Trenton Country Club

[wsmorrison]

Please help me with the architectural history of Trenton Country Club.  A good friend of mine is interviewing for a job and would like to know about the course history.  Does anyone know the original architect and/or subsequent work that was done on the course?  The date for founding the club is given as 1897 but I'm not sure when golf first started.  Thank you in advance.

[George_Bahto]

Wayne - I was there a year and a half or so ago to see if it was a course Banks built - originally called Crossing CC (Cliff Wedehack, the Clubhouse Archirtect) and it was just about at the Trenton CC site but there was no evidence of his work there at all  ..........  I think the Crossing CC went down in the flames of the Great (? great ?) Depression.   (why do they call it that?)

the course seemed a little shortish but I only went thru the froint nine and left

[wsmorrison]

Thanks, George.  So you think the Crossing CC had nothing to do with Trenton CC?  I believe there may have been some redesign work in 1919.  

[Joel_Stewart]

Wayne:

I've played Trenton many times although never really looked into the history.  They have a good fun membership there, some fairly good players and just so-so facilities.   The course can be fun when its firm and fast.

If you want the name and number of a very very good freind who is a long time member and knows everything about the club then send me an email.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Wayne

The was an article about Trenton CC in Philadelphia Golfer or Philadelphia Golf Magazine within the last year.I have been unable to find this article online. The club's website and GAP's website have nothing on the golf architect.

Steve

[wsmorrison]

Thanks, Steve.  I'll try and track down the article.  If you find it, please let me know.

[Mike_Cirba]

Wayne,

My understanding is that after some extensive research by the club, they have been unable to find out who the original architect was, nor much else.

I suspect it was a group of original members, as was often the case in the late 1800's.  

[wsmorrison]

Thanks, Mike.  They don't seem to have any information on subsequent work either.  Craig has not investigated the area for photographs but will do so after he returns from the Buda Cup.

How common is it for early clubs that are still in existence and have  redesign or expansion work over the years to not have any information whatsoever?  I've seen clubs with wrong information but cannot say I've ever come across a club with no history whatsoever.

[Mike_Cirba]

How common is it for early clubs that are still in existence and have  redesign or expansion work over the years to not have any information whatsoever?  I've seen clubs with wrong information but cannot say I've ever come across a club with no history whatsoever.

Wayne,

I've seen that happen when a clubhouse fire has destroyed historical records, but even then, usually someone from the club has used alternative means (old news accounts on microfiche, etc.) to research early accounts.  Often the people involved in these early clubs were the most prominent in their communities, so there is usually something in the press reports.   However, as "architecture" wasn't really a known profession at the time, sometimes those reports don't really point out specifics about who laid out the course, and other times you get lucky.

For instance, even in 1927 when Karakung at Cobb's Creek opened, the news accounts of the brand new course (and it was a substantive article) don't mention a thing about who might have designed it.