Reunderstanding Ross

[Bret Lawrence]

Sven:


I have also seen Herbert Strong's name mentioned in connection with two new courses at Indian Spring near Washington DC, shortly after the Ross course was opened for play.




Here is another article to add to the first Indian Spring course, designed by Donald Ross.  You have an article from 1922 (earlier in this thread) that was a follow-up to this article. Your article mentioned Harrison was also called in and one more of Ross' foreman to make sure they finished the course on time.




Bret

[Craig Disher]

While he was forming the club, the owner, Tom Moore, purchased land across the street to protect the golf course from development he considered undesirable. From the article, it appears he considered building an additional course. Actually, he decided to develop the land with residential real estate. In 1923, some property just to the west of IS was purchased by Argyle CC which constructed a 9-hole course that was sold to the county in 1945 when the club moved to a larger site. It's possible the Argyle course was built on part of the land mentioned in the article.

[Sven Nilsen]

Two additional Ross projects that seemingly never took off.


First, a development in Asheville known as Stradley Mountain Park touted plans for an 18 hole Ross course.  There was a very short-lived real estate boom in Asheville around this time, with salesmen using all of the tricks of the trade to move lots.  A lawsuit filed by some  purchasers notes the sales team ringing sirens and shouting out sales to dupe buyers into thinking the number of lots available were running out.  The boom eventually petered out, with Stradley Mountain Park being a prime example of the unfulfilled promises made by many of the developers.


June 13, 1926 Knoxville Journal -





Second, a club planned for the College Park neighborhood between Johnson City and Elizabethton, TN.  Before going bankrupt in 1930, the project was dubbed Shelby Hills Country Club.


Sept. 12, 1929 Johnson City Chronicle -







Oct. 14, 1929 Kingsport Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Chattanooga Golf & Country Club is noted in the 1920 listing above as a new 18 hole Ross course.  The club started with a 9 hole course laid out by W. V. Hoare in 1897 which was expanded to 18 holes in 1909. 

I have found nothing linking Ross to CG&CC, and none of the Ross archives have any information on what he did there.  Ross did not include the course in his own listing of work.

What I have found is another course (like Cherokee) where H. H. Barker predated Ross' arrival, this time rearranging the course in 1914/15.  The length given for the Barker course (6,390 yards) matches up with the yardage given in all of the Annual Guides throughout the 1920's.

Dec. 22, 1914 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Feb. 4, 1915 Chattanooga Daily Times -





Feb. 1915 Golfers Magazine -




If anyone has any information on what Ross did at CG&CC and when he did it, I'd love to see it.

[Sven Nilsen]

As a followup to the previous post, when the city of Chattanooga built the Brainerd municipal course, Ross was the first choice as architect.  In the article below discussing plans for his engagement, there is a brief mention of work Ross had done in the South.  What is missing is any reference to any work he had recently done in Chattanooga. 


It seems like a new course for the country club in town supposedly done 5 years earlier would have been mentioned.


May 8, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

A quick followup on Metacomet.  As noted above in the thread, the club's new course when built in 1919 was laid out by Willie Park, with Ross coming in a number of years later to do some significant work.  The article below notes that Ross was also considered by the club to do the work that eventually went to Park.


Nov. 16, 1917 Fall River Globe -

[Sven Nilsen]

Copied below are a series of articles on the development of the Chattanooga Municipal Golf Course, aka Brainerd Golf Course.  The offshoot of these revelations is that the Brainerd course may not have actually had the involvement of Ross himself, rather being a Walter Hatch project under the Donald Ross company umbrella.

The first article describes the efforts to start a new private club to be known as the Brainerd G&CC and shows the plans for an 18 hole course.

Feb. 17, 1924 Chattanooga Daily Times -



The impetus for the new club seems to have died on the vine, as around a year later the same site was being considered for a new municipal course with Walter Hatch visiting to give his opinion on the location.

May 8, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



May 24, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



May 28, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



The subsequent reports on the planning and construction of the course note the involvement of Hatch, noting he was serving as a representative of the Donald Ross company.  I haven't found anything that directly links Ross himself to the project.

