Metairie Golf Club

[Philip Gordillo]

Hi GCA’ers.  First time poster but long time reader.  Metairie Country Club (f/k/a Metairie Golf Club) will be celebrating its centennial in 2022 so we are reassembling our early records that have been lost due to wars, economic cycles, hurricanes, floods, and leadership turnover.  My initial questions have to do with plasticine models which supposedly were brought down from Long Island by Joe Bartholomew after he graduated from “Golf Architecture School” according to The NY Times.      Does anyone have photos of what these models look like?  Were they typically molded by Raynor or would they have been produced by an clay artist during that time?  Also, were there typically 18 models per golf course or on large model with the 18 holes on it?  Finally, would it be common for a blue print to supplement the model(s) or is it one or the other.  I’m searching for the Holy Grail but need to know what I’m searching for first.  Thanks in advance!


https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMLiT4WEjAZPlcVEzYGUmwK3386hfnO3Y0jcdz_4KuU3fjxemyTXU0Y_7k04pcuNw?key=d2Z6cEJOWEV0NDRtcWZXZ3BpdC02d1M0dzktdTVB

[Adam_Messix]

There is a photo of the plasticine relief model of National Golf Links of America on pages 90 and 91 of their club history book.  I believe that they did one of the Lido as well that is on page 172 of Bahto's book. 

[Ian Mackenzie]

Played there once in 1986 when we were in NoLa for our first post college wedding. Huge affair and groomsmen were all taken to play following the Thursday welcome party.


Slept about 2 hours, came out on first tee barely able to see a golf ball. Our hosts were prominent industrialists...;-) they knew some of us could play and had a match set up.


Let Er rip on 1 and hit a sizzling duck hook that careened down a road running parallel to first hole and hit the grill of a car with a loud “thwack”.


“I’m good, I’ll play it....” I said.

[Philip Gordillo]

Adam - Thanks for the tip on Bahto’s book.  I see it now.  Really cool.


Ian - Hope your round got better after the first shot!

[Philip Gordillo]

Our earliest known aerial (1933) can be found at the link below.  The northern-most hole is our “Short” which was moved after Raynor’s death so you are looking at Joe Bartholomew’s rendition of the hole.  Double ring bunker!

[Philip Gordillo]

https://resizeimage.net/mypic/EuqwdPgEywKsZQlT/PJmCd/38f07175-d4cf-44ba-b7cf-7050d6.png

[Philip Gordillo]

Happy to upload a higher resolution version if someone can tell me how to do it.

[mike_beene]

I would like to hear some more about the golf course. I have been to New Orleans many times over the years and even had an office there at one point. Brother in law is from Metarie, father in law went to Tulane med school, etc.Kind of like Dallas in that you don't get spectacular terrain. Is the course flat? Elevated greens? Bermuda? From that Galleria complex on I 10, where is it? Big gators?

[Pete_Pittock]

I would like to hear some more about the golf course. I have been to New Orleans many times over the years and even had an office there at one point. Brother in law is from Metarie, father in law went to Tulane med school, etc.Kind of like Dallas in that you don't get spectacular terrain. Is the course flat? Elevated greens? Bermuda? From that Galleria complex on I 10, where is it? Big gators?

MIke,
It is shaped as a capitol "L" just north of US 61 and the railroad yards, a couple miles west of I-10.  In relation to the cemeteries, it is SW.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Hi Philip!


Well, this is weird that the discussion group on GCA is so encompassing but it was my wedding in NOLA that Ian Mackenzie alludes to in his post. I married a Sacred Heart Girl and the ceremony was in their chapel.


Our host was "Buck" Benton and I played with his son Frank. Alas, Buck has moved along to Metairie Cemetery. Like many New Orleanians "Buck" was in the Oil and Gas business. I distinctly remember that Frank Benton had one of the slowest swing tempos, especially on the backswing, of anyone I have played with.


Does the Metairie Club have the Seth Raynor plan for the golf course? If so please take a photo and post it here. As the club went majorly underwater during Katrina I'm sure you lost quite a bit of valuable records.


I have never encountered a model of any Seth Raynor golf course. The only model of a course I have seen is Pine Valley Golf Club in NJ which resides in their clubhouse in a glass case.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

And FYI, I just finished making a humungous pot of Red Beans with Ham and Andouille!!

