Birth of Garden City's 12th! (fka US Am was the first with strategic bunkering?

[MCirba]

At the beginning of golf in this country, the U.S. Amateur was the most highly desired competitive trophy and most overall prestigious tournament.

With the first USGA event held in 1895, the early years of the tournament coincided with a period in architecture where courses were very geometric, with rote cross hazards, berms, and ditches interesting the direct line of play.   Known colloquially as "steeple-chase" architecture, a movement began in the first decade of the 20th century away from such drab play to something more sophisticated, particularly in the creation and usage of artificial hazards and bunkers.

With that in mind, when I look at old schematics of those first US Amateur courses I'm struck by how many of them were played over the less strategic type courses in those early years.   With that in mind, would anyone venture their thoughts on which of those courses (and which year/version?) were the first to offer something more intellectually stimulating than straightforward forced carries rewarding the strong and true?   I'm guessing most of the vintage layouts can be found in Ed Oden's terrific thread of course routings.

1895 - Newport
1896 - Shinnecock
1897 - Chicago
1898 - Morris County
1899 - Onwentsia
1900 - Garden City
1901 - Atlantic City
1902 - Glen View
1903 - Nassau
1904 - Baltusrol
1905 - Chicago
1906 - Englewood
1907 - Euclid
1908 - Garden City
1909 - Chicago
1910 - The Country Club
1911 - Apawamis
1912 - Chicago

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mike,
My guess:
Detroit at the latest, TCC or Apawamis at the earliest.

Ed.- Brookline hole descriptions
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1910/ag44d.pdf

[Tom_Doak]

Mike:

I'm not sure which course in the world was the first with "strategic" bunkering?  Are you counting any of the UK links as being strategic in nature?

Regarding the development of golf in the U.S., I was re-reading C. B. Macdonald's book this evening and there was a passage where he mentioned that it was not until around 1905 that any course in the U.S. really built architecturally-designed putting greens instead of just playing over the natural ground contours.

[John Connolly]

Regarding the development of golf in the U.S., I was re-reading C. B. Macdonald's book this evening and there was a passage where he mentioned that it was not until around 1905 that any course in the U.S. really built architecturally-designed putting greens instead of just playing over the natural ground contours.

Have there been many (any?) well thought of Victorian era greens existing today, or at least that had a long life span, that were not graded? Where the Victorian era "archies" found a great natural plateau or punchbowl etc. and just plopped her down?

Mike,

I'm from a Chicago club that had typical penal/steeplechase hazardsat inception that weren't modernized into more strategic features until 1913. My guess is another club on that list got there before 1913.

[MCirba]

Tom,

I'm referring strictly to US courses and the early development of architectural thinking in this country, thanks.

Personally, I'm guessing the answer might be the 1908 version of Garden City after Travis made some significant changes and I was also reading where The Country Club had done something similar including removal of all cop bunkers for the 1910 event. 

[Tom_Doak]

Tom,

I'm referring strictly to US courses and the early development of architectural thinking in this country, thanks.

Personally, I'm guessing the answer might be the 1908 version of Garden City after Travis made some significant changes and I was also reading where The Country Club had done something similar including removal of all cop bunkers for the 1910 event. 

Mike:

My point was that I'm not sure "strategic" bunkering existed until architects started writing about it around 1920.  Before then, bunkering was different from course to course, but the side hazards at Garden City were no more of the "strategic" school than the cross hazards, by the accepted definition of strategic.  And I'm not sure that any of the bunkers in the UK could be put down to strategy [instead of difficulty, or sheep] until the work at Woking in about 1903 or '04.

[MCirba]

Tom,

Perhaps the question should be phrased a bit differently.   I've seen articles related to Garden City and The Country Club where they were very purposefully removing their intersecting "cop bunkers" and doing something a bit more thoughtful, with the clear intent of providing more of an interesting test for the best golfers.   

Looking at maps of the early courses in this country one can't help but be struck by how rote the bunkering appeared, even from those with better pedigree like the early Chicago GC.   At some point these began to be phased out and a more interesting bunker style took its place.

Those are the examples I'm trying to locate/pinpoint as well as determine the influences.   Thanks.

[Greg Smith]

I will add another vote for the 1908 version of Garden City.  My recent years reading this forum have taught me so much about the courses on this list, and based on what I've seen and read it seems to me that the improved GCGC was a real breakthrough in America.  For a few years until NGLA got going it was really the best course in the USA.

[Ed Homsey]

As has been stated elsewhere, Travis was writing about "strategically applied" principles in the bunkering of courses, and in opposition to "steep cops with narrow ditches which disfigure so many courses", as early as 1901-02, and the "increased length and the addition of several new hazards"at Garden City Golf Club in preparation for the 1900 U.S. Amateur.  Though, his 1920 article suggests that changes at GCGC started in 1906, I believe that he could have pointed out that he was an advocate and agent for change from the beginning of his tenure as Garden City Golf Club's Green Chairman, and perhaps even before.  After the 1901 U.S. Amateur at Atlantic City, Travis went home to GCGC urging additional lengthening of the course. 

The point I'm trying to make is that, like Oakmont and, probably, other courses, GCGC's greatness as a course did not all of a sudden appear in 1906 or 1908, though it received national attention in 1908  There were improvements to the course that began very early (perhaps using "scientifically applied" principles, iif Travis had anything to do with them.)  Were those principles applied to the changes made for the 1900 U.S. Amateur?

[MCirba]

Ed,

Thanks for that additional info.   What year did Travis write his definitive "here's how I'd improve Garden City" (paraphrasing) article?  