June 16, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



June 17, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Aug. 19, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Aug. 28, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Sept. 10, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Sept. 11, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Feb. 18, 1926 Chattanooga Daily Times -



April 21, 1926 Chattanooga Daily Times -



Feb. 20, 1927 Chattanooga Daily Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

A couple of additional articles on Cedar Rapids, including information that Ross first visited the club in 1914. 

Nov. 3, 1914 The Gazette -



March 4, 1915 The Gazette -

[Sven Nilsen]

We all know Lookout Mountain as a Raynor course, with his plans for the course first being put on display in November of 1925.  However, in August of that year the club was considering hiring Ross. 

Combined with the articles above regarding the Brainerd course and Ross' seeming non-involvement with the project, one wonders if there's more to the story.

Aug. 5, 1925 Chattanooga Daily Times -

[Sven Nilsen]

Below is a 1921 article on the CC of Mobile, noting the course was laid out by Donald Ross and detailing plans to enhance each hole in honor of a particular old member.  The article isn't included because it adds any new information, but rather for the following quote which describes an era as well as reminds us that the prose of yesteryear had a bit more flavor.

"Some soul with a long memory has suggested the Anheuser-Busch as the appropriate decoration for the nineteenth hole, though this variety is said to be extinct."

Jan. 9, 1921 Chattanooga Daily News -

[Sven Nilsen]

A quick article noting Ross as a radio star.

July 24, 1926 Boston Globe -

[Sven Nilsen]

Some followup articles on Kenosha CC.


March 15, 1920 Kenosha Evening News -






Feb. 19, 1921 Kenosha News -





Sept. 29, 1922 Kenosha Evening News -

[Sven Nilsen]

Charlotte CC (aka Mecklenburg CC is covered in detail earlier in the thread, with Ross revising the existing 9 hole course and adding 9 new holes in 1913, making suggestions on trapping in 1920, and adding an additional 9 holes in 1945.

Ross was also engaged to rework the course in 1940 in anticipation of the club possibly hosting the US Open.

March 31, 1940 Charlotte Observer -

[Sven Nilsen]

Two followup articles on Holston Hills.

June 28, 1926 Knoxville News-Sentinel -



July 14, 1926 Knoxville News -

[BCrosby]

Sven - Again, thanks for these.


I note the reference in the Knoxville News-Sentinel (6.28.26) to the "famous" Ross course in Atlanta - Druid Hills!!! Another instance where the dog-didn't-bark. The more famous course in Atlanta at the time would have been East Lake, Bobby Jones' home course.


These sorts of cross-references come up from time to time in the 1920's. New Ross projects want to establish Ross's bona fides by noting his well-known courses. I have yet to find a cross-reference (before the 1930's) to East Lake as a Ross course. Lots of other courses are mentioned, but no EL.


Interestingly, the scant evidence we have of DR's work at EL comes from a brief passage in the American Golfer that says Ross did a bunker plan for both EL and Druid Hills. That's pretty much it. (Druid Hills today calls itself a H.H. Barker course, which I think more accurately reflects what went on there.)


The divergent paths taken by the design attributions of the two courses is curious.


Bob     


 

[David Harshbarger]

I note the reference in the Knoxville News-Sentinel (6.28.26) to the "famous" Ross course in Atlanta - Druid Hills!!! Another instance where the dog-didn't-bark. The more famous course in Atlanta at the time would have been East Lake, Bobby Jones' home course.

Great reference to Mr. Doyle. 

[Sven Nilsen]

Woodland was covered earlier in the thread with respect to the 1903 and 1928 work.


Ross was also here around 1912 supervising alterations.


