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Jim_Kennedy

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #25 on: February 06, 2016, 09:50:43 PM »
Ca. 1900 - The Brander estate, known as "Westmoreland Farms", was on Shelter Island and they had a private course -  along with two docks for yachts, two mile of water fontage, six dwellings, an ice manufacturing plant, a complete water and electric light system, etc..
« Last Edit: February 15, 2016, 07:53:47 PM by Jim_Kennedy »
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Joshua Pettit

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #26 on: February 08, 2016, 01:00:20 PM »
Quote from: Sven Nilsen on February 05, 2016, 02:16:24 PM
Charlie Chaplin Estate GC (Beverly Hills) - MacKenzie
Sven,

I forget now where this reference originated but it has been proven incorrect.  Chaplin's estate was only 6 acres and there was never any golf course built on it. 

I know Cornish & Whitten credited MacKenzie for the Harold Lloyd short course in Hollywood which was actually done by Bell, so maybe that's where the confusion started.

MacKenzie did build a small (about 3 or 4 acres) approach and putt course on a private estate in Hillsborough, a bit south of San Francisco, in 1932, but it didn't last more than a decade.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2016, 01:03:28 PM by Joshua Pettit »
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John Foley

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #27 on: February 08, 2016, 01:10:05 PM »
Had never heard of  Stephen C. Clark Private Course (Cooperstown) - Emmet - Is this Leatherstocking or something else?
[/size][/color]
[/size]Also there are a few up in Canada including[/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]Goodwood - Uxbridge[/color]
[/size]Domain LaForest - Charlevoix Quebec[/color]
[/size]Memphramegog - Magog Quebec [/color]
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Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #28 on: February 08, 2016, 09:56:55 PM »
Ran across an old thread (http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,36627.msg749701.html#msg749701) covering much of the same ground and containing a bit of detail on a number of the courses noted.


Sven
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Jim_Kennedy

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #29 on: February 10, 2016, 05:21:58 PM »
J. Finley Shephard built an estate course of 9-holes in 1916. It's in Roxbury, NY and the course is still operating today as Shephard Hills GC. Finley married  Helen Gould, daughter of railroad man Jay Gould.

It's quirky and 'old school'. Their website used to say that 'a noted designer' built it and with their money and connections that's most likely true, but I've never had any luck finding out who it was.   

« Last Edit: February 10, 2016, 05:25:29 PM by Jim_Kennedy »
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John McCarthy

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #30 on: February 10, 2016, 07:31:59 PM »
This topic would make a good book.
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Bret Lawrence

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #31 on: February 10, 2016, 08:10:31 PM »
Sven:


Innis Arden in Old Greenwich, CT was built on the estate of J. Kennedy Tod.  I am not sure if he built the course exclusively for his own use, but it was open to members as early as 1899.  The club and location still exists today.  The original course was laid out by J. Kennedy Tod.


Ethel Walker is an all girls school which still exists in Simsbury, CT.  The school purchased the old Stewart Dodge estate around 1916-1917.  The Dodge estate had been unused for at least five years before the school purchased the property.  I do not have any information on the Ethel Walker golf course, but if it were named Ethel Walker it would have most likely been associated with the school and not the private estate. Today, there is no longer a golf course on the property.


