Travis List from Travis Society (with questions answered by Ed Homsey)

[Paul Stephenson]

Is Ormond Golf Club NLE?

[Ed Homsey]

Mike--

Thanks for sticking with this.  I will copy your message for our Mount Pocono file.  You've been the only one who has provided any assistance with this question--a question that was first raised by Bob Labbance by a brief item he found in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  We've paid money for local historians to search out information regarding the course, to no avail, and our President has travelled there and done searching to no avail.  Your conclusions are respected and appreciated.

re the Ormand Golf Club question.  We do not have any information beyond a report that some changes were made to the course in response to suggestions by Travis.  The course may not be in existence.  If anyone has information about the current status of Ormand Golf Club, the Travis Society would welcome it.

[Ed Homsey]

I should have pointed out in my previous posting that the Travis golf course project list posted a little over a year ago has changed.  The Travis Society's 2009 Directory of Walter J. Travis Golf Course Projects has several changes, including new entries and updated dates.  Many hours were spent scouring our files, as well as the files that Bob Labbance turned over to us, for correct information about Travis golf course projects.  In the 2009 directory, we identify those entries whose documentation is weak. 

[Mike_Cirba]

I see there was also the mention some time ago on this thread regarding what documentation existed re: Walter Travis at Pinehurst.

In case anyone missed it, I'll repost from a thread I started a few months back....


A March 11th, 1911 Philadelphia Press article titled "30 Quakers Tramp Pinehurst Links - Philadelphians Help Swell Army of Golf Enthusiasts at Southern Resort to 800" was but a sample of the type of ongoing enthusiasm and consistent support for the "winter tour" among the well-to-do golfing enthusiasts of the city.

From the article;

"The number of Philadelphians who come here yearly is increasing steadily as there is no place in the South which compares to Pinehurst when it comes to golf.  At one of the hotels there are more than 400 golfers quartered and it is safe to say that oever the three courses more than 800 golfers may be found any bright day."

"The Spring tournament, which ended today, was responsible for the second largest entry list in the history of golf.   The entries numbered 241 and this was beaten in only one tournament - the Transmississippi at Denver a few years ago.   Here, 228 actually played, which is a new record.  This is remarkable in view of the fact that the weather was down to freezing and a stiff gale blew across the course."

"There are three distinct, great eighteen-hole courses here, which is true of no other place in the world except the R&A Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland.   A fourth has been staked out and will be in readiness next Spring.   The most famous of these courses is the No. 2 course, laid out by Donald Ross and Walter J. Travis.  They did not plan it together, but each coincided with the other's suggestions.   The only change suggested by Travis and which was adopted was the omissions of cross bunkers.   The ground is rolling and the grass on the fairway is Bermuda grass, the only kind that is possible in most golf resorts in the South."

"The putting greens are of clay foundation and covered with sand.   The greens are flat and as there are no worm casts, perfect putting is always possible.   The greens are watered for a radius of a few feet from the hole and men are employed to do nothing else but water the greens and drag a roll of carpet over them to remove all traces of heel marks."

While this article and architectural attributions are noteworthy to point out the popularity of Pinehurst during these early years, it doesnt speak necessarily to the architectural sophistication that was found there.

However, the following article from the May 1912 American Golfer does;

"After one of the most unprofitable—from a golfer's point of view—winter, Philadelphia extended a warm greeting to spring. It has been years since the links of the Quaker City have been so unplayable as the period from Christmas until the latter part of March.  An occasional day was the only respite from weeks of the worst possible sort of weather."

