


“In 1911, Roger Winthrop, Frank Crocker, Clarence Mackay and other Locust Valley friends wished me to build the Piping Rock Golf Club course.  I found they wanted a hunt club as well as a golf-club.  Some of the leading promoters thought golf ephemeral and hunting eternal.  Consequently, I had my troubles.  The first nine holes were sacrificed to a race-track and polo fields.  However, all’s well that ends well, for to-day golf is King and Queen in Locust Valley.”  I employed Raynor on this job. It would have been difficult to accomplish it without him.  There was too much work and too much interference.”


All’s well that ends well is the line that sticks out to me.  In the end Macdonald was satisfied that golf won the day at Piping Rock and Clarence Mackay (one of the Piping Rock founders) had asked him to build the Creek on his property.  Golf was King because of those two courses and the Queen of Locust Valley was Women’s National.

[Sven Nilsen]

The only other course where I've seen his name associated is Morris County where he advised on the lengthening and perfection of the course along with W. Weir, T. Bendelow, W. Davis, H. Way, CBM and W. G. Stewart around 1897/98.

[Niall C]

Here's a couple of notes taken from Golf


"Mr DD Whigham is a father of a large family, nearly every member of which is a distinguished golfer. Mr Whigham himself was well up in manhood before he deserted cricket for golf, and though perhaps he never quite reached the first flight, his golfing position and abilities are sufficiently well attested by the fact that he has been captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, and also of the Prestwick club.


Mr Whigham's eldest son, is a first rate golfer. He is at present on special service in the Sudan, and was through the fight at Atbarra. Mr HJ Whigham, the second brother, is the one who has come most prominently before the public. He is amateur golf champion of America, and is at present at the seat of war in the West Indies, in pursuit of information for the Chicago Tribune, for which paper he is war correspondent. He has had some thrilling adventures, through all of which he has come safely, and should he reproduce his experience in book form, the work would excite even greater interest than his book on How to Play Golf, which has been so successful in America.


Three younger sons are all in the first class, two of these, Charles and Walter, played this year in Amateur Championship at Hoylake, and gave a good account of themselves the younger one, Walter, was in the last eight, and was only beaten by Mr JL Low at the last hole.


Mr Whigham's daughters are no less successful than their brothers in their pursuit of golf, and although they are adverse to entering into public competitions, there can be no doubt that they could hold their own successfully with any lady players of the day. As evidence of her powers, Miss Whigham lately played Mr Ted Blackwell over the Prestwick course, receiving a half, and beat him by four holes!


Prestwick folk are rightly proud of the golfing powers of the Whigham family, all the members of which play the game so well and in accordance with the best golfing traditions."


From Golf, 22^nd July 1898

[Niall C]

The second note from Golf


“The Onwentsia course is situated at Lake Forest, a suburb of Chicago, and the club is one of the largest and wealthiest social organisations in the West. The soil is of clay, but the turf is good and springy, and the course has been laid out with excellent judgement.


H.J. Whigham, amateur champion in 1896 and 1897, is a member of the club, and the course has been developed under his experienced eye. The hazards are well arranged, and the “leveller” is virtually non-existent. The latest figures give the total length at 5,998 yards. Bogey is 82, and the record is 75, made by Jamie Anderson, in a wonderful streak of play.”


W.G. Van Tassel Sutphen, Golf 21^st April 1899

[Niall C]

After a bit of googling and looking up the history books I can safely say that HJ Whigham's family is a remarkable one.


His father, David Dundas Whigham (according to Wikipedia, so it must be true !) was born in 1832, was educated at Winchester and Oxford and played several cricket matches for the MCC. According to wikipedia after graduation he is admitted to the Faculty of Advocates but what it doesn't say is that he also went on to earn a living as a Wine Merchant with offices in Ayr and Edinburgh. He was Captain of Prestwick in 1872 and was also a member of HCEG where he was Captain in 1884 and 1885. At Prestwick it would appear that he was involved in helping to organise the Open as when Willie Park won the Open in 1866, DD Whigham arranged surety that the championship belt would be returned for the following years Open.


I don't know but I'd be very surprised if Whigham wasn't also a member of the R&A. Did he know or meet CBM when CBM was at St Andrews ? It's possible but they were of different generations with Whigham being 20 years older and with him living in Prestwick I'm not sure it's likely.


Of his offspring, the oldest son Robert Dundas Whigham, later General Sir Robert Dundas Whigham, saw service in the Sudan, the second Boer War and WWI before retiring in 1931 to live in Fife. The next son was Henry James Murray Whigham, or HJ Whigham who we know about.


After HJ Whigham came George Hay Whigham, the father of Margaret who would become the infamous Duchess of Argyll. George Hay Whigham was an engineer who became a millionaire as President of the Celenese Corporation. I presume he also played golf ?


Then there was Charles Frederick Whigham who would go on to be a director of Morgan, Grenfell Co. associate company of J.P. Morgan Co. Not sure how good a golfer he was.


The next son was Gilbert Campbell Whigham who according to his 1915 wedding certificate was an East India Merchant. He fought in WWI and by 1917 had reached the rank of Major. He would become the Assistant Managing Director of the Burma Oil company. He was a handy golfer, using home advantage to good effect to reach the semi-final of the British Amateur at Prestwick falling to the eventual winner John Ball Jnr.


The youngest son was Walter Kennedy Whigham who won the Prestwick club' Victoria Vase competition. He moved south and became chairman of Robert Fleming and Company, Merchant Bank, Deputy Chairman of the LNER (he had a locomotive named after him), High Sheriff of London and a member and I believe Captain of Royal St Georges. For good measure he also married into the Moet family and was a friend of Ian Fleming the author.


Of the daughters, Helen Maude Whigham (known as Molly) and Sibyl Harriet Whigham were the two star players. Molly being the more brilliant but erratic while Sibyl was the more accomplished player. I've read that one of them hit a gutta ball over 230 yards in competition but different sources credit each of them with achieving that feat. Certainly both reached the semi-final of the Ladies Championship in different years. Sibyl would marry a Captain in the Royal Navy while Molly married a successful Glasgow businessman.


Of the other two sisters, Ethel Jane Georgina Whigham married in to the Tennent brewing family while the remaining daughter Mary Adela Murray Whigham remained unmarried and appears to have had a long happy (?) and comfortable life living in Mayfair, London.


Not sure what all that tells you about HJ other than his family was well connected.


Niall


 

[BCrosby]

Niall - You are a marvel. Thanks.


My understanding is that CBM and HJ's father, David Dundas Whigham, were friends and that it was through that connection that CBM first brought HJ to America to promote the game. Am I off base on that?


A side note and further confirmation that it was a small world, Sir Walter G. Simpson (as in The Art of Golf) followed DD Whigham as the captain of the Honourable Company in 1886.


Bob