Cool Munis

[Adam Lawrence]

Doing some research for an article in the next issue of GCA.What other municipal courses are there out there that would be really cool if they got a bit of TLC and attention the way that Cobb's Creek and Sharp Park (to name but two) are sort of doing (I know there's plenty of obstacles on both of those projects; not the issue for now).Any leads gratefully received. Course, location, architectural history, reason it is cool (if that isn't because of its architectural history). Many thanks in advance.Adam

[John Kavanaugh]

Swope Memorial


http://www.swopememorialgolfcourse.com/

[MCirba]

Off the top of my head...

East Potomac Park - Washington, DC
North Fulton - Atlanta
Mount Pleasant - Baltimore
Pelham/Split Rock - Bronx, NY
Ed Oliver - Wilmington, DE
Mark Twain - Elmira, NY
Francis Byrne - Orange, NJ

Also, played Swope with Mr. Kavanaugh and it's terrific per his prior post.

Don't want to neglect mentioning terrific recent restorations at George Wright and Franklin Park in Boston.

[Tom_Doak]

Memorial Park, in Houston, is getting its makeover right now.


I'm not sure it was that cool of a golf course before; it was more about the golfers who hung out there.  Dave Marr pretty much grew up there, and most of the great Texas players spent time there at some point.  Doug Sanders used to hang out at the range and give lessons up until a couple of years ago.


East Potomac Park, in D.C., is another that has been discussed off and on.  It's a Walter Travis design, right on the river and not far from the monuments.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Tres Rios GC, formerly Estrella Mountain GC ( 1962, Red Lawrence, 1998 reno by ?)


Owned by Maricopa County, AZ


Needs another renovation. Decent routing, no housing.


https://www.estrella-golf.com/about#Facilitie


Encanto GC in Phoenix ( Wm P. Bell, 1935)


City of Phoenix muni


Flat as a pancake. Near downtown Phoenix. Easily walkable.


https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/golf/phoenix-golf-courses/encanto-18

[Ian Mackenzie]

Downers Grove Golf Club outside Chicago


https://www.dgparks.org/downers-grove-golf-club-history

Why?...:
Golfing since 1892[

The Downers Grove Golf Club holds a significant place in U.S. History. The golf course was established on this site in 1892 as the original Chicago Golf Club, when Charles Blair MacDonald, who was, according to Golf Journal, "a true and imposing pioneer of golf in America" persuaded thirty of his Chicago Club colleagues to contribute ten dollars each to design and construct a nine-hole golf course.The site that was chosen to build the first Chicago Golf Club was a sixty-acre stock farm owned by A. Haddow Smith. A.H. Smith was a Lanarkshire golfer who had immigrated in 1890 to the United States from Musselburgh, Scotland where the game of golf was first played in 1774. When Smith heard of Macdonald's plan, he enthusiastically offered his land as the location for the new golf course. Since no regulation cups were available, the course used tin cups.

America's First 18 Hole Golf Course

The golf course was completed and ready for play in the late spring of 1892. Thus America's first golf course west of the Allegheny mountain range had been established. When the inaugural season had ended, Macdonald convinced Chicago Golf Club members to add nine more holes to the course. Therefore, in 1893, the first eighteen-hole golf course in the United States was established on this site. (chartered by the State of Illinois in 1893). The club was also one of the five founding clubs of the USGA (United States Golf Association).

By 1895, Chicago Golf Club members had become so taken with the sport that they decided to build a new eighteen-hole golf course on two-hundred acres of land located near Wheaton, Illinois. The Chicago Golf Club is still in existence there today. Shortly thereafter, the Downers Grove site reverted back to 9 holes. Many changes to this course have occurred through the last 110 plus years, however, much of the original course remains including holes 2, 4, 7, 8 & 9.
From 1895 to 1968, the site of the Downers Grove Golf Club was owned by several different individuals and was operated under the names of The Illinois Golf Club and later the Belmont Country Club. In 1968, the course was purchased by the Downers Grove Park District and was renamed the Downers Grove Golf Club.