"One thing will be noted by visitors from other cities whether they play over such excellent eighteen hole courses as Huntingdon Valley and the Philadelphia Cricket Clubs as representing the larger organizations or the two dozen or more courses of nine holes and that is the growing tendency to improve in a more scientific manner the courses around Philadelphia. "

"Time was when changes were made in a sort of a hit or miss manner. Today every trap or pit that is constructed means something definite and with it all has come the scientific construction of bunkers and hazards.  Time was when the green committee built courses on a broad principle of the greatest good to the greatest number and as the greatest number in every golfing organization is the dub or indifferent player, the really good player suffered.  As the chairman of the green committee of one of the largest courses recently expressed himself: "A few years ago we used to post the changes proposed. This met with so much opposition that we were forced to take a couple of days in the week when we were sure that the bulk of the players would not be on the course and then we started to construct a course that would help the good player and do no great injury to the poor player.  Nowadays, fortunately, we are able to make changes without feeling that we would be subjected to the severest sort of criticism.""

"There is no doubt that the Southern courses have done wonders for golfing conditions around Philadelphia.  It is not so many years ago that very few players took two weeks off in mid winter to play golf in the south.   Where one player went South five years ago, twenty go now.  Pinehurst, in particular has worked wonders. Hundreds of men who have always played a rather indifferent game have gone to Pinehurst and have been confronted with golf courses constructed on scientific principles where traps and pits have been placed in spots because good golf demanded their presence there."

"The result has been that the indifferent, careless player found that every shot he made demanded study and care and the golf there brought out the best in him. When he got back to the home heath he began to realize that one of the reasons he had not been playing better golf was because his own course was constructed on rather slip shod lines, on the one hand, or built on lines to suit him and scores of other players who insisted that the course should not be made any harder than it was. He realized for the first time that his wild shots were not penalized, that many of his approaches should have been punished but were not. The realizing sense finally came to him that he had not been playing golf but had simply used the paraphernalia of the game in a very bungling fashion."

"As a direct result scores of the indifferent players who have received their real golf education in the south have gone to the green committees and frankly and freely confessed that their theories were all wrong and asked them to stiffen the course. They now realize that it is impossible to play good golf over an inferior course and that a good course does not hamper their game but actually helps it."

"At any event, the golfing renaissance in Philadelphia has actually begun and before many years we shall have courses which are a credit to us and not a mark of good natured chaffing of others who  know what constitutes a good course."  - "Far and Sure" - May 1912

[Mike_Cirba]

Ed/Ian,

Here's a bit more on Mount Pocono..

From November 1903




From July 1904

[Yannick Pilon]

Ian and Ed,

This thread must have slipped by my attention when it was first published last year,
but something immediatelly caught my attention this time regarding the Grand Mere course.

Your list seems to claim that the Grand Mere course was designed in 1910 by Travis himself,
while the course's website claims the course was "conceived" by Frederic de Peyster Townsend
and "completed"  by Walter Travis.  The Travis biography by Bob Labbance claims that he
consulted there at an undetermined date, but yet, there is not even a mention of this course
on the Travis Society's website.

Do you know what kind of evidence there is out there to confirm that he was indeed, responsible
for consulting, co-designing, or even designing this course?

I have heard interesting things about this place, but did not have the chance to see it yet.  And most
courses designed by famous golden age architects in Quebec have been altered beyond recognition,
so I am just wondering if there would be anything left from Travis on that course....

Thanks for any info.

YP

[Ed Homsey]

Mike--You have contributed valuable information to the Travis Society's file on Mount Pocono Golf and Country Club.  To have identified its location is a major achievement.  I appreciate your posting of the aerials and the newspaper clippings.  Those clipping are a great complement to the Philadelphia Inquirer 1904 news item found by Bob Labbance while he was doing research for a Philmont CC hundreth year anniversary book.  Bob's discovery was the first we'd heard of Mount Pocono GCC, and that was followed by a series of exchanges with you.

