Regarding the question about the Bells, here is an excerpt from our report dating back to 2008:
Legacy & History
The City of Alameda enjoys one of the few golf course facilities at which both William P. Bell and his son, William F. Bell, both contributed to the design. The Bells are significant in the development of golf in the Western U.S., having left their mark on numerous courses throughout California and neighboring states. At Alameda, the Bells completed work after WWII, transforming the City’s single 18-hole course into a 36-hole facility. The original design of the North Course (now known as the Earl Fry Course) is attributed to William J. Locke. An excerpt from “Alameda at Play—A Century of Public Parks and Recreation in a Bay Area City” (Alameda Recreation and Park Department; by Woodruff Minor) is as follows:
“There had been attempts to organize a golf club in Alameda as early as 1901. The most ambitious of these unrealized schemes was the Encinal Golf and Country Club, which proposed to build an 18-hole course at the western tip of Bay Farm Island in 1922. Two years later, one of the club’s promoters, Henry P. Martine, presented the City Council with a petition signed by several hundred Alamedans, requesting that the city establish a municipal golf course.”
The book’s authors go on to explain how a feasibility study was commissioned and then resulted in the City acquiring a site for the golf course in 1925. Barley was planted on the land to assist in leaching salts from the soil. A seven member Golf Commission was formed to guide the development. In October 1925 the Commission considered golf course architects. The decision was to engage William J. Locke of San Francisco to layout the course and supervise construction.
Ultimately 178 acres was appropriated by the City of Alemeda to fulfill the idea. The cost of the land was reported to be $125,920.16. The entire development cost was reported to be $270,670.26. The area now home to the courses was originally known as “Bay Farm Island.” Historical accounts note that the land was “wasted farmland” and subject to high tidewaters. to develop an 18-hole municipal golf course.
Locke’s plan was for a 6,281-yard course of 18-holes. The course was completed in 1927 after roughly two years of construction work. Accounts explain that eucalyptus trees were soon planted to shield the course from winds. Poor soils explain the choice of eucalyptus, which do moderately well in salty soils. At opening in 1927 the facility consisted of one 18-hole course know as the Alameda Municipal Golf Course.
Earl Fry, now the namesake for the original (north) course, was appointed the first golf professional shortly after the course opened. Fry remained the head professional until his death in 1964.
After WWII the city began planning for expansion of the golf course into two courses. Property was acquired south of the original course. William Park “Billy” Bell was contracted by the city to design the second course and figure out how to integrate the existing course. According to accounts, Bell worked with his son, William F. Bell to design the second course measuring 6,325-yards, par-72. The elder Bell passed away in 1953, leaving the business to his son. Some changes were necessary on the original course to attain one central location for a new clubhouse. The Bells made significant changes to the North Course and completed planning on the South Course prior to William P. Bell’s death. The integration of the South Course to the new clubhouse area was most likely left to the younger Bell to implement. Nine holes of the new South Course opened for play in 1956, three years after the death of William P. Bell.