TEPaul has treated us to quite a lot of misinformation about what happened at Shinnecock those first few years. As I come across additional accurate information, I'd like to continue to set the record straight. As I do so, I will try to leave Mr. Goddard's book (or whatever it is) out of it as best I can. While I haven't read the work, I have no doubt it is well researched and well written and worthy of careful consideration, and I hope nothing I have written or will write is viewed as an attack on Mr. Goddard or his work. That is not my intention at all. As I have said, I seriously doubt that much of what TEPaul has claimed is actually even in the Goddard book. More likely that TEPaul is just trying to draw conclusions from the material that reasonable researchers wouldn't necessarily draw, and then disingenuously hiding behind Goddard to try and sell us his unsupportable claims. At least this has been his practice on other matters.
TEPaul has repeatedly claimed that Willie Dunn has been proven to have taken credit for a number of courses he did not lay out. His "proof" for this claim is apparently a reference in Goddard's book to a letter written by W.F. Davis to the editor of Golf magazine, wherein Davis sets the record straight after Dunn supposedly claimed to have designed Newport. I don't know whether Willie Dunn ever took credit for laying out Newport, but I have been unable to find where he had done so. That said, I have found the Davis letter which Goddard apparently mentioned, as well as the letter to which Davis was responding. Both appeared in the British publication called Golf in the fall of 1893.
But contrary to TEPaul's claim, while there was a letter stating that Dunn designed Newport along with a number of other American courses, it was not written by Willie Dunn, at least not according to the signature. The letter was written by R.E. Cherrill, of 51 East 23th St., New York. From what I can figure out, Mr. Cherrill was British by birth and was a journalist who had been married to a famous actress and went through a nasty divorce and custody battle suitable for today's tabloids. Reportedly, he had also been the drama critic for one of the morning papers, and judging by the letter he had a flair for dramatic. The following is my transcription of the letter from Golf in November 1893 [NOTE: I HAND COPIED BOTH LETTERS SO IT IS POSSIBLE THERE MAY BE MINOR ERRORS]
Sirs --Willie Dunn, well-known in Scotland and Biarritz, has just completed a visit of five months in the United States, and with characteristic energy and pluck has been showing the Yankees a thing or two in Golf, besides accumulating, I hope, a large amount of American dollars for use in England during the winter. When Dunn arrived in America he found three clubs in existence, and when he left there were over forty clubs, all practicing the game hard, and full of enthusiasm. Newport is the golf headquarters of America, and there Dunn was warmly welcomed. He laid out a fine new course for the Newport Golf Club, and inaugurated its completion by playing a game for the Championship of America against William Davis, the Champion of Canada. Dunn easily defeated his opponent, winning by 6 holes. To show the interest taken in the event, I may state that Dunn, instead of having a “laddie” to carry his clubs, was honoured by the attendance of two well known millionaires, who stuck to him all through a heavy thunder and rain storm, and landed him a triumphant and happy victor.
Dunn has laid out courses for Bayard Cutting at Oakdale, Long Island, for W. K. Vanderbilt, at Newport, for Mr. F. Gebhardt at Trixedo, for Sidney Dillon Ripley and the Meadow Brook Club at Hempstead, Long Island, for Mr. W. Mc K. Twombley at New Jersey, and at several other places. At Shinnecock Hill, Long Island, there is a very fine undulating course of two and a-half miles.
The game has become a very fashionable one in America, and many ladies have become experts under the able tuition of Dunn, who has performed wonders for the game in America. He will return to America again next May, and will then play a series of matches. The prospects for Golf are very bright all over the United States.
I am Sir &c., R.E. Cherrill, 51 East 23rd Street, NY, Oct 5th [1893.]
Undoubtedly there is some question about whether Cherrill was shilling for Dunn, or whether he is just an overzealous yet confused journalist. Surely the letter is not enough to indict Dunn as the "world's biggest liar" as TEPaul ironically has. What I find most interesting about the letter are the other courses mentioned and the mention of Shinnecock. One could easily read the letter as indicating that Dunn laid out Shinnecock, but Cherrill skirts the issue and leaves it a bit ambiguous. Given that whatever work Dunn did at Shinnecock was done over the original Davis none, his treatment was probably more honest than not.
Anyway, about a month or so later, Davis responded to set the record straight.
Sir --In your issue of November 10th, there appears to be a letter under the above head, signed by “R.E. Cherrill,” New York. As the statements made therein are very misleading and unjust to myself, I feel in duty bound to explain the situation through your valuable paper.