I also appreciate the documentation you present regarding Travis's involvement at Pinehurst and, particularly, with Pinehurst #2.  Our primary source of evidence that indicates Travis was involved with the #2 course comes from his Oct. 9, 1920 autobiographical article in The American Golfer.  I am not going to post the entire section on Pinehurst and Travis's relationship with Donald Ross, but would encourage those interested to look up the article on the USGA's Segl site.  In the article, Travis describes how he persuaded Mr. Tufts to toughen the #2 course.  He states that he "suggested that Donald Ross and I should go over the course together and, without conferring, each propose a separate plan".  Further, he states that "for some time I had been pouring into Donald's ears my ideas; in point of fact, I had urged him to take up the laying out of courses...".  He digressed to describe the "Willie Dunn system" that "called for compulsory carries for both tee and second shots", and pointed out the he was "an advocate of optional carries".  He implied that his thinking represented the "governing principle" in the bunkering of #2, with the exception of the 12th where he and Ross apparently differed in their view.  Travis concluded with the opinion that the "stiffening" up of #2 brought it to a high level of respect and popularity.  In his Travis biography, "The Old Man", Bob Labbance pointed out that both Ross and Tufts were alive at the time Travis wrote this article and that there is no evidence of any attempt to dispute Travis's statements.  In other sources, there is evidence that Ross and Travis spent time together in Pinehurst.
 

[JMorgan]

Have you guys gone through the Travis papers at the USGA yet?  Great stuff.

[Ed Homsey]

Yannick--

Re your question about Grand'Mere in Quebec.  I can understand the confusion.  It is only recently that we have begun to clarify the role the Walter Travis played at Grand'Mere.
The most convincing evidence came within the past two weeks when a historian from the Golf Historical Society of Canada contacted the Travis Society for some images that he could use in an article he is writing in connection with the 100th anniversary of Grand'Mere.  He stated that he has seen the 14 hole maps drawn by Walter Travis.  He and I surmise that Travis used 4 of the holes that were already there, and done by Townsend. 

Other evidence consists of listings of courses that Travis used in a magazine ad and in two letters he wrote to clubs soliciting commissions to design their course.  In the magazine ad, Travis listed Grand'mere as a "remodeled" course; in the letters, he gave Grand'Mere as a reference to be used for his golf course design work.

The course listing that appears on the Travis Society webpage needs to be updated.  There are several entries missing and others that have incorrect dates or are in incorrect categories.  That's on my list of things to do.  Our current "2009 Directory of Walter J. Travis Golf Course Projects" lists Grand'Mere as an Original design.  We will probably rethink that next year after more information is gathered.  We're hoping to acquire copies of the hole maps held by Grand'Mere.  I do not recall what information we had when Bob Labbance included Grand'Mere in his list.  But, subsequent to that time, we dropped it from our list because we had no information about the course.  It wasn't until 2005 when we received an email from an individual who had been at Grand'Mere, played the course, and heard that Travis had played a part in the design.  That led to the discovery of their website, a contact with the Golf Historical Society of Canada, and the rest is history!

[Ed Homsey]

JP--

We've gone through it in detail and have copies of just about all of it.  Our good friend, Bob Labbance, was the first to get into it when he was doing research for the Travis biography, The Old Man.  Last June, he turned over all of his Travis files to us; less than two months before ALS took his life.  Bob had copied all of the Travis personal letters, in addition to other items from the Travis papers.  The remainder of it was copied by Rudy Zocchi, honorary member of our Executive Committee, who spent many days at Golf House gathering information for us.  You're absolutely right.  Those papers are a treasure trove of insight into Walter Travis.  It was a wonderful gesture on the part of Travis's grand-daughter to donate those papers to the USGA.

[Mike_Cirba]

re the Ormand Golf Club question.  We do not have any information beyond a report that some changes were made to the course in response to suggestions by Travis.  The course may not be in existence.  If anyone has information about the current status of Ormand Golf Club, the Travis Society would welcome it.

The former Ormond Golf Club is today's Oceanside Country Club, circa 1907, in Ormond.

I have seen articles where Travis played there in the first decade of last century, and I know the club just celebrated their 100th anniversay in 2007.

Here's from their history....I'm quite sure this is the course Travis played, and where he likely had input into their expansion and early evolution.

