Colt & Alison in North Americ

[Sven Nilsen]

Burning Tree


Jan. 1925 Golf Illustrated -

[Sven Nilsen]

Century


Feb. 1923 Golf Illustrated -

[Anthony Gholz]

Sven: 


Keep them coming, although I do have that ad and have used it in the PHGC book I'm writing.  Being from Michigan I enjoy comparing C&A's ads in TAG, etc with Wilfrid Reid's letterhead where he claims everything possible to get on a single page, including several Alison courses.  I'll try to find it and post it.


Thanks for all your contributions to this site!


Tony

[Sven Nilsen]

Chevy Chase


Oct. 29, 1922 The Sunday Star -

[Anthony Gholz]

Sven:


The Cowles-Evans ad is very nice! 


The more I read of Chick Evans the more I think he was best at promoting Chick Evans and touting all the courses he had memberships in or was an honorary member of.  (not knocking Evans and all he did for golf and charities).


Here's the Reid letterhead: "Designer of many golf courses Some of the world's finest."  Still causes debate in several Michigan clubs.  This was sent to me several years ago by William Zmistowski Reid's grandson.

[Sven Nilsen]

Fresh Meadow (aka Lakeville)


May 1925 Golf Illustrated -

[Sven Nilsen]

North Shore


Oct. 1924 Golf Illustrated -

[Sven Nilsen]

Anthony:


With respect to the Letterhead, what courses other than Plum Hollow and Port Huron raise questions?


Sven

[Anthony Gholz]

Sven:


Port Huron is no longer a question, but when I first saw this letterhead I hadn't found the smoking gun that confirmed Wilfrid Reid as the original designer of Black River in 1927 with the owner's right hand Fred L. Riggin.  Riggin's 9-holes is a classic ball of twine story, but Reid put it together Port Huron, Michigan could have referred to PHGC or black River.  Black River was originally called Mueller Farms G&CC, but when Reid did his letterhead the name had been changed to Black River.  Whitten used Reid & Connellan for both courses.  As with Plum Hollow, recent site of the Michigan Am, Tam O'Shanter is another name on Reid's list.  Both are most likely Alison routings with R&C or just C building them.  Then a few years later R&C remodeled.  Some say Alison routed and Reid did the greens.  This is a continuing mystery.  Everyone has a theory.  I'm going with Alison as the original designer of Tam O'Shanter (& probably Plum Hollow) and Reid remodeling later which then caused C&A to remove them from their advertising.


I'm working with a contact at Tam and have gotten good info to support my theory. My wife also recently found confirmation of another course before Tam on the same site, the Rambouillet CC.  Tam appears to be a completely new course with nothing used of the former course.  However, both courses still need more work, especially Plum Hollow.   The info so far indicates there was an Oakmont super involved heavily.  If anyone sees this thread who has PH knowledge and/or Tam I'd appreciate any tidbit.


Hope this answers the Port Huron question though the Tam and Plum Hollow stories have still not been fully told.
Tony

[SL_Solow]

I presume you reviewed Hawtree's Colt + Co. (1991) which contains an Annexe purporting to list all of the courses designed or revised by the firm.  Hawtree had access to Colt's correspondence so it may be useful

[Anthony Gholz]

Mr Solow:


Yes I have a copy of C&Co.  On previous posts on gca others have stated, and from my own observation I agree, that Hawtree used Whitten as a start and therefore Mr Whitten's "erroneous citations" became Hawtree's.  Often you'll see this sequence in the credits I give for source.


As one who is trying to do a limited list (Ron tried to do every course and architect, an impossible task), and who wrote a previous book, you're only as good as your research or what you accept from others. That's why I dismay at calling anyone's honest efforts as "mistakes", mine included. Everything's a work in progress.

Its wonderful when a club or someone such as Ian A. or Frank P., is willing to share his/their original drawings and letters.  At least that way you can judge for yourself and put the items in the context of other information.
Tony

[Ian Andrew]

Colt was at Toronto Golf Club on May 12, 1913 to make his final site visit - I have the site directions which are dated.[/size]The date on the plan in the clubhouse is May 1911, he came to the site at that time too.Colt was here at Hamilton in 1914 - from Canadian Golfer - October profile on the opening of Hamilton Links "When Colt came out in 1914 to lay out the Ancaster course...."


I need to search out the other connections...[/color]

[Ian Andrew]

A few tidbits from before:

This was from Tom MacWood, "In (April) 1913 Colt started in NY, then went to Boston, Montreal, Hamilton, Chicago and Philadelphia...I believe in that order...although I'm not certain. If remember correctly, there is picture of Huntingdon Valley in Thomas's book that mentions Colt in the credits."

There is reference to the Montreal visit in Canadian Golfer. He consulted with Royal Montreal and talked them into staying at the Dixie site and revising the course instead. He walked the future Mount Bruno when he was in Montreal at the club's (RM) request but suggested they stay put at Dixie.

Hamilton was built in 1914 and opened in 1915 (have some images). Construction handled by Mr Sullivan, who built many Canadian courses after that.

Hamilton contacted Colt in 1919 to come over to make changes to the bunkering. They wanted him and no one else to do the work. The letter states " Now that the war is over I hope that we may expect you on this side not later than next year." (Some Essays)
Alison came in his place.

