Ross on Golf in California, Championship Golf, Green Sizes, Etc.

[DMoriarty]

While looking for something else, I came across an interesting article from the July 30, 1922 San Francisco Chronicle, on Donald Ross.  Ross was in town in conjunction with his renovation of the Beresford Country Club, which is now known as the Peninsula Country Club. 

[Joe_Tucholski]

Some interesting things in there.  Could Ross really command $2000 a week (over $35000 in todays dollars)?  I don't think of Ross greens as small, although his comments about "modern" courses needing smaller greens due to the technology of the day makes it think like he intended to build small greens.  Further in 1933 did a championship course really need to be 7000 yards.  I have to believe that would be like an 8000 yard course today and have not seen an 8000 yard course (also interesting he didn't include #2 in the list of championship courses).

[Patrick_Mucci]

Joe,

Ross designed a 6,600 par  71 in 1929, but, 7,000 in 1933 seems very long.

[DMoriarty]

Article from 1922, not 1933.  7000 yards was even longer then.

[Sven Nilsen]

Pinehurst #2 was only 6,200 yards in 1922, so it doesn't surprise me he didn't include it in his list of championship courses.  It also still had sand greens.

His take on "strategic" design is very interesting, as are his comments on the goal of designing a course that is fun for the members to play. 

Sven

[DMoriarty]

I don't think of Ross greens as small, although his comments about "modern" courses needing smaller greens due to the technology of the day makes it think like he intended to build small greens.

I found the comment about green sizes to be interesting as well.  At least some of the early California courses reportedly had very large greens, and I've read that William Watson in particular built large greens (although I don't know if that holds true across all his work) so perhaps Ross's comments on green size has to be read as somewhat of a critique on what he had seen thus far in California. 
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Sven and Joe,

I wasn't surprised that Pinehurst wasn't listed as a championship course for the reasons Joe mentioned, but it is interesting that as of 1922 Ross apparently didn't consider any of the courses he had built up to that point to be true championship courses.

As for the three courses mentioned, NGLA, Lido, and PV, there is no surprise there.  They were often mentioned as the three best and most challenging in the country.  Funny, though, that none of the three had ever hosted one of the actual "Championships."