OCC History
 
The first club house stood near the freight depot on the mainland. The golf course was nearby. Some historical references indicate it to have been a 7-hole course, but most refer to it as a 9-hole course.

The course was built as an added attraction for winter guests and visitors to the then fabulous winter resort caravansary known as the Ormond Hotel, which was later to become the largest wooden structure in the world with 400 rooms and eleven miles of hallways, porches and breeze ways.

The hotel was first conceived by two extra­ordinary entrepreneurs, J. D. Price and John Anderson, who were to devote most of their remaining years to the development and manage­ment of this property, including that on which the Oceanside Country Club golf course exists today.

So conscious were they of the desirability of the area's location that they envisioned the need for a hotel property. Lacking funds to build one, they heard of a winter visitor who had come down sickly and returned North in good health. Better still, he was a wealthy man, Stephen VanCullen "Deacon" White, a New York Wall Street magnate.

Price and Anderson went up to see him and he not only fell in with their plans, but proposed building a railroad as well as a bridge across the Halifax . The nearest railroad was East Palatka . So he built his narrow gauge railroad, the St. John's and Halifax Railroad from there to Ormond. The hotel was completed and celebrated its opening January 1, 1888, with great ceremonies.

Concurrent with this activity Henry M. Flagler, one of John D. Rockefeller's first two partners in his oil wagon delivery business in Cleveland, that later became the Standard Oil Company, proceeded to use some of his oil company millions to build a railroad down the East Coast of Florida.

To provide destinations for his rail he conceived the idea of building resort hotels along his rail route and started with the Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine . It was completed in 1887.

Flagler saw the Ormond Hotel which opened the following year as a rival of his chain or an opportunity to fulfill his plan.

By then, White, the Wall Street magnate, could not obtain sufficient investment gains in the amount he desired and when Henry Flagler made him an offer, he accepted it.

The hotel's first golf course was a 9-hole affair across the Halifax River . It was there in 1904 that Harry Williams, the long-time course super­intendent and golf pro in the Daytona area, arrived. To reach the course from the hotel, one first had to be ferried over. Later there was walking space on the wooden bridge and eventually mule-drawn cars were used.

The 9-hole course was supplanted in 1907 when Harry Williams and George Merritt were assigned to build a new course between the hotel and the ocean. It was designed by P. F. Seabloom, a landscaper who had designed the landscaping for Flagler's posh mansion in Palm Beach , " Whitehall ", and also designed the Country Club of Palm Beach course for the Breakers Hotel and the Ponce de Leon course in St. Augustine .

In building the new course, Williams had to go to Baltimore to hire a trainload of laborers. The fare to bring them down was $278.00 for the trainload. Swinging grub hoes and axes, they tore out the rough palmettos and trainloads of Bermuda grass were brought in and planted by hand. The first nine holes were completed in 1907 and the second nine the following year. To hasten the course's preparation and have it in readiness for the upcoming winter season, laborers worked at night watering the fairways. There was no sprinkling system at that time, at least not automatic. That did not come for many years.

The course had square sand greens which were not as bad as one would imagine. They had a marl base and red sand top. They were soft, says Williams, almost as soft as grass.

The new 18 hole course became known as the Ormond Beach Golf Links since, for most of its length except for dunes and the second clubhouse, it was properly adjoining the sea.

One of the Ormond Hotel's early century visitors was Henry Flagler's partner, John D. Rockefeller. In 1914, Rockefeller, then known as the "world's richest man", and his entourage of forty, rented the entire West Wing consisting of twenty rooms, and here he lived for three winters until he bought the Reverend Huntington's home across Granada Avenue (now Boulevard) and named it the "Casements."

Rockefeller's presence provided the Ormond area with world-wide publicity, frequently enriched by photos of him passing out his famous dime tips. In the latter years he even gave them to celebrities with whom he chatted following an afternoon of golf. One who turned the tables on him was Will Rogers who some press agent arranged to have the pair pictured with Will Rogers presenting JDR with a dime.

