History of Chicago Golf Club

[Eric LeFante]

A good article from Dan Moore about CB Macdonald and the history of Chicago Golf Club.


Macdonald's letter to the club telling them their original course is no good is quite direct.

The article mentions the Old Course played in reverse order vs today. I wonder if that was the predominant way to play it back then or if they just did on occasion?

The second link is to pictures of the course. The picture of the 10th green with two thumb prints is pretty cool.




http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2018/u-s--senior-women-s-open/articles/macdonald-s-architectural-genius-shines-at-chicago-golf-club.html

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2018/u-s--senior-women-s-open/galleries/course-overview.html#expanded

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Nice write up by Dan Moore

[Nigel Islam]

Yeah that was pretty cool

[PCCraig]

The photo tour is terrific.

[Terry Lavin]

An amazing layout on relatively mundane terrain.

[MCirba]

Nice work, Dan Moore.


It is a testimony to how quickly golf course architectural thinking was shifting in this country that Macdonald fairly lambasted his creation at Chicago a mere decade or so after creating it.  I believe that statement is rather telling of Macdonald's own self-garnered architectural education and resultant evolution in his thinking during this period.

[Sven Nilsen]

Mike:


I'm not so sure that MacDonald was lambasting his own early design as he was the changes made to the course in the preceding 20+ years.  Most of that work was by the hand of either Jim or David Foulis, and included (probably amongst other work):


Jan. 1899 - Alterations made to 17 holes
March 1900 - Course lengthened by 200 yards by Jim Foulis
Nov. 1904 - Hazards readjusted, including Jim Foulis lowering the traps
Dec. 1906 - Changes to bunkers on a few holes
Sept. 1909 - Course lengthened by 129 yards over the last year
April 1910 - Radical changes by David Foulis to increase the length to 6,800 yards


The letter could also have been in response to the club having conferred in 1916 with Walter Travis about restoring its greens.  It was, after all, MacDonald's course.


Sven

[MCirba]

Sven,

You raise some really interesting points to consider.

I read his statement as both decrying changes that have been made as ill-advised (tough to imagine him approving of anyone but Seth Raynor changing anything on his courses) as well as acknowledging that the fundamentals of the original course needed serious revamping.

Indeed, the course that he revised (with Raynor) in the early 20s was a pretty extensive makeover, with only six holes routed similarly to the original course and as Dan's article indicates, 16 new and 2 remodeled greens, as well as almost wholly new bunkering schemes.

I was unaware that Walter Travis was asked by the club in 1916 to restore their greens.   By that timeframe, Travis was probably the last person on earth that Macdonald would have wanted tinkering on one of his courses due to their personal falling-out in the early part of that decade.   I'd be keenly interested to hear any more of the details you may  know, thanks.

[Dan Moore]

Sven,

[/size][size=78%]Just months after hosting the USGA Open and Amateur in 1897, Macdonald was commenting the CGC course was not an ideal links. He wrote in the USGA Magazine in January 1898 "The ideal first class golf links has yet to be laid out in America." [/size]
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]I think what he was saying in 1917 was that the "Old" layout in Chicago had not kept pace with the evolution of architecture. At that time it was still old school with rampart cross bunkers, etc and had been surpassed by any number of newer courses on the east coast.  [/size]
[/size]

[Sven Nilsen]

Dan:

What do you think he meant by the phrase "ideal links?"

In any case, I'd put a bit more stock in his mention of the club not having followed his suggestions on updating the course.


And the way he stated that quote makes it sure sound like he thought the course had been one of the better courses in the country at some point.

Sven

[Dan Moore]

Sven,


The rest of the 1898 quote mentions needing to have 18 holes, sandy soil, states Long Island is a natural links, the proper distance between holes, the shrewd placement of bunkers and other hazards, the perfecting of putting greens. All must be evolved by a process of growth and it requires study and patience.


So even in 1898 while still living in Chicago he had his eye on "the ideal first class links" on sand and on Long Island.   


CBM clearly felt CGC was one of the 2 or 3 best courses in the US at the time.  By 1917 he felt quite differently. 

[Peter Pallotta]

Ah, God bless CBM
It's hard not to be a little nostalgic for his assured dogmatism.
The ideal golf course.
He doesn't say a playable golf course, or a beautiful one, or a challenging, or 'modern', or fun or fair golf course.
It's an ideal one, as if the golf course itself - as golf course - was all that mattered, or at least that the golfer's experience of that golf course was secondary.
Sure, we can assume that in aiming for an ideal course CBM believed that some other qualities (above) would be there too.
But still - that deep seated and seemingly unshakable belief that if you built golf holes along classic lines and fundamental principles a great golf course would result is a charming quality in the man.

Peter
(PS - thanks Dan for an informative and enjoyable read)   
 

[Ed Homsey]

The 9/9/1915 Board minutes from Chicago Golf Club state:"On motion made, seconded and unanimously carried, Mr. Travis of the Garden City Club was invited to come to the Chicago Golf Club as a guest in order that he might give us the benefit of his knowledge acquired during many years as keepr of Garden City greens."  In the November 1916 issue of The American Golfer,  the following is reported, "On his way home, Mr. Travis conferred with officials of the Chicago Golf Club regarding plans to restore the putting greens, which this year have not been up to their usual grade."  Travis had been on a trip to Milwaukee "regarding a radical rebuilding" of the Milwaukee Country Club course.

[MCirba]

Thanks, Ed.


Interesting.

[Ian Andrew]

An amazing layout on relatively mundane terrain.

I keep reading this and don't agree. There's far more undulation than I expected.
And its used really effectively in places.

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

In a 1941 letter to the chairman of the 50th anniversary committee at Chicago Golf Club, H.J Whigam wrote that Raynor used only one existing hole when renovating the course, "the short hole across the pond," and that Raynor made substantial alterations to it, as well.


Anthony

[Terry Lavin]

An amazing layout on relatively mundane terrain.

I keep reading this and don't agree. There's far more undulation than I expected.
And its used really effectively in places.

Reasonable minds can differ. There is a nice tilt and natural undulation to the property but not a heck of a lot of elevation change. I’ve played the course maybe 20 times and am consistently amazed at the challenge presented by shots into the greens and the limitless hole locations that fairly compel three putts. I once saw Jeff Rude, formerly of Golfweek, putt what looked to be an easy two putt into the front greenside bunker on the tenth hole.

[Dan Moore]

In a 1941 letter to the chairman of the 50th anniversary committee at Chicago Golf Club, H.J Whigam wrote that Raynor used only one existing hole when renovating the course, "the short hole across the pond," and that Raynor made substantial alterations to it, as well.


Anthony

Interesting he would put it that way. Raynor rebuilt all the greens (in a memo from the time of construction, the club considered two to have been remodeled, 10 and 14), plowed and regrassed all the fairways, and rebunkered all the holes.  Some bunkers were rebuilt in place and some of the original Foulis mounding was retained as well, most notably on the 8th and 17th holes.  He also incorporated the tee, fairway and green locations of the 1st, 10th, 14th (with fairway expanded to the right), 17th and 18th holes, more or less as they were, from the original layout into the new design.  The 15th is very similar as well but the green was moved back 40-50 yards.

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Dan:


I know. Not sure if his memory failed him but I found that interesting.


The CGC historian told me that 1, 7-9, 17-18 also used the much of the existing hole features whether it be green location or fairway bunkering.


AP