I saw this thread a few days ago and decided to do some digging. I remember listening to the podcast on Talkin Golf History a few years ago.
I am based in Melbourne, Australia and in the course of researching the sandbelt courses I have come across some very useful maps and subdivision drawings. From experience, I can say that often subdivisional maps are regularly updated. I found an 1850s survey map of the sandbelt region which has annotations up until the 1980s.
I’ve looked at some of the available online material from Monterey County and I believe that the dates of the additions to the “Cheney” Map and the “1924 Map” fall within a certain timeframe.
The map draftsmanDouglas Howard was a resident of Pacific Grove and work for the Pacific Improvement Company prior to its liquidation in 1919. The 1920 Census recorded that he worked for the Monterey County Water Works which was owned by the Del Monte Properties Company. In the 1930 Census his industry of occupation was “Street Paring”.
The Cheney Map and the unannotated 1921 Map, the 1924 Map and the 1928 Map all have the same typeface and the 1924 and 1928 Maps indicate they were prepared by DMP Co. It appears that Howard drafted the 1921 map (using the US Topographical map as his base) to record the properties laid out in the Pebble Beach subdivision, as a kind of master plan. Sometime later this was overlaid by street layouts for the Monterey Peninsula Country Club subdivision, the Carmel Woods subdivision and some smaller subdivisions. Those street layouts were most likely added after the surveys of those subdivisions were completed.
I suspect they were added by Howard (or someone else within DMP Co) rather than Cheney, and that Cheney coloured in the streets.
CheneyIn 1923 DMP approached the Olmsted Brothers in relation to a proposal to prepare a Regional Plan for the Monterey Peninsula. The Olmsted Brothers provided a quote and recommended Charles Cheney as the city planning consultant. The proposal for such a plan required the agreement of all three townships (Pacific Grove, Monterey and Carmel) and it appears that the costs were considered excessive. The proposal did not proceed.
However, in March 1926 the City of Monterey engaged the Olmsted Brothers and Cheney to prepare a zoning and street plan and parks plan. The terms of Cheney’s involvement included that “he was not to do strictly engineering work such as surveying, contract drawings and specifications” but the City of Monterey would provide him with all surveys and maps, engineering drawings and data as he required.
Cheney completed his zoning and street plan, and the Olmsted Brothers the parks plan, in December 1926.
Cheney’s annotations on the Cheney Map include a dashed yellow line showing a proposed route for what is now known as the Holman Highway between Pacific Grove and Carmel. This was first proposed in late 1923 but met with opposition (including from DMP Co. as it passed over DMP’s land). The highway was approved in 1928 after rights of way were given by DMP Co, the US Military (for carriageway over part of the Presidio) and another landowner.
Narrowing the datesThe survey plans for the MPCC subdivision were filed with the Monterey Country Recorder in March 1925. We know that Raynor was on site and prepared the MPCC Dunes course layout in 1924 so its highly likely the routing of MPCC and the street plans were added at that time.
The key to ascertaining when the Cypress Point routing was added to the Cheney Plan lies in three survey plans held by Monterey County. The unannotated 1921 Map shows the original location of Seventeen Mile Drive which ran along the coast where the 15
th, 16
th and 17
th holes now play. The Drive must have been moved in order to accommodate holes 15 to 18. It was also moved closer to the ocean to accommodate the 13
th and 14
th holes. Samuel Morse later confirmed this in a letter in December 1927
In the attached extract of the Cheney Map I have coloured the original route in red. Cheney or someone else has coloured the revised route in blue. The key part of the route to highlight is that in the green box. The rerouting of this portion of the Seventeen Mile Drive affected plots of land either side of the Drive that had been sold to James Shewan several years earlier. (The rerouting of the Drive also allowed the creation of 4 ocean front parcels of land, one of which was bought by Marion Hollins). There was a survey lodged in respect the changes to this portion of the Drive, filed with the Country Recorder on 20 February 1925. Additionally, surveys relating to the subdivision created for the Monterey Peninsula Country Club were filed on 4 May 2025.
In my opinion, this is strong evidence to support the theory that the golf course routing on the Cheney Map and the rerouting changes to Seventeen Mile Drive were added in or about early to mid 1925. This is no evidence that the routing which was added to the map was Raynor’s but the addition correlates with Raynor being on site at MPCC in late 1924 to finalise the Shore Course routing. It is certainly a possibility that, at the same time as he was at MPCC, he prepared a preliminary routing for CPC. Although it is impossible to tell from a “stick and ball” addition to the map (likely to have been drawn by Howard or someone else within DMP Co), the routing would appear to be very rudimentary so that, if it was based on a Raynor routing, that routing was likely to be as a preliminary guide only to ascertain the land needed for a course until firmer arrangements could be developed for the establishment of a club.
The 1924 map incorporates the rerouting of Seventeen Mile Drive and has a different routing for CPC. It also appears to show an eastern boundary for the course. This map can be dated by the following surveys:
- 1. A survey filed with the Country Recorder on 15 October 1926 containing the network of streets for the proposed subdivision immediately north of the course; and
- 2. A survey filed with the County Recorder on 29 March 1927 which Is a survey of Drakes Road which borders the course to the east.
The streets in the proposed subdivision to the north are marked in the 1924 Map but Drakes Road is not. The 1928 Map contains Drakes Road. It is likely that the surveys relating to the proposed northern subdivision and Drakes Road were finalised after the course was routed (close to final routing) and the boundaries were determined.
In my opinion, the course routing on the 1924 Map was added in or about late 1926 and it is Mackenzie’s routing (probably a preliminary routing which was finalised when he returned in 1927). The 1928 Map and a later 1938 Survey Map lodged with the County Recorder did not contain an updated routing schematic of the course.
Of course, someone within or close to the Club could reveal what the Club holds in relation to Raynor's involvement and put everyone here out of their misery!