[jeffwarne]

Goat Hill (east coast)
Hyde Park-Jacksonville
Augusta Golf Club-though may be too far gone
Charleston Muni

[JJShanley]

Braid Hills in Edinburgh, although you would need to re-route the "adult" course to include the land currently used by the "kids" course, and then reopen the NLE kids course on the other side of Braid Hills Drive.  All the while you would need to ensure that the non-golfers who enjoy the place (probably an equal number of people daily) can continue to do so.  It's Powerball territory.

[Greg Chambers]

Wilson and Harding in LA.


Rec Park in Long Beach.

[Mark_Fine]

Allentown Muni and Bethlehem Muni but then again I am biased 😉

[Ryan Taylor]

Rackham Golf Course in Detroit / Huntington Woods. Please dm me.

[Jim_Coleman]

    Big fan of South Shore CC in Hingham, Mass.  A '20's gem by Stiles.  Owned and operated by the city of Hingham.

[PCCraig]

Charleston Muni x 1,000,000

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Triggs Memorial in Providence is a superb Ross that would be considered incredible if restoreed

[Mike Bodo]

Leslie Park in Ann Arbor, MI.
+2 for Rackham. A once very good Ross course that has very little Ross left in it.

[Mike_Young]

Bowden Golf Club in Macon Ga is a very good one if the city were behind it.  We began a restoration this past year but the group that started it found out quickly that we had upset the apple cart for what had been going on there for years and not sure it will ever reach where it needs to be.  Incompetence and corruption can be tough to overcome in some cities.

[Tim_Weiman]

Wilson and Harding in LA.


Rec Park in Long Beach.

Greg,



I played Rec Park many times during the years I lived in Long Beach. Also played it one time again with Tommy Naccarato who made me feel like I had never seen the course before. He was amazing.


Adam,


The best muni I have seen is Wilmington, NC. Maybe the Black course at Bethpage is better for the very best players, but Wilmington is probably better for 95% of all golfers, IMO.

[Ryan Farrow]

Sleepy Hollow in Cleveland, OH. Stanley Thomson Gem that could really shine.


Bethpage Black still has a long way to go before it reaches its full potential.

[Peter Pallotta]

Adam -
Lakeview, City of Mississauga Ontario.
Herbert Strong.
Hosted the Canadian Open a few times in the 20s
Won by Silver Scot Tommy Armour
Elegant greens
P

[Mark Chaplin]

Hollingbury Park, Brighton

[Matthew Rose]

In Denver, Wellshire.

In Wisconsin, Riverside in Janesville, where I grew up playing. Also very fond of Brown County outside of Green Bay.

[Niall C]

I suspect that you might be looking for more stateside examples and also relatively lesser known courses but if you want a case study of a muni that had humble origins, rose to a degree of prominence before falling completely on its arse only to then be saved and become one of the world’s great renowned links then how about Carnoustie ?

I appreciate for some who maybe weren’t too familiar with it until the 1999 Open it might not be cool but for many that recall its prior rep of being something of a sleeping giant then it is definitely cool. In terms of architectural heritage the roll call of gca’s includes;

Allan Robertson
Tom Morris (twice)
Bob Simpson
Willie Park Junior
James Braid
Tom Simpson
Philip MacKenzie Ross
Martin Ebert

(I have a vague recollection that Hawtree might have been there also). That’s just the professionals that have had an involvement but arguably the input from the amateurs has been more telling.

Niall

[Sean_A]

Meyrick Park is a fascinating story as the country's oldest muni and to see the neglect of a city asset... nevermind the Colt connection.


Ciao

[Adam Lawrence]

Actually Niall I've got loads of American examples and what I'd like more than anything else are good ones from elsewhere. And while you're obviously correct that Carnoustie and TOC are technically munis, courses that have held multiple Opens don't really fit my narrative -- I'm looking for little-known courses with quality or potential.


Which is the MacKenzie muni in Aberdeen? Did anything ever come of the big money redevelopment plans?

[Ben Stephens]

Actually Niall I've got loads of American examples and what I'd like more than anything else are good ones from elsewhere. And while you're obviously correct that Carnoustie and TOC are technically munis, courses that have held multiple Opens don't really fit my narrative -- I'm looking for little-known courses with quality or potential.


Which is the MacKenzie muni in Aberdeen? Did anything ever come of the big money redevelopment plans?

Hazlehead