Bret
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Jim_Kennedy

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #32 on: February 10, 2016, 09:34:18 PM »
 Nathan Hofheimer Estate - Warrenville, NJ. He was one of the original founders of General Motors Corp.
The estate covered hundreds of acres and it had a private course in 1917. Today the Warrenbrook Golf Course occupies some of the grounds.
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I think that The Orchards in Ma. was originally an estate course built by Joseph Skinner for his daughter Elisabeth.     
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The original Grafton Golf Club was a private six hole (turn of the century to approximately World War One) golf course on the Harry Worcester Smith estate in Millbury/Grafton, Ma.
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Charles Sinclair's Cedar Crest was a 400 acre estate with gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and a 9- hole golf course.
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Lexington Plantation, Wando, SC - Henrietta Hartford, widow of Edward V. Hartford, had a nine hole golf course on her plantation. She had a lot of work done on the grounds, all planned by the Olmsted firm, ca. 1930. In the late '40s the place was sold to Georgia Pacific / Destination Wild Dunes.  In 1991 the Scratch Gold Company acquired the property and developed Dunes West Golf Club ( a buddy of mine lives there).  The clubhouse for Dunes West was built on the site of the 32 room house she had built (It mysteriously burned down in the early '40s).   
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William C. Whitney, former Sec'y of the Navy, had a golf course on his estate at Wheatley Hills, LI, in 1903. There was also a mile long race track, a steeplechase course, gymnasium, squash courts, and a 175' windmill on the property.
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ca. 1910  - James B.Taylor, Jericho NY estate course
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ca. 1900 - The Great Island  estate course of Charles B. Cory -  Yarmouth, Ma.
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ca. 1930 - Will Rogers estate course - on his Santa Monica, Ca. ranch.
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ca. 1915 - -Charles Swift - Detroit railway man - had a 9 hole course laid out for him by A. G. Lockwood at his 435 acre Grosse Point Estate (named after his home town in Michigan), Lake Champlain, VT.



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Miss Emma Durkee married Colonel Chauncey Benton Humphrey and they made their home at "Namkhe", the Durkee estate at East Patcogue, LI.  The golf course was already there when they moved in, June 1927.
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Charles Francis Murphy - known as "Silent Charlie" - Tammany Hall boss - had a six hole course built on his estate in Good Ground, LI (part of Southampton) in 1905.
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ca. 1900/10 -  Theodore N. Vail - Bell/AT&T - a private course on his 1,500 acre "Sleepwell" farm/estate in Lyndon, VT, home of Lyndon State College today.
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ca. 1907 - James Boyd Sr. - a private course on his 1,600 acre estate in Weymouth Heights, Southern Pines, NC.
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ca. 1911 - Mortimer Fleishacker - A private sourse on his 46 acre property near Woodside/Redwood City, Ca, said to be as large as the course at Burlingame CC in Hillsborough.
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ca. 1922 - Ralph Hart - a private course of 8 holes on his farm, four miles south of Cunningham, KS. 
 

« Last Edit: February 16, 2016, 10:17:41 AM by Jim_Kennedy »
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Ed Homsey

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #33 on: February 10, 2016, 09:55:13 PM »
Sven--

Your New York State list includes a course on the Donald Woodward estate, in Le Roy, NY (not Batavia).  I cannot find the reference that refers to Thomas Winton as the person who designed the first 9 holes that opened in 1931.  The course was expanded to 18 holes a few years later by Donald Woodward's sister, Mr. Helen W. Rivas.  From the beginning, the course was called the Le Roy Golf Club, and was open to the public.  I have an article that includes the layout of the 18 hole course.  Unfortunately, there is no date on the article.  The course is now known as the Le Roy Country Club, and it remains a popular attraction for golfers in the region. 

The Woodward family was one of the early patent medicine producers in Le Roy.  In the early 1900s, the patriarch of the family purchased the recipe for what became known as Jell-O. Donald stayed with the patent medicine business, and continued with his inclination for interesting ventures, including "Barn Golf".
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HarryBrinkerhoffDoyleIV_aka_Barry

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2016, 10:23:53 PM »
<REMOVED>
« Last Edit: July 08, 2019, 03:36:21 PM by HarryBrinkerhofDoyleIVakaBarry »
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Pat Burke

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #35 on: February 11, 2016, 01:06:38 AM »
I guess Sanctuary in Colorado is not an estate course, but was
Only used for charity outings and private playground?

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Chuck Glowacki

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #36 on: February 11, 2016, 07:50:31 AM »
3 Ponds, Bridgehamton, NY (across the street from Atlantic GC)
Design: Rees Jones
On market for 60 million
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Mike Wagner

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #37 on: February 11, 2016, 08:50:53 AM »
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Jim Sherma

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #38 on: February 11, 2016, 09:12:50 AM »
Milton Hershey had a 9 hole private course between his mansion and the original plant. As the plant expands the course had the number of holes reduced. Eventually he had Maurice McCarthy design an 18 hole course and using his mansion as the club house created the current Hershey Country Club with McCarthy's course being the Current West course.

