Willie Park Jr (Course Listings) and (Photo tours)

[Karl Jensen]

I don't know if Mr. Mungo Park is still participating on GCA to see this.


A possible Willie Park Jr. course that doesn't appear to be on the Park list generated on GCA, I could be wrong, is the second nine holes extension of what is now The Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club. Willie Park "advised" on the extension of the course in 1894, after "prospecting the ground", from nine to eighteen holes for the Ranfurly Castle Golf Club who occupied the course at that time. Newspaper articles concerning Willie Park and the extension can be found on the British Newspaper Archive. Also more info can be found on the Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club website link below. This possible Willie Park extension was mentioned briefly in a 2008 GCA post.


http://www.oldranfurly.com/page.aspx?pid=12915

[Karl Jensen]

This is an article from the 1 Sep 1899 Golf Illustrated magazine stating Willie Park Jr. extended the Ranfurly Castle Golf Club course.

[MCirba]

Great find, Karl.  Good to see you posting here.

[Jeff Schley]

Thanks for the bump here. I was very surprised to look at WPJr. list of courses and only find 1 in Illinois. OFCC is his only design and I would have expected more as Chicago had a fair bit of building going on during the early part of the 20th century.

[Niall C]

Karl


It's already on the list as Bridge of Weir which is the town/village where both the Ranfurly courses are (Old Ranfurly which was the original course that WP jnr reputedly did some work and Ranfurly Castle which is the later course). As an aside I have newspaper articles suggesting Willie Fernie consulted at Old Ranfurly at about the same time as WP jnr was supposed to have been there in 1894.


Niall 

[Karl Jensen]

Thanks Niall.


I see the Bridge of Weir now on the list. My apologies for the oversight. Is the below Peebles GC Park design on the list under a location name also? The course is NLE according to the Club's website.


Peebles Golf Club listing, 1896 Golfers Guide for the United Kingdom

[DFarron]

As a young pro I worked at both Ashland Golf Club (then Country Club of Ashland) and later at Congress Lake. Both were extremely fun golf courses and the setting at Congress Lake is idealic.

[Niall C]

Karl


Peebles GC is not on the list although Innerleithen is which sits six miles outside Peebles and was designed by Park in 1886. I believe the initial Peebles GC course was designed by Park in 1892 as that record suggests however as per the club website they moved in the 1900's and then subsequently in the 1930's Colt redesigned the new course and not surprisingly they now tag it a Colt course.


Interestingly the land that the Park course sat on appears from google earth to be still used for grazing. For anyone in the area it might be an interesting idea to explore whether any landforms such as tees, greens or bunkers can still be made out.


Niall

[Karl Jensen]

DFarron,


There are many early 1920s Ashland, OH Times-Gazette articles written about Willie Park Jr. and the construction of the Ashland Country Club. A touching one is a nice obituary that was written about Park from 1925 and posted below.


Did you know that the second nine holes were added to the Ashland Country Club in 1962 by a local course architect and constructor named Earl F. Yesberger? He also designed, built, owned and operated the nine hole North Olmsted Golf Club. See the additional two images below.


Ashland Country Club article, 25 May 1925 Ashland, OH Times-Gazette newspaper



Ashland Country Club article, 1 Jul 1962 Mansfield, OH News Journal newspaper



Earl Franklin Yesberger obituary, 9 Aug 1988 Akron, OH Beacon Journal newspaper

[Niall C]

Just looking at the list of courses on the first page and note that both Goswick and Gorleston are listed as Scottish when they are both English courses. Also, of the two Peterhead courses, Park only designed the first nine of the old course while the new (relief) course was built after his death. You also have a redesign of the original course by the ubiquitous Braid together with 3 of the presumably original holes later being lost to coastal erosion so quite how much Park is left is debateable.


