Inglewood G&CC - near Seattle

[Jeff_Mingay]

Inglewood has a remarkable architectural history and lineage. It's Macan's second 18-hole golf course design (circa 1919), following Royal Colwood in Victoria, B.C. (1913). Along with Royal Colwood, Inglewood was pioneering effort in golf architecture in the Northwest that help set a pretty lofty and important standard in the region. Macan's routing is outstanding, making excellent, lay-of-the-land use of a challenging property on high ground overlooking the northern tip of Lake Washington. It was a spectacular site that's been toned down over the years by surrounding development and tree planting/growth, unfortunately.


Of all the Macan courses I'm currently working on, Inglewood Golf Club has the best, most extensive archive, too: Great ground level historic photos and aerials, and a consulting report written by Macan in 1949 (30 years after he originally designed the course!). My plan is very much influenced and inspired by those historic materials, and Macan's philosophy and style in general. The restorative-based work we've done at the 3rd and 4th holes is really exciting; a fact supported by the polarizing reaction of the membership to some of the restored features. We're scheduled to start more in spring 2017. But, as Brad says, time will tell what happens moving forward. In any event, Inglewood's potential is huge.

[Steve_Lovett]

Inglewood has a remarkable architectural history and lineage. It's Macan's second 18-hole golf course design (circa 1919), following Royal Colwood in Victoria, B.C. (1913). Along with Royal Colwood, Inglewood was pioneering effort in golf architecture in the Northwest that help set a pretty lofty and important standard in the region. Macan's routing is outstanding, making excellent, lay-of-the-land use of a challenging property on high ground overlooking the northern tip of Lake Washington. It was a spectacular site that's been toned down over the years by surrounding development and tree planting/growth, unfortunately.


Of all the Macan courses I'm currently working on, Inglewood Golf Club has the best, most extensive archive, too: Great ground level historic photos and aerials, and a consulting report written by Macan in 1949 (30 years after he originally designed the course!). My plan is very much influenced and inspired by those historic materials, and Macan's philosophy and style in general. The restorative-based work we've done at the 3rd and 4th holes is really exciting; a fact supported by the polarizing reaction of the membership to some of the restored features. We're scheduled to start more in spring 2017. But, as Brad says, time will tell what happens moving forward. In any event, Inglewood's potential is huge.

Jeff,


I've seen Inglewood since your work on the 3rd hole has been completed. It's a massive improvement and a super fun, dicey little par-4. Is it true that the 2nd and 15th holes may both have been long par 4's? 


What are your thoughts on the 18th hole, and how is it possible to make what's there in the spirit of Macan - or to take the land and pond as they are and turn it into something appropriate?


I hope the membership will have the courage to restore the course to reflects Macan's original vision. It would create exceptional added value for the club in my opinion and would position Inglewood as one of the Northwest's absolute best golf courses/clubs.


All my best,
Steve

[Jeff_Mingay]

Thanks Steve.


I think the 15th has always been a par 5. But it seems the 2nd (which was originally the 11th; the nines have been revered as well) might have been designed as a par 4. There was a somewhat bizarre "ant hill" tee at the 2nd in the old days that looks like it was at or near fairway elevation. Golfers walked across a suspension bridge from that tee to the fairway, which would make it a shorter hole than today's par 5 2nd. There's a historic photo of that "ant hill" tee and the bridge in the clubhouse.


The 18th is one of seven non-original greens that my plan suggests to "restore". Ideally, in the process of "restoring" the 18th, we would replace the rock wall with a grass bank on the pond side. As Brad's mentioned, the pond is a necessity these days to store irrigation water, which is fine. A grass bank would make the finishing hole that much better, simply relative to restoring an appropriate look and feel at the 18th hole to match the rest of the course and its design pedigree.


 

[Charles Lund]

I played there in high school in the early 60s.  Recall the old tee box on #2 with bridge.  #15 also had a bridge.  Both bridges were gone by 1978.  #2 tee was lower area behind #1 green.   

Have fond memories playing there from 1978 to around 1982. 

Didn't play for close to 20 years. 

Would like to play course again, sometime between late April and early October.