Some background:


About 1908-1909 Milton Hershey oversaw the construction of a nine-hole course located between the Factory and Mansion Rd., off of E. Chocolate Ave.  An early edition of the Hershey Press (1915) described the original 9-hole links:

“Golf seems to be taking a deeper hold on the Hershey community.  Many of our visitors are inquiring about the well-kept facilities visible from the highway (Chocolate Avenue).  The present golf course is built around the private grounds of Mr. M.S. Hershey, a generous estate, permitting the laying out of a 9-hole course, with a variety of grades, foliage and streams.  For five years, this beautiful course has been built up until the greens are in perfect condition.”   

“Two years ago (1913) this 9-hole course was placed under the charge of Edward Dearie, Jr.  It was Mr. Dearie who built up the course at Montclair, New Jersey on the Hereshoff Estate, one of the finest private 18-hole golf courses in America.  Dearie’s last two years of tutelage were under the late Willie Anderson, four times Open Champion of the United States.  Upon coming to Hershey, Mr. Dearie revised and rearranged the course layout, bringing it to its present peak of perfection.”

As the factory expanded, the golf course shrunk to 5-6 holes.  In the late 1920s, Milton Hershey, decided to lay out an eighteen-hole course.  For its site, he chose Pat’s Hill, where he planned to build a large hotel in the next few years.  The project was turned over to Harry N. Herr, engineer for much of the town’s infrastructure.  Though he had never designed a golf course, Herr proceeded to lay out an exceeding difficult course for the steep and hilly terrain on Pat’s Hill.  However, before construction could commence, Milton Hershey met with Maurice McCarthy, a nationally known golf architect.  Hershey took him to view the proposed course on Pat’s Hill.  McCarthy discouraged its construction, suggesting that it was better suited for mountain goats rather than people.  McCarthy was ultimately hired to develop two courses.  The first was for the new Hershey Country Club (The current West course), incorporating the land of the original 9-hole course.  The second course was the Hershey Park Golf Course (The NLE Hershey Parkview course).
« Last Edit: February 11, 2016, 10:00:36 AM by Jim Sherma »
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John Sabino

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #39 on: February 11, 2016, 09:30:16 AM »
Sven - Great research and effort, thanks for putting together. One additional course in New York was the Whitelaw Reid Private Course located in Purchase. The Reid's made their fortune from the Herald Tribune.


John
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Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #40 on: February 15, 2016, 11:45:39 AM »
Here's an Oct./Nov. 2006 Met Golfer piece on a few of the courses mentioned above - http://www.mgagolf.org/sites/default/files/6810_1_mg_quirkycourses.pdf.

I'm slowly updating the list in the first thread, and hope to get all of the courses noted so far in the thread included.  If anyone has any dates for courses they've noted, please include them.

The Du Pont portfolio of courses remains a bit of a mystery to my, in that I have a hard time figuring out which courses survived, which were replaced by later layouts and which have just disappeared.  There's even an old article noting that Bendelow had been hired to build a course for them, for which I can find no record of it ever having been completed.

Sven
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Jeff Bergeron

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #41 on: February 15, 2016, 08:23:41 PM »
Stoneycroft Hills Club, Bloomfield Hills MI, Ted McManus family
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Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #42 on: February 18, 2016, 10:04:32 AM »
Breaking these down by state post by post and adding in articles and other information where available.  Please feel free to contribute anything you might have that adds to the story.