Niall

[Karl Jensen]

Niall,


Below is a possible Willie Park Jr. design of the Le Touquet Forest Course. I don't think I see it on the list. The Club's website claims Horace Hutchinson and Club founder Nicholas Lane Jackson designed the course. I can't find so far anything to corroborate either. Looks like J. H. Taylor and Willie Fernie went over the ground years before. See the below images.


Le Touquet Forest Course article, 13 Mar 1903 Golf Illustrated magazine, page 210



Le Touquet Forest Course article, 28 May 1904 Navy and Army Illustrated magazine, page 268



Le Touquet Golf Club listing, 1904 The Golfing Annual, page 379

[Niall C]

Karl


I can't see the attachments on this computer but from memory the order of appearance was Fernie, Taylor and then Hutchinson. I'm not sure if I recall Park looking at the site but then I don't have my notes in front of me. Also weren't the courses comprehensively redesigned by Colt (or was it Simpson ?).


Frank and Philippe might be best placed to answer the question as they have been restoring some of the holes at Le Touquet.


Niall

[Karl Jensen]

More on Willie Park Jr. and the original nine holes of the Peebles Golf Club.


Peebles Golf Club article, 21 Oct 1892 Golf magazine, page 90

[Karl Jensen]

I don't think this nine hole estate golf course by Willie Park Jr. made the GCA list. Prince Hatzfeldt lived at the now demolished Draycott Park House, near Chippenham, Wiltshire. The property was owned by a Lord Cowley.


Anyone know anymore about it?



Prince Hatzfeldt Estate Course article, 17 Jul 1905 Bristol, England Western Daily Press newspaper

[Karl Jensen]

I found these two online links that have photos and a course plan of the original Willie Park Jr. Peebles Golf Club on Morning Hill.


https://www.forgottengreens.com/former-courses-of-existing-clubs/peebles-course/


https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2142676

[Mark Pearce]

I see that the list has Goswick in both England and Scotland and also lists Berwick upon Tweed.  Berwick upon Tweed is Goswick, unless this is a reference to the Magdalene Fields course, which I doubt.

[Jim Sherma]

Recently had the great pleasure of replaying Rolling Road in Catonsville, MD. They have finished a fairly significant freshening of the course and it is clicking on all cylinders. Green pads reclaimed, some fairly significant bunker work, some yardage added through very well integrated new tee boxes. The entire property sits on under 95 acres so finding some more yards was not a straightforward task. All in all the course is a great day out and a strong recommendation.


I am gathering more details from my host who is on the greens committee and will follow up with a more detailed post.

[Karl Jensen]

Mark,


Willie Park Jr.'s early 1920s brochure, that lists a majority of his courses, has both Berwick on Tweed and Goswick listed. My experience so far with this brochure is the listings for the United Kingdom and Europe designs are named by location and not necessarily the Club's name. Berwick on Tweed and Goswick can be two different design efforts or perhaps the same. The brochure also has the possible duplicity of Canon's Park and Edgware listed. God knows there are spelling errors such as Tranmore for Tramore and Newbigging by Sea for Newbiggin by Sea. Below are articles I could find so far for Willie Park Jr. at Berwick on Tweed / Goswick / Magdalene Fields.


Berwick on Tweed article, 17 Nov 1899 Golf Illustrated magazine, page 155



Magdalene Fields Golf Course article, 27 Feb 1903 Golf Illustrated magazine, Volume 15



Magdalene Fields Golf Course article, 20 Mar 1903 Golf Illustrated magazine, page 222



Magdalene Fields Golf Course article, 3 Apr 1908 Newcastle upon Tyne, England Daily Chronicle newspaper

[MCirba]

Great stuff, Karl!

One thing that is confusing to me to be aware of in your research is that Park's father, Willie Park Sr. also designed golf courses and was alive until 1903 when he died at the age of 70.

A number of these articles don't differentiate between the two in a meaningful way, just stating "Willie Park".   For instance, a quick glance at Cornish & Whitten's "Architects of Golf" names "Newbiggen-by-the-Sea" as designed by Willie Park, Senior, in 1895.   I don't have time at present to do a deep dive but did want you to be aware of that possible issue.   Thanks!