I can place Alison in Toronto on a number of occasions throughout the 20's with work around Toronto (Toronto (r), Hamilton (r), York Downs (18), Park CC (18), Weston (r).

Pine Ridge is the confusing one ... nobody can place him there

[Neil Regan]

As 300,000 hours is more than 34 years at 24 hours/day x 365 days,
I'm guessing that Reid was also a lawyer.

[Phil Young]

Ian,

Colt's visit to Bloomfield Hills in 1913 was in April while on the way to Pine Valley after leaving Chicago. He never returned to the club but left detailed recommendations that the club followed up on immediately including the purchase a 50+ acre tract of land next to the existing site which he would use to design the new course. He drew up plans and specifications for the build, sending them to the Club from the U.K., and In October the Board approved the building of the course...

[Anthony Gholz]

Ian/Phil:


I believe I've read everything that Tom MacWood put on gca as well as everything I can find on the internet.  Unfortunately for me I "discovered" Tom about two years after he died.  Maybe this is the place to ask if anyone has a clue as to where his files have gone.  They're not at Ohio State.  PT and others have no knowledge either.


Thanks to you both, Sven, and others for the info so far.  I will spend next week reviewing against what I have to cull for new info.


Perhaps someone out there has a box in the attic?
Tony

[Chris_Blakely]

Ian/Phil:


I believe I've read everything that Tom MacWood put on gca as well as everything I can find on the internet.  Unfortunately for me I "discovered" Tom about two years after he died.  Maybe this is the place to ask if anyone has a clue as to where his files have gone.  They're not at Ohio State.  PT and others have no knowledge either.


Thanks to you both, Sven, and others for the info so far.  I will spend next week reviewing against what I have to cull for new info.


Perhaps someone out there has a box in the attic?
Tony

I thought the source of a fair share of Tom's information was Dr. Michael Hurdzan at least that is what was referenced in the following feature interview:

http://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/feature-interview-with-mike-hurdzan/

4th Q/A down after "Games evolution . . . " photo.

Chris

[Ed Homsey]

Tony--

The Travis Society's Garden City Country Club file is very thick, with many local reports about the new course that Travis designed in 1916.  In addition, we have a Brooklyn Eagle article, April 21, 1928, that details several changes to the GCCC course, e.g. replacing chocolate drops with bunkers alongside one fairway, etc.  At no point does the article mention a designer/architect.  The club website history mentions a "rejuvenation" by Brian Silva, in the 1980s, and we know that Keith Foster, and his associate, Kevin Hargreaves, was involved in bunker work, etc., beginning in 2007. 

I have found no mention of Colt/Allison being involved, but perhaps there is more information available, somewhere, that would connect them with the 1928 course changes.

[Anthony Gholz]

Thanks to Chris and Phil for the Hurdzan contact.  Makes sense,  and I will follow through on that. Out for a couple days actually playing golf so will review all next week.  Thanks again. Tony

[Sven Nilsen]

Timber Point


Feb. 1925 Golf Illustrated -

[Anthony Gholz]

To All:


I believe I've picked up much of the new info from the last two weeks.  Ian, I got most of your info already from your previous posts going back years, but updated where the dates were added, and cross referenced a couple courses.  I've kept Timber Point as NLE with an added comment about "possibly restorable."  See Old Oakes for the Pine Ridge reference as "once called."  Several of the "maybes" seem to be confused references to old names or club name vs. location i.e. Highland Park, Ill.  I'd still like to get comments from you Ian (and anyone else of course) about Weston in Toronto and its Alison bunkers. My belief, formed more than a bit by gca, is that routings and greens site selections make the architect.  It seems to me that bunkers can change how a course looks and plays, but they also can be changed by time and other "architects."  I'm just getting into Mandell's Pinehurst book I purchased at the Tufts a while back, and I'm fascinated by the changes to the bunker faces the year after Ross died. The Ross "look" certainly was immediately affected.



I probably should have started with his particular post, but I'm posting this morning my "C&A in NA timeline."  This is centered on Port Huron Golf Club's place in their efforts.  If other clubs would do this same thing they'd substitute their Alison or Colt course for the Port Huron references.  I have selected certain biographical info birth, death etc. and covered the dates of the three Colt trips just so its in one place.  Again this is in the appendices of the PHGC book and expected to be mostly read by club members.


This post is two pages.
Tony

[Anthony Gholz]

[Phil Young]

Hi Tony,

I forgot that I had this information in my database on 3 clubs worked at by Alison. One, Kirtland, you have in your lists, but two others, Westwood and Oakwood, you don't.

1921: Late Spring to early Summer, Alison designs Kirtland CC outside of Cleveland. It opens for play in the spring of 1922. Source – 1927 Yearbook of Kirtland Country Club

1923 (exact dates unknown) & 9/30-10/2/1924: Alison in Cleveland to redesign the Westwood Club. Note also that the end of the article states, “In addition to laying out at Kirtland course, Capt. Alison planned improvements for Oakwood.” No date for that is given. Source - 9/25/1924 Cleveland Plains Dealer:

[Anthony Gholz]

Thanks Phil.  I'll check both. (and probably have questions).  My first page didn't post so here goes again:

[Jeff Bergeron]

Great job Tony!