California

Charles Cadwell Moore Private Course (Santa Cruz) - Unknown

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford Private Course (Rancho Santa Fe) - Unknown

Harold Lloyd Estate GC (Beverly Hills) - W. Bell

-Golf Illustrated July 1927


-From Golf Architecture In America


Isaac Hillman Private Course (San Leandro) - Bendelow

-The San Francisco Call Jan. 6, 1912


Mortimer Fleishecker Private Course (Woodside/Redwood City) - Unknown

Sunnyland aka Walter Annenberg Estate Course (Rancho Mirage) - Wilson

Will Rogers Private Course (Santa Monica) - Unknown
« Last Edit: February 23, 2016, 12:41:46 PM by Sven Nilsen »
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #43 on: February 18, 2016, 10:18:25 AM »
Connecticut

Alexander Pope Private Course (Farmington) - Unknown

Dr. Edwin Smith Estate Course lka South Wilton GC (South Wilton) - Bendelow

-New York Tribune March 16, 1898


-Boston Evening Transcript March 19, 1898


Ethel Walker Private Course (Simsbury) - Unknown

Harkness Estate Private Course (New London) - Stiles & Van Kleek

Hob Nob Hill GC aka Fulton Estate GC (Salisbury) - Emmet/Tull

Judge William Travers Jerome Estate Course (Lakeville) - Unknown

Louis Stoner Private Course (West Hartford) - O. Smith

Paul Block Private Course (Greenwich) - Stiles & Van Kleek

Rainford Private Course (Norwich) - Unknown
« Last Edit: February 23, 2016, 12:40:59 PM by Sven Nilsen »
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #44 on: February 18, 2016, 10:27:03 AM »
Delaware

H. F. Du Pont Private Course aka Du Pont CC (Wilmington) - Ross

H. F. Du Pont Private Course (Wilmington) - Reid

H. F. Du Pont Private Course aka Bidermann GC (Wilmington) - Emmet

I mentioned above the hiring of Bendelow to design a course for the du Ponts.  Here's the article (I'm not sure if this course was ever built):

Courier-Journal June 7, 1915

« Last Edit: February 23, 2016, 12:40:05 PM by Sven Nilsen »
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

BCrosby

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #45 on: February 18, 2016, 10:28:37 AM »
Sven -


Willy  Dunn built a course for the Carnegie family on Cumberland Island, GA circa 1900. It has long since disappeared, though one of the holes is now used as the island's landing strip. I recall reading that Dunn died not long afterwards, but I could have that wrong.


In any event, you might want to keep an eye out for info on the course.


Bob
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Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #46 on: February 18, 2016, 10:30:11 AM »
District of Columbia

Charles Corby Private Course (DC) - Unknown

Friendship GC aka E. B. McLean Private Course (DC) - Flynn/Connellan

-Golf Illustrated April 1921

« Last Edit: February 23, 2016, 12:39:32 PM by Sven Nilsen »
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #47 on: February 18, 2016, 10:34:02 AM »
Quote from: BCrosby on February 18, 2016, 10:28:37 AM
Sven -


Willy  Dunn built a course for the Carnegie family on Cumberland Island, GA circa 1900. It has long since disappeared, though one of the holes is now used as the island's landing strip. I recall reading that Dunn died not long afterwards, but I could have that wrong.


In any event, you might want to keep an eye out for info on the course.


Bob


Bob:


Not sure how that one slipped through the cracks.  I have a 1904 article discussing the course which I'll post later.


As discussed in other recent threads, Dunn lived well past the creation of Cumberland Island.  Around that time he suffered a serious head injury, but returned to the design business in the late teens and early 20's (mostly small town courses in the West).


Sven
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #48 on: February 18, 2016, 10:40:11 AM »
Illinois

Clyde Private Course (Clyde) - Unknown

Mill Road Farm GC aka Alfred Lasker Estate Course (Lake Forest) - Flynn & Toomey
« Last Edit: February 23, 2016, 12:38:59 PM by Sven Nilsen »
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Sven Nilsen

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Re: The Estate Courses
« Reply #49 on: February 18, 2016, 10:44:25 AM »
Indiana

Hazelden CC aka George Ade Private Course (Brook) - Bendelow

-Goodland Herald Nov. 20, 1915



-Golf Illustrated Nov. 1923





« Last Edit: February 23, 2016, 12:38:37 PM by Sven Nilsen »
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"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross
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