The idea of starting a Golf Club in Newport, R.I., was first suggested by Mr. Lorilard Spencer, and Mr. H. Mortimer Brooks, one year ago. Mr. Spencer wrote to me about the game, and requested that I should come to Newport and look, for suitable ground for a links. I came to Newport November 10th, 1892, and in company of several gentlemen, looked over all available ground, finally selecting a place on Brentin’s Point, about three-and-a-half miles from Newport, on the shores of the Atlantic. The club was organized on January 12th, 1893. Mr. Theo. A. Havemeyer was elected president, Mr. R Goelet, vice president, Mr. R. J. Gammell, secretary, and Mr. Lorillard Spencer, treasurer. At the same meeting I was engaged as club-maker and instructor, and entered on my duties on March 1st following. I laid out a course of nine holes, and the club opened on June 15th. There were four handsome cups competed for during the summer and much interest taken in the game. To show that my services have been appreciated by the members they have already engaged me for another year, form March 1st next, with a substantial increase to my salary. Before coming to Newport I was engaged with the Royal Montreal Golf Club, Canada; to which club I went out from Hoylake, in 1881. There was never any game played for the championship of Canada; consequently I have no claim to that title. The first heard of W. Dunn in Newport was a letter received by a member asking if they wanted a man to lay out links, and supply clubs and balls. Dunn was then engaged by the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. The letter was handed to me, and I wrote him for his prices, offering to give him what I could. He came on a visit to Newport, July 26th, and the club subscribed a purse of $80 to be divided, to play an exhibition game. Dunn declined to play the first day, which was fine; the second day was a rough stormy day, and Dunn found that he must go home that night, so we played the game, with four gentlemen and one lady for spectators. Dunn won the first three holes then held them to the end of the first round, and finally won by 5 and 3 to play. We than ran home, out of the rain. The caddies refused to go more than one round, and two of the members kindly carried or clubs for the remainder of the match. Scores; Dunn -Out, 5 4 4 5 8 5 4 4 6 = 45; in, 6 4 4 5 7 4=30; total 75. Davis – Out; 6 5 5 3 5 5 6 6 = 46; in, 7 5 6 4 5; total 79. I may mention that Dunn is the first professional I have seen in twelve years, and that my time is so taken up in workshop and giving lessons that I have no time to practise the game. As for the statement that Dunn found three clubs in existence and left forty, it is a false statement.
The Newport Club have purchased a fine property and intend putting up a handsome club-house for next season, particulars of which I will send when plans are complete. Trusting you will find room for this in your valuable paper, I am
Sir, &c. W.F. Davis (Professional, Newport Golf Club). Newport R.I, November 26th.
From what I can tell, the letter by Davis is accurate. The only slightly misleading portion may have been his excuses for not being on the top of his game. It was probably true that he was busy and hadn't played a professional in 12 years --he had come to Montreal from Hoylake 12 years before, and there weren't really any professionals over here at that time! But he had played in three high profile matches the fall before, against the top Canadian Amateur at the time, __ Smith of the Quebec club. And Smith held his own, going 1-1-1 against the professional. Whatever his excuses for losing to Dunn, in the various professional matches over the next couple of seasons, it seems that Davis didn't quite have the game of a Willie Dunn or Willie Campbell.
Anyway, the Davis letter ought to put a few more of TEPaul's misrepresentations to rest.
Most obviously, contrary to TEPaul's claims, Dunn was not only in the United States in the summer of 1893, he was engaged by Shinnecock. This is of no surprise. The Davis letter is one of many accounts of Dunn's 1893 tenure at Shinnecock. Yet inexplicably TEPaul refuses to acknowledge even this. Do you suppose he will even believe Davis on the matter?
Additionally, TEPaul has repeatedly claimed that, after coming to Shinnecock in the summer of 1891, Davis either stayed for the winter or returned the next spring, and that spring he expanded the Shinnecock course from 9 holes to 12 holes. Davis supposedly remained at Shinnecock until some point later in 1892, when he went to work as Newport's professional. TEPaul claims he got all this information from Goddard's book, and since I don't have it I cannot say one way or another whether this stuff is in there, but I seriously doubt it. NOTHING brought forward thus far from Goddard's book supports any of this. My guess is that TEPaul just made it up to try and save face and cast doubt on my initial posts.
But whether TEPaul made this up or got it from Goddard, W.F. Davis directly contradicts most of it. According to Davis, while he did visit Newport in November in 1892, but he was not hired as their professional until the next January, and did not begin work there until March 1, 1893. More importantly, prior to going to Newport, Davis was the professional at Royal Montreal, and had been employed since 1881. Davis made no mention of having worked at Shinnecock in 1892, nor does he mention expanding their course.
As is discussed in my initial posts and the articles included therewith, Davis was never the professional at Shinnecock. He was the professional at Montreal, and was essentially on loan to Shinnecock for one month in 1891, during which time he laid out a nine hole course for the men and a nine hole course for the women. As J. Hutton Balfour wrote in this excerpt from his October 26, 1891, "GOLF IN CANADA" contribution to Golf:
"Next request we had was from several gentlemen in Long Island, New York, that we would permit our professional to go there for a month to lay out a green and instruct them; this we gladly did, and a good eighteen holes have been laid out, and there is a fair promise of good players; this club should be a success, there are so may Scotchmen in New York. They are now advertising for a professional. There is also a small club at Yonkers, New York."
Reportedly, Shinnecock hired John Cuthbert as their professional for 1892.
Finally, while Davis was obviously setting the record straight when it came to Dunn, Davis did not even mention having created the original nine holes at Shinnecock, much less the twelve hole course. Given that the Cherrill letter at least creates the impression that Dunn had something to do with Shinnecock, it is noteworthy that Davis did not try to contradict this.
As I wrote above, so far I have nothing in the source material indicating that Davis returned to Shinnecock before the 1892 season to redo his nine hole men's course and create a 12 hole course, or that he moved the women's course. Likewise, nothing has been brought forward from Goddard's book indicating that this was the case.