One of his greatest dedications was his love for the game of golf which he played even in his 90s. When one saw a crowd on the course, one could be sure it was a retinue of acquaintances and others who were following him around the course. Usually beside him was a little caddy boy to hold his oversized umbrella to shield him from the sun and rain.

His many Ormond guests included such notables as Harvey Firestone, President Harding, the Prince of Wales and among those who joined him in post-game chats were Marion Tally and Galli-Curci.

On another occasion, in 1923, a group of prominent Americans were guests aboard Mr. Ned McLean's yacht. McLean was the multi-millionaire whose wife once owned the Hope Diamond. Among the guests were President Harding, Senator Freylinghausen of New Jersey , Senator Fred Hall of Miami, Albert D. Lasker, Judge John Barton Payne, Charles G. Dawes, Director of the Budget and later Vice-President under Coolidge.

In 1918 Flagler's Palm Beach Hotel, The Breakers, sponsored the Championship of Palm Beach Tournament, later renamed the Women's Championship of Florida. So successful did this tournament become that Ray McCarthy Public Relations Agency was hired by the F.E.C. Hotels Organization to stimulate interest among winter visitors by expanding the idea and introducing it in the Flagler Hotels in Ormond Beach and St. Augustine . The Florida East Coast Championship was the name given to the St. Augustine tournament and the Women's South Atlantic to the Ormond Beach meet.

The three tournaments were run a week apart starting in Palm Beach and moving up the coast to Ormond Beach and then St. Augustine . It might be said that these three were the Florida Winter Orange Blossom Circuit of the 20s, a fore-runner of today's four Orange Blossom Tournaments starting with Harder Hall in Sebring, the South Atlantic here, the Doherty Challenge Cup in Fort Lauderdale and the International Four-Ball in Hollywood .

The Breakers discontinued the Palm Beach event in 1936 and when the Ponce de Leon Hotel was sold to a select girls' school, the St. Augustine Championship was also discontinued.

Ormond Beach support and respect for the SALLY is indicated by the continued sponsorship from 1926 and even through several changes of owner­ship of the course starting in 1948 when the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce, backed by the Ormond Beach Golf Association, induced F.E.C. officials to keep the golf course open through­out the year. The OBGA agreed to pay $1,000.00 per month to offset maintenance expenditures.

In 1949, Robert Woodward, formerly of the Peabody Hotel, Memphis , purchased the Ormond Hotel and golf course from the F.E.C. Hotel System bringing his hotel management institute here, but discontinued the school in 1950. He sold the golf course in 1951 to Merrill Ellinor. Ellinor made extensive improvements in the golf layout and renamed the course Ellinor Village Country Club. Through each of these changes the new owners continued the South Atlantic Championship as a major winter attraction.

In 1962, Ellinor sold the golf club and property to the newly-formed Oceanside Country Club Corporation. It was timely in 1976 that the new clubhouse should represent, not only the fifty years of SALLY history, but the long step from one room one-storey clubhouse near the freight depot on the mainland where it all began.

Oceanside Golf and Country Club became a reality on May 1, 1963, when the purchase of land and facilities was completed. The purchase price was $971,235.00 and the strategic plan was to sell off various parcels of land to cover the purchase cost. 2,000 feet of land on Granada was appraised at $600,000.00 and the initial parcel was sold in 1964 for $60,000.00, 200 feet to accommodate a professional building. Club membership numbered 389 in May, 1964.

The first club party was a Luau in August, 1963. Vince Minnelli and his South Sea Islanders played for dancing. The Lester Lanin "high society" orchestra played at the October, 1963 club party.

Twenty electric carts were included in the original purchase (not all operating). Spare parts from 12 other unusable carts were utilized to keep the "fleet" operating. Twenty four new Paugh carts were promptly purchased at $600.00 each. Substantial work was done to the course and club­house to improve conditions, almost everything required repair or replacement.