Charles Lund

[Joe Zucker]

I was fortunate to play Inglewood last week on "Casual Play Day" put on by the Washington State Golf Association.  And as luck would have it, I was paired up with another GCA member, making for a fun experience. 


Overall, it is a fantastic course that plays much wider than pretty much everything I have seen in Pacific Northwest.  There are large trees everywhere, but it doesn't encroach on play very much.  As others in the thread mentioned, the tree clearing will hopefully continue to open up more space to highlight the strategy needed to navigate some tough greens.


The only negative thing I can say about the course is the houses on all sides.  The property lines are oddly shaped in a few spots (holes 11-13) to jut out away from the rest of the course.  This adds a lot more real estate for houses bordering the course which detract from the feel of the place, but they do not crowd the course too much.  I was surprised to see this on an old course that I assume was in the middle of nowhere 100 years ago.


The best holes on the course in my opinion are 10 and 17.  The uphill 10th seems like it would be a tough approach regardless of how many times you've played the course.  The shallow green and steep bank behind the green call for a very precise shot.  The approach on 17 essentially forces the player to bounce the ball onto the green the little ridge a few yards short of the surface can kick a ball anywhere.  I think this approach would constantly cause players to second guess their club selection even if this is a home course.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to see the course again, it was a blast.

[V_Halyard]

New post to this old thread.

Had the pleasure of playing Inglewood yesterday and would echo the thoughts here. A less publicly trumpeted track but far from a sleeper to Seattle locals. Also had the pleasure of spending time with a local pal as well as the club's historian who gave a tour of the old club and added insight into the progress of the restoration and reclamation of width. The photos show that the site was originally semi-treeless with some strategic trees. It is visually (and cardiovascular-ly) exhilerating.
The chronology of photos show that Jeff's team reclaimed needed width and shot values. From my perspective, it appears that J Mingay may have surmounted interesting political minefields. However achieved, the results were enjoyable and strategically challenging.

During the walk (and carry.."Pant... Pant") up the opening dual Par 5's, I wondered if I would end up in the Cascades. The target/flighted shot oriented par 3's and two of the more strategic par 4's were my favorites. The blind tee shot to the to the #4 green from an elevated fairway over a "moat" was deceptively long for a downhill approach. I benefited from some local assistance navigating the side hill fairways on #5 and other holes such as the wind swirled tight par 3 #12 benefited from Local assistance. Also needed some local targeting input on the long uphill par 5 #13. The local knowledge helped me to enjoy the surprisingly fair subtlety of what is a big multi-teir green.

Not being from the area, I can only assume that the proximity of the homes to the fairway, built during a "variety" of architectural periods, mutes some of the hype. From a strategic play perspective, it was most enjoyable and one assumes that this is a player's club. As is the case across the country, the height of the canopy would benefit from freshly sharpened and well oiled chainsaw work but the course and Jeff's work deserves positive reviews. Those interested in architecture and shot values would enjoy playing here everyday.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Thanks for your post, Mr. Halyard. I'm glad you enjoyed Inglewood, it is a special place and a fine course: a pioneering effort by A.V. Macan dating back to the pre-1920 era.


We certainly did "surmount interesting political minefields" to finally get started at Inglewood. But, the project now seems to be on a good track. We've completed work at fives holes, along with some tee and tree work, and are scheduled to get back to work at Inglewood in early October. This phase will include restoration of the par 4 10th, which will definitely be one of the most exciting holes to restore there.


Thanks for your compliment, and stay tuned.

[V_Halyard]

Thanks for your post, Mr. Halyard. I'm glad you enjoyed Inglewood, it is a special place and a fine course: a pioneering effort by A.V. Macan dating back to the pre-1920 era.


We certainly did "surmount interesting political minefields" to finally get started at Inglewood. But, the project now seems to be on a good track. We've completed work at fives holes, along with some tee and tree work, and are scheduled to get back to work at Inglewood in early October. This phase will include restoration of the par 4 10th, which will definitely be one of the most exciting holes to restore there.

Thanks for your compliment, and stay tuned.