[Karl Jensen]

Great stuff, Karl!

One thing that is confusing to me to be aware of in your research is that Park's father, Willie Park Sr. also designed golf courses and was alive until 1903 when he died at the age of 70.

A number of these articles don't differentiate between the two in a meaningful way, just stating "Willie Park".   For instance, a quick glance at Cornish & Whitten's "Architects of Golf" names "Newbiggen-by-the-Sea" as designed by Willie Park, Senior, in 1895.   I don't have time at present to do a deep dive but did want you to be aware of that possible issue.   Thanks!

Thanks Mike,


The Newbiggin by the Sea nine hole course was laid out by Willie Park Jr.'s uncle Mungo Park, winner of the 1874 Open Championship. Mungo served as golf professional for the Alnmouth Golf Club and is also credited with laying out the Tyneside Golf Club that Willie Park Jr. was the professional and greenskeeper from 1880 to 1883. Willie was only 16 years old at the time.


The Newbiggin course was extended to eighteen holes in 1905 and the long time Alnmouth Club pro George Rochester appears to be credited for it. I don't know what Willie Park Jr.'s involvement was with the course or when. Newbiggin is listed on Park Jr.'s golf course brochure. Perhaps he collaborated with uncle Mungo Park in laying Newbiggin out. I'm guessing. See the below images.


Newbiggin by the Sea Golf Club listing, 1893 The Golfing Annual, page 279



Newbiggin by the Sea Golf Club article, 10 Jun 1905 London, England The Guardian newspaper



Willie Park Jr. golf courses early 1920s advertisement

[Bret Lawrence]

Karl,


The last list you posted is the most comprehensive listing I have seen of Park’s work. Do you have an exact date for this Park advertisement? Madison Country Club, Country Club of New Canaan and Country Club of New Bedford are three listings you don’t typically see in other Park advertisements. I am sure there are many others, but Madison and New Canaan are two courses we have zero information on Park’s involvement, other than both clubs claiming they are Park courses.  This would likely answer where that information originally came from. Nice find!


Bret

[Mike Worth]

I don’t see Castine ME on the list. Designed 1921?

[Karl Jensen]

Karl,


The last list you posted is the most comprehensive listing I have seen of Park’s work. Do you have an exact date for this Park advertisement? Madison Country Club, Country Club of New Canaan and Country Club of New Bedford are three listings you don’t typically see in other Park advertisements. I am sure there are many others, but Madison and New Canaan are two courses we have zero information on Park’s involvement, other than both clubs claiming they are Park courses.  This would likely answer where that information originally came from. Nice find!


Bret

Bret,


I do not know an exact date of the Park Jr. publication nor do I have it recorded where I came across it on the Internet. Perhaps somewhere in the GCA past postings. Ashland Golf Club in Ohio is listed from 1921 and Willie died in 1925. With a bit of calculation one could narrow it down by the courses listed. I have not explored Park's works thoroughly to make a better estimate.


Brett,




I do not know an exact date of the Park Jr. publication nor do I have it recorded where I came across it on the Internet. Perhaps somewhere in the GCA past postings. Ashland Golf Club in Ohio is listed from 1921 and Willie died in 1925. With a bit of calculation one could narrow it down by the courses listed. I have not explored Park's works thoroughly to make a better estimate.

[Karl Jensen]

I don’t see Castine ME on the list. Designed 1921?

Mike,


Castine is on the list. It is under Tumble Brook Country Club towards the top on the right hand side of the page.


Karl

[Mike Worth]

I don’t see Castine ME on the list. Designed 1921?

Thank you. How about Atlantic City country club? Didn’t he work on that in the mid-1910s?


Mike,


Castine is on the list. It is under Tumble Brook Country Club towards the top on the right hand side of the page.


Karl