During 1964 the new club sold 1,450 feet frontage on Granada for $445,000.00 and the golf course was redesigned during 1965 to accommodate the Granada land sale and to permit both the front and back nines to begin and end at the clubhouse.

1970 was a busy year at Oceanside . Golf course conditions were improved with the addition of labor-saving equipment and installation of additional irrigation systems. A significant improvement was the addition of four new tennis courts to accommodate the Oceanside growing membership. On January, 1971, the club had 637 members.

During 1975 our present clubhouse was constructed and in 1976 the club sold two tracts of land on Granada - 200 feet where Sun Bank is now located and 312 feet where Food Lion now operates. The $668,304.00 realized from the sale was used to retire an existing mortgage and the balance placed in a restricted fund. The new clubhouse marked a "new era" in Oceanside history.

Many things happened over a short period of time at Oceanside . Many members were involved, especially the "Hermit" Club men's group. The "Hermit" Club provided enthusiasm and guidance for many improvements over the years, including the "south" practice green we all enjoy today.

In the late 70s and early 80s the club began to experience serious problems with salt water intrusion in our existing wells; even new wells did not solve the problem. During 1980 we received information from the city of Ormond Beach that relief from salt water intrusion may be in our future when plans are finalized to use effluent water from the city. During this period some golf course lakes were deepened and addition­al wells added. It was not until 1991 when we began receiving effluent water from the city of Ormond Beach that the course began to change for the better.

Mother Nature dealt Oceanside two bad blows in 1983 - a tornado and a deep freeze; however, the rain was helpful and the course conditions improved. Many members contributed time and funds to repair the damages.

In 1987 and 1988 our present clubhouse was completely renovated providing outstanding facilities for our members, new ballroom area new dining room, new ladies' and men's locker rooms, new Mixed Grille, everything improved.

Our golf course was completely renovated in 1993, mainly to improve drainage. In order to secure fill to solve drainage problems all existing lakes were made larger and deeper with the removed dirt used to raise course playing areas to facilitate drainage.

It is interesting to note that the highest land areas at Oceanside are 17 feet above sea level and the lake levels are 8 feet above sea level. A great deal of designing was necessary to solve the many problems with 9 feet of "fall" over 80 acres to work with. A new computer control irrigation system, as well as new tees and greens, were also accomplished. A new longer driving range was completed as well as an improved practice area. An attractive berm was also created along A1A south of Neptune to create a separation between holes 2 and 3 and the ever-busy A1A.

The New Millennium finds Oceanside better than it has ever been. Membership continues to grow and the facilities are being continuously improved. We have recently expanded the Tennis Courts and refurbished the pool area in the Spring. In addition, there as been added emphasis on developing programs for the children and grandchildren of members.

The SALLY continues to field contestants from all over the world including a large European contingent. With some architectural changes in the Golf course, the SALLY Girls are treated to quite the challenge - but in the end the usual windy weather crops up to provide the biggest challenge of all. When all is said and done, the whole event is a wonderful success.

 

[Ed Homsey]

To Mike Cirba re Ormond:  thanks, Mike, for that information.  Your speculation about the Oceanside Country Club being the "Ormand" linked to Travis makes sense.

To David Cronan:  Re your question about the link between Walter Travis and Fredric Law Olmsted at Louisville CC.  The Travis Society has a ton of information about Louisville CC, from many sources, including a current Louisville CC who is immersed in the history of the club, as well as extensive Travis correspondence about Louisville.  In none of our information is there any mention of Frederic Law Olmsted.  I can assure you that is there were any hint of such a connection, my ears would have perked up.  I'm always looking for such connections.  It would have bee a great story had there been such a collaboration, but there is no evidence of such.  Thanks for bringing it up.  Nice to hear of Olmsted's involvement in Louisville.

Ed Homsey, Archivist, Travis Society

[Tom MacWood]

I recently found this in the NY Sun.

[Ronald Montesano]

Crikey, lads...the joint masterpiece!  Now that's something worth going through the archives for!