All,

Here's more of the type of thing I'm referring to...from the 1910 article about "The Country Club" that Jim Kennedy linked to;

But the work of the committee, of which it may be justly proud, lies in the bunkering of the links.  Much has been done during the last six months to improve the test of golf in this respect, and the pits and pot bunkers which have been introduced into the course are the best, for they are the result of observation of the play of experts, and in their placing, size and depth are calculated to make trouble for those who do not make their shots in the right way.  

No cop bunkers will be found on the course...though at many of the holes the placing of the bunkers govern the drive it is by the bunkering of the greens that the committee has made the course so excellent a test and in many cases has achieved the merit of making the shots interdependent.   Unless the drive is made right the second shot presents enormous difficulties while, if it is made to the right place on the fairway the holes is opened up to the player for the next shot.   That has been the chief aim of the committee in bunkering the greens and the fairway through the course.  

[Ed Homsey]

Mike--Not sure which Travis article about Garden City GC you are referring to.  In 1909, he published his article that detailed changes to GCGC. 

[MCirba]

Ed,

I've not read it but I believe there was a Golf Illustrated article in 1906 where he suggested changes to virtually every hole at Garden City.  My understanding is that the article was the basis for Garden City doing that work over the next two years.

[Ed Homsey]

This is the article you're referring to, I'm sure.  I wish he had included the changes that he, in my opinion, had made to the course prior to this article.  I do think he was making a pitch for major changes.

https://walterjtravissociety.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/1908-feb-new-ideas-on-golf-course-architecture-cl-am131.pdf

[DMoriarty]

Ed,

I have seen reference to a letter from the GCGC green committee to the members written sometime in early 1906 suggesting changes to the course. Could this be to what Mike is referring?  Does the Travis society have a copy of that letter.

[Ed Homsey]

David--I have not seen the letter that you mentioned.  Would love to see it, and add it to our GCGC file.  The GCGC historian has been a member of the Travis Society for a number of years and we've maintained close contact.  I'll check with him.  But, if you could get us a copy of the letter, it would be greatly appreciated.

That letter may be a reflection of the 1906 article that Travis wrote about changes to GCGC.  To help support my beliefs that Travis began to influence the improvement of the GCGC course well before 1906 is a June 1900 article about Garden City golf Club by the Editor of Golf.  In it, he states, "The work of rearrangement and improvement was immediately undertaken, and the course as it is to-day would be hardly recognized by one of the "Old Guard" players of earlier years.  Originally, the course was laid out by Mr. Devereaux Emmet and Mr. George L. Hubbell, and they, together with the Captain of the club, Mr. Walter J. Travis, and the other members of the Green Committee, are responsible for its present arrangement."They were getting the course ready for the 1900 U.S. Amateur championship.

[DMoriarty]

Ed,

I don't recall ever seeing the actual letter but I do recall seeing one or two reported references to the letter and perhaps even a description of the proposal (Emmet?). I'll see if I can track those down when I get a chance.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Some of the changes for the 1900 US Am from the April 16, 1900 BDE.

[Ed Homsey]

Great article, Jim.  Thanks for the posting.  The terms "strategic" or "scientific" aren't used in that article, but could it be that the answer to the question posed by this posting is:  Garden City Golf club?

[DMoriarty]

Ed, 

Here is a mention of the 1906 "circular letter" in the March 1, 1906 NY Sun.  Note that Emmet briefly described the nature of some of the changes and also mentioned, "we have done nothing for three years."

Not sure whether or when these suggested changes were carried out, but I do recall reading that there was some disagreement within the club about proposed changes around that time (or perhaps a few years later) and that only some of the changes were carried out.  At some point CBM (and HJW?) came out publicly in favor of the changes, but I can't place that article right now.

[MCirba]

Guys,

Thanks for the information.   I appreciate the articles as well as the interesting thinking about flanking bunkers along the sides being superior to punishing poor play while letting the shorter, straight hitter navigate effectively.   It does explain a lot about the evolution of that course.

[Ed Homsey]

David--Thanks for that article, with Emmet's quote.  Apparent that his opinion was consistent with his thinking in an article he wrote, published in Feb 1902 Golf. 

It is apparent that that advocates for the course changes won out.  An item in the November 1906 issue of Golf states, "The changes at the Garden city links, which have occasioned so much talk, are now practically complete.  It is not necessary to go into them in any detail now, as in an early issue of Golf, a special article will be devoted to the subject."In an article about the "Annual Spring Tournament" at GCGC, there are pictures of the first hole with Travis's infamous wooden bulkheads.  The following was stated in the article, "Undoubtedly, the changes have made the course about two strokes harder, and even if the weather had been fine, the scores would have been higher than in previous tournaments".

Though the 1906 changes were extensive, and drastic, it must be remembered that major changes had occurred  before.

[MCirba]

I hope this article is readable.   It's from September 1908 "New York Sun" and it goes into significant detail about the changes Travis made at Garden City to prep for the amateur.

It also appears that the magical 12th green, recently restored, found its origins at that time.   I'm not sure if this has been posted prior?

[MCirba]

I decided to rename this thread to call attention to the article I posted yesterday that discussed the bunerking and other changes Walter Travis made to Garden City to prep it for the 1908 US Amateur.

I didn't want interested folks like Ed Homesey to miss it if it's something that hasn't been posted before because it also discusses the origins of the wild (and recently restored) 12th green, which seems now clear is a Travis creation.

[MCirba]

Bump for Ed Homesey.

[MCirba]

Here's more about the changes to Garden City, and more about the 12th hole from an article in the New York Sun on November 1, 1906.

It seems at that time the 12th was a par four and the deep trench in front of the green had just been created.