June 8, 1912 Boston Evening Transcript -

[Sven Nilsen]

To: Sven Nilsen and all students of Donald Ross,
Re:  Hyannisport Club
In 1930-32, Donald J. Ross Associates delivered a routing map, field notes, hole sketches, and green sketches for the reconstruction of the golf course at the Hyannisport Club, and these documents appear to be the work of Walter Irving Johnson.  However, I cannot find any information regarding a visit(s) by Donald Ross to Hyannis Port.  Can anyone help me with this dilemma?
Thanks,  Bill Healy

Bill:


My apologies, as I owe you a response to your email (its been a busy couple of months).  I don't have anything specific linking Ross to Hyannisport, but if anything pops up I'll pass it on. 


The 1930-32 timing is interesting (and it should be noted the DRS lists 1936), as this would have been towards the tail end of Johnson's work with Ross, with the depression putting a dent in the work he was able to provide his associates.  On one hand, Johnson was known to be Ross's primary draftsman, so there's a good chance any plans drawn up by Johnson originated in Ross's original notes and sketches.  On the other hand, at this point Johnson had already done his own design work at Potowomut. 


If forced to guess, if the items were delivered under the Donald Ross & Associates name, Ross probably had a good bit of involvement.  Even late in his career, he was still making site visits, and Hyannisport was in his stomping grounds.


Sven

An update on Hyannisport.  A big gap in the record was evidence of who expanded the course from 9 to 18 holes.


The article below suggests it was Ross.


July 30, 1913 Boston Evening Transcript -

[Tommy Williamsen]

I reread Brad Klein's book on Ross this summer. It is a great read.


https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Donald-Ross-Architect-Courses/dp/1886947554

[Sven Nilsen]

I reread Brad Klein's book on Ross this summer. It is a great read.


https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Donald-Ross-Architect-Courses/dp/1886947554

Brad's book was published nearly 20 years ago.  There has been quite a lot discovered about Ross since then.


All the best,


Sven

[Sven Nilsen]

A few of the Wendell Miller plans posted on the compilation thread from Ross courses.


Dearborn CC -






Oak Hill CC (NY) -






Granville Inn Golf Course -






Oakwood CC -





Rackham GC -





Portsmouth CC -

[Sven Nilsen]

One of the Wendell Miller plans presented a bit of a surprise.


The Evansville CC plan notes "Golf Course Layout by Donald Ross and Leonard Macomber.  The Ross notation is new to me.  I have seen articles discussing Macomber constructing the course.

[Bill Healy]

Thanks to Sven Nilsen for his abiding interest in Donald Ross and Ross design golf courses.
As Brad Tufts notes, the story of Oakley CC and Donald Ross is fascinating.
I am writing the history of Oakley, and the Club is proud of the fact that Oakley was the first stop for Donald Ross on a long and distinguished career in golf course design.
When Donald Ross arrived at Oakley in March 1899, he found an 18 hole Willie Campbell design golf course, which was the first 18 hole golf course in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Remarkably, the new links, which allegedly played to 5225 yards, was squeezed onto 71 acres of leased and purchased land on Strawberry Hill in Watertown, MA.
Between 1899 and 1910, Ross redesigned the golf course several times to accommodate loss of leased land and acquisition of new land.
Donald Ross improved the playing conditions by clearing trees, removing stumps, adding sand to the heavy organic soil, removing fences, rock walls, and foundations which served as hazards, and installing drainage.
He improved the routing and the hole designs by eliminating several long green to tee walks, adding doglegs, and taking advantage of natural inclinations on the hillside.
He improved the greens by adding slopes and undulations, piping the greens, and rolling he turf.
He eliminated several quirky and unsafe golf holes.
Ross added length to a maximum of 6095 yards in 1915.
In 2021, Oakley lays at 6009 yards on a, 88+ acre property.
I look forward to learning more about Oakley during the next year.
Bill Healy

[Sven Nilsen]

Wentworth-by-the-Sea GC in Portsmouth, NH is included in the 1921 listing above.  The plan included notes what I think is a date of 1921 which coincides with the DRS listing of a 1921 remodel.


But Ross was there earlier updating the original 1897 layout.


June 27, 1909 Boston Herald -





June 29, 1909 Portsmouth Herald -

[Sven Nilsen]

An update for the 1926 listing for the Congress Lake Club.


Nov. 12, 1929 Akron Beacon Journal -