Awesome. Big Fan! Will keep an ear and eye (an hopefully some clubs) on the work. Also, Call me Vaughn. "Mr. Halyard" makes me itch and look over my shoulder.      BTW, the photo history is fantastic. The whole "these trees have always been here" argument is thankfully DOA!  haha

[Charles Lund]

The member who hosted me last summer showed me lots of older photos.


My memory of Inglewood goes back to 1963, when I first played there.  Fir, cedar, and hemlock trees were dense and seemed quite high.  In the late 70s, there was quite a bit of tree removal, and subsequent blowdown the next year in a windstorm.


The issues for trees at Inglewood are similar to Capilano in Vancouver, built after massive harvesting of trees in the early 1900s.  At Capilano, it seemed like there was a lot of width, and there is ongoing tree work. 


At Fircrest in Tacoma, I played there in 1962 for a few days and a couple of years later in a high school match.  On holes four through seven, they had planted small firs.  I was back in the early 2000s, so trees in that area were much larger. There has been a large tree removal program there.


The same is true for Tacoma Golf and Country Club.


The issues for these four courses illustrate inevitable challenges for courses in the Pacific Northwest, whether trees are second growth or later plantings.  Thirty years makes a lot of difference.


Charles Lund

[V_Halyard]

The member who hosted me last summer showed me lots of older photos.


My memory of Inglewood goes back to 1963, when I first played there.  Fir, cedar, and hemlock trees were dense and seemed quite high.  In the late 70s, there was quite a bit of tree removal, and subsequent blowdown the next year in a windstorm.

The issues for trees at Inglewood are similar to Capilano in Vancouver, built after massive harvesting of trees in the early 1900s.  At Capilano, it seemed like there was a lot of width, and there is ongoing tree work. 

At Fircrest in Tacoma, I played there in 1962 for a few days and a couple of years later in a high school match.  On holes four through seven, they had planted small firs.  I was back in the early 2000s, so trees in that area were much larger. There has been a large tree removal program there.

The same is true for Tacoma Golf and Country Club.

The issues for these four courses illustrate inevitable challenges for courses in the Pacific Northwest, whether trees are second growth or later plantings.  Thirty years makes a lot of difference.


Charles Lund

Thank Charles. I am working on projects in Seattle and having to make peace with the massive firs.
They always win and scoff at any "80% air" chatter.
Learning to try to hit lots of shorter iron shots and hope the floor of the canopy is trimmed high enough to stand under and punch out. 

[Charles Lund]

The firs back in the 60s often had low hanging branches which restricted backswings.  The low branches had tended to die and break off or were removed, so that stymies and severely restricted backswings were less common.


Upon my visiting again last summer after a 35 year absence, it was clear that many firs had been removed. and there was a great deal of light and ventilation.


What struck me was playing the course with modern equipment.  Playing essentially from the same tees, I often hit close to the same club into par threes and hit similar irons into par fours.  Over a three year period in the early 80s, I probably played over 300 rounds there and I had interesting memories emerge during my time that day.


Fir, cedar, and hemlock trees are native to Western Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.  There was massive removal to create urban and suburban areas, along with harvesting of timber.  The older quality courses deal with how to balance natural growth and density with the character of the course over the lifetimes of current members, and the site as the architect encountered it.


So the trees are as much a part of the environment as rock outcroppings are to a desert course or dunes and native grass and wind are to a links course.   A certain amount of tree removal over time seems realistic, given how a given tree can change in 40 to 60 years.


Hope you enjoy your time in these parts.


Charles Lund

[V_Halyard]

So the trees are as much a part of the environment as rock outcroppings are to a desert course or dunes and native grass and wing are to a links course.   A certain amount of tree removal over time seems realistic, given how a given tree can change in 40 to 60 years.


Hope you enjoy your time in these parts.


Charles Lund

Thanks I am enjoying my time here. The sun came out today. People greeted it as if Santa arrived.

[Mike Wagner]

Played Inglewood yesterday with a good friend and we think a lot alike about the place.  It really is an incredible golf course.  Taking out somewhere between 500-1000 trees would make it unreal.  Restoring the 13th & 14th greens would be incredible as well.  There are so many views that are being blocked .. the clubhouse, Lake Washington .. it really is stunning when you come back after a while and realize how big and obstructive the trees have become.