[Philip Gordillo]

Mike / Pete / Malcolm: Thanks for the recent replies.  Glad to hear I already friends within the GCA community!   Unfortunately our Raynor plans/models are long gone for the reasons cited above but I am still searching nonetheless.  We do have numerous articles confirming Raynor’s involvement along with an early aerial of the golf course.  Was the aerial that I posted viewable?  In addition, one of our founders was also a member of NGLA who was the key link in getting Raynor down here.  The coolest part of the story may be Joe Bartholomew’s involvement as the contractor.  Would love to know the rationale.  Maybe it was due to Raynor’s crews being so busy with existing work?   Over maybe it was an expense savings strategy to use local people.  Or perhaps Joe was just the best person since he knew the area and soil conditions?  The founders obviously liked Joe but his selection was likely a business decision as well.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

No, the aerial from 1933 link is not working.


Checked [size=78%]https://www.historicaerials.com[/size] and they only have 2015 through 1964.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Phillip,


FYI...



Sometimes the historical drawings by golf course architects turn up at random. Despite your flooding issues at Metairie Golf Club, who knows might eventually turn up.


Former prolific posters here on GCA, Tom Paul and Wayne Morrison from Eastern Pennsylvania stumbled upon a barn on Philadelphia's Main Line full of William Flynn's Ardmore, PA architectural drawings and turned it into a book, "the Nature Faker". Sold the originals to the clubs they were designed for.


Not long ago, in Chattanooga, TN, Doug Stein found the original plans for the "Fairyland Golf Club" on top of Lookout mountain, TN which was a Raynor/Banks design in the archives of the downtown construction/engineering firm who built it. The club, now known as Lookout Mountain had no idea and had routinely mowed 25 yard circular target greens on what had been constructed as Biaritz and Redan green complexes. Now the golf course has been corrected to it's original intent per Raynor/Banks.


You never know what might turn up. Ask your membership.

[Philip Gordillo]

Great advice, Malcolm.  I actually played Lookout Mountain last fall and heard about the lucky find years ago.  Wonderful club and was treated like a member although I was a first visitor.  And the Alps Hole is unbelievable.  Will try again to resize the Metairie aerial and post if I can figure it out.  Thanks again.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Another research tip....


Many of our best diggers of GCA facts here like Joe Bausch go to pertinent year microfilm records in local libraries. Try Times-Picayune year 1921-1922 and see what is there regarding Metairie GC!

[Philip Gordillo]

Really lucky that the Times Picayune is completely digitized so I was able to find some awesome stuff.  Also recently discovered two other newspapers during the era (New Orleans Item & The Item-Tribune) that’s confirms Raynor’s involvement many times over.  This may be my favorite discovery of all though.


https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMZGZAWfC3GT0X8UVv-OFIkMOSSWARaWG7xxgNHZLDUghsMO_OGZdKUMhx_0_JmYQ/photo/AF1QipMOOMaKVF-7Epz_B-G6d7_CpNYxk0ZfvJVNlSV6?key=MHJOdi11VS1UMGxuQ2g4ZXdrRVdSR1pDM21NMmpR

[Philip Gordillo]

Aerial will hopefully appear below....


https://photos.app.goo.gl/1XA3WgBVeo4VqPag9

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Wasn't there a States Item paper, too in New Orleans? Amazing how newspapers have consolidated and now are disappearing.

So now I see your early aerial photo. Can only zoom in so far. If the golf course looks like a boot is that the Redan par three looking like a spur off of the heel?


The reporter in your New Orleans Item and Item Tribune mistakenly attributes the original Redan hole to Prestwick GC. Actually it is located at North Berwick, West in East Lothian, Scotland.


The Dunn family of East Lothian were competitors of the Morris family of St Andrews. Both Family's made golf clubs, taught and designed and modified golf
holes. The course at North Berwick West is one of the most overlooked by the average golf tourist as it has had a huge influence on GCA all over the world. The two Dunn son's went on to Biarritz in France and Shinnecock Hills on Long Island USA and ultimately sent template holes from North Berwick around the world.


I never thought that there was any controversy regarding Seth Raynor as the architect at Metairie Golf Club. Am I wrong?

[Jason Thurman]

Really lucky that the Times Picayune is completely digitized so I was able to find some awesome stuff.  Also recently discovered two other newspapers during the era (New Orleans Item & The Item-Tribune) that’s confirms Raynor’s involvement many times over.  This may be my favorite discovery of all though.


https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMZGZAWfC3GT0X8UVv-OFIkMOSSWARaWG7xxgNHZLDUghsMO_OGZdKUMhx_0_JmYQ/photo/AF1QipMOOMaKVF-7Epz_B-G6d7_CpNYxk0ZfvJVNlSV6?key=MHJOdi11VS1UMGxuQ2g4ZXdrRVdSR1pDM21NMmpR

Is the characterization of 7 as a redan accurate? I’ve only played it once, many years ago, on the first day of a trip to a city where it’s hard to remember things, but recall that hole as fairly straight-on. I remember the bunker left of the green unfortunately...


Malcolm, I understand that the controversy is in how much credit belongs to Raynor vs Joe Bartholomew. I suspect Raynor deserves quite a bit of credit for influencing and teaching if nothing else, but Joe B probably deserves more for the direct work of creating the course, and certainly more than he received in his lifetime.

[Philip Gordillo]

The Redan green is directly center bottom of the photograph.  Unfortunately the course today looks nothing like the photo except for the routing.  However, a master plan was recently completed so stay tuned on our restoration efforts.  Regarding design credit, all evidence I've turned up from the 1920's indicates that Raynor was the designer and Bartholomew was the contractor then pro/greenskeeper for 11 years.  I personally think that might be the coolest part of the story given the societal challenges of the day.  However, decades after construction a few articles came out (Fortune & Sports Illustrated to name a few) that said it was Joe that did practically everything at Metairie and proper credit was never given to him.  I recall these articles being short on details except quotes from friends of Joe.  BTW, the intent of the recent NYT obituary on Joe was great and long overdue but there were numerous inaccuracies including Joe not being allowed to play Audubon and other courses he worked at.  I have documented evidence of Joe almost tying the course record (missing by 1) at Audubon in 1924.  That would be hard to do if you've never play it.  Metairie's founders came from Audubon and they were clearly fond of him since they sent him to Long Island to learn, hired him as contractor, and employed him for 11 years after construction.  Although I haven't found proof that he played Metairie, it doesn't seem to follow the pattern up until that point if that part is true.  City Park was Joe's next employer and was integrated in the 1950's well before his passing in 1971.  Not saying Joe had an easy path by any stretch but the recent NYT obituary should have been better researched.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Phillip,

I wouldn't put much weight on the NY Times February 5th piece on Joseph Bartholomew. It's meant as a hit piece on how racist a city New Orleans was in the 1920's and probably still is today.

Serves their narrative on racism in the southern USA.

I'm sure that Joe was a terrific guy. But the racist membership at Metairie thought so poorly of him that they sent him to Long Island, NY to learn golf architecture and and then employed him as a contractor to build the golf course. Then they cruelly forbade him to ever play on that golf course. Mwa Hah Hah Hah!!!

"That'll learn him they said"! and then they employed him as the golf professional for 11 more years to teach him a lesson to never, ever trust the evil white devils again!

Quod Erat Demonstradum

The NY Times has an agenda and a very flexible relationship with the truth when presenting a narrative that they want you to hear. Their 1619 project under editor Dean Baquet (a New Orleanean!) is presently trying to rewrite our history with a pervue of racism and force academia in the USA to teach it.

[Jason Thurman]

Malcolm mentions the “boot spur” par 3. That’s 12, and the hole I recall as the redan. But it’s a “reverse redan” and pretty short - 165ish maybe if I recall?


The idea of 7 as maybe being the original redan on the course is intriguing to me. I recall it being closer to 200 yards, and the green was pretty well built up on the left I think I remember.


Philip, what are the templates out there? I think 2 was the Long, 4 a punch bowl? 9 I remember was a fine Road hole and 17 a good Short. I remember thinking Metairie was decisively the worst property I ever saw for a golf course - dead flat, tight and sectioned into squares, and probably below sea level even - but a damn good golf course in spite of it. It really made me think about how the classic strategies of the great templates can bestow interest when nature didn’t offer much out of the box.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Sorry but I have to harp some more about the NY Times.


You may not believe me but here are Michael Goodwin's recent screeds from the NY Post...


https://nypost.com/2019/11/26/goodwin-remembering-when-the-new-york-times-had-higher-standards/


https://nypost.com/2019/11/30/goodwin-the-new-york-times-long-descent-from-credibility/


I could not take it anymore and cancelled my home subscription last fall after 20 years of home delivery in Princeton, NJ. But I could not give up the crossword and I now pay $20 or so per year to access online.


Metairie GC should ignore their short on facts, wokester mud slinging!


And that's not all! Just google search Michael Goodwin and NY Times and it goes on and on and...

[Philip Gordillo]

Malcolm:  Thanks for your insight.  Hopefully I didn't get you too worked up on politics!  BTW, I reached out to the author (Roy S. Johnson) shortly after the obit was published to ask about his sources and he has yet to acknowledge my email.  Hmmm.....


Jason:  You are correct on the current yardage of #12 which is the "spur of the boot."  This hole is named the Redan today but that's the only thing in common with a true Redan.  The green is far too elevated and has virtually no kick to feed the ball (left or right) to a back pin placement.  The shape of the green and bunkering is not proper either.  Ron Forse did our last renovation and I was not a member then so I can't tell you why it is so far off from a proper Redan.  In the original design, