A Compilation of Routing Maps, Plans and Architectural Drawings

[MCirba]

Awesome report, Jim...thanks!

[Rick Shefchik]

Jim, Ralph Barton insisted to his dying day that he did the lion's share of the design work at Yale. I didn't think he was able to persuade many people of his authorship, but maybe that wasn't the case back in 1928, as the story says he's "known throughout New England for his work in designing the Yale Golf Course." Too bad we'll never know where the reporter got that knowledge -- from others in the golf community, or from Barton himself.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Thanks guys, we had a good time up there.


Rick,
Hard to nail down his reasoning for the Yale claim. Was he telling the truth?, inflating his contributions?, padding his resume?, or figuring that no one would correct him as that could get pretty messy.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Lake Shore - Glencoe, Il. - 1911    the date in the caption is incorrect)

[Jim_Kennedy]

Hard to read, but I think the date was 1929 for this Olmsted/Ross plan.

[Jim_Kennedy]

      More Lake Shore - The golf course plan, topo of the property, and the irrigation plan.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Sorry, no date for this. The nine holes are at the top of the photo. It's now 18, and called Beverly Golf and Tennis Club.
Looks like many of the hole corridors were retained for the 18 hole course, when comparing it to a modern map.

[Sven Nilsen]

Jim:


The course dates from around 1914 and was laid out by "J. Ellis."  Looks like 9 more holes were added around 1926.


One of a number of "factory courses," where a golf course was built for the enjoyment of the workers.  McGregor GC in Dayton, OH was another.


Sven

[Jim_Kennedy]

Sven,
In a reply on the "George Wright" thread Brad Tufts said that the 18 hole version was a Stiles course.
That would be the 1926 course?

[Anthony Gholz]

[Jim_Kennedy]

Said to be the first muni west of Chicago.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Course layout & irrigation plan for Park Hill GC in Denver. The course is still there but it's been rearranged. 

[Jim_Kennedy]

The Kahkwa Club, Erie Pa.    Donald Ross' map of the first nine holes he built in 1917 which is now the back nine. Ross later built the present day front nine.  From the club's site.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Cleveland Heights - Wm. Flynn




...and
http://floridahistoricgolftrail.com/courses/

[Sven Nilsen]

More of a mystery post.  The following photo of the unveiling of the plans for a course in Massachusetts was taken from the digitalcommonwealth.com archives.


Any guesses as to the course?

[Sven Nilsen]

Not sure if this has been posted or not.

French Lick Springs - Chicago Daily Tribune March 31, 1918

[Sven Nilsen]

Sven,
In a reply on the "George Wright" thread Brad Tufts said that the 18 hole version was a Stiles course.
That would be the 1926 course?

Jim:


I haven't seen anything that links Stiles and/or Van Kleek to this course.  Its not listed on the Stiles Society page and I'm pretty sure its not in the book either.


Would be interested in seeing whatever information Brad has on this.


Sven

[Jim_Kennedy]

[Bret Lawrence]

From the Buffalo Evening News-May 3, 1924:
Stanley Thompson's layout for Erie Downs Golf and Country Club.
Today, the course is known as Bridgewater Country Club in Fort Erie, Ontario.

[BCrosby]

I don't think I've ever seen a routing with so many features jammed together in such a small area.


I assume that spot is at the crest of a hill. Would love to see a topo.


Bob

[Anthony Gholz]

From the Detroit Free Press January 22, 1911


This is Detroit Golf Club's second course on land north of Six Mile Road and west of Woodward.  Their original course was just south of this course and south of Six Mile at the corner of Woodward Avenue.  That course was 9-holes and most likely the 1900 work of Tom Bendelow for Spalding.  DGC's two Donald Ross courses encompass the land shown west of hamilton with the addition of several acres to the north of this course to Seven Mile.  For those familiar with Detroit's relatively flat topography and mile road system, there is one mile between Six and Seven Mile Roads.  An observation that this is a very long course at 6212 for 1911.


Tony

[Sven Nilsen]

Anthony:


Bendelow didn't make the move and start with Spalding until Dec. of 1900, and anything prior to that date in the midwest is suspect.  Most of his work up until then was in the Northeast, and I don't have any verifiable sources that put him further west than Pennsylvania prior to his move to Chicago.


I don't think the original 9 hole course was his work.  I'm also curious as to when the course was extended to 18 holes, as the 1901 Harper's Guide notes an 18 hole 5,992 yard course.


In 1911 Barker added a new bunker scheme prior to the Western Amateur.  I'm not sure if this map is pre- or post- the Barker work.


Sven

[BCrosby]

I don't mean to be dense, but is the map shown above a Ross routing?

Sven -

Interesting about Barker in the Chicago area in 1911. He got around. I think he was the pro at the time at the Roebuck GC in Birmingham, AL. He was doing a lot of design work with George Adair in the southeast from and after 1910. They rerouted East Lake to its current lay-out in 1912.e in 1912.

Bob 

[Anthony Gholz]

Sven: [size=78%]I'll find John King's (DGC Historian) drawing for the first course and let that stand on its own.  I agree with your TB and Spalding comments, however, an early club history makes the reference and claim to Bendelow with another person whose name I can't recall right now.  The King drawing has both names on it. Bendelow was in Saginaw, Michigan in 1898 or '99 so he knew how to get that far.  DGC was founded in December of 1899, but the first course was not in construction until late 1900.[/size]


Bob:  No, this not the one of the Ross courses although the area of the course west of Hamilton is part of today's Ross layouts.  This course was designed and supervised by Bert Way.  Whitten says 1905 and I'm working to confirm that date. No part of the Ross layout follows this course.


Please keep the comments and questions coming.  There is still a lot to learn about TB in Michigan.
[/size][size=78%]Tony[/size]

[Sven Nilsen]

Anthony:


The certainly non-contemporaneous 1939 club history notes Bendelow being assisted by Frank Thompson on the first course.  It is possible, but doesn't jive with what we know about TB.


As for Saginaw, what's your source for 1898?  He was definitely there in 1902, but I have not seen anything that confirms anything earlier than that.


For the 1905 work, the club had leased 155 acres adjoining Palmer Park in late 1904 with plans for a new 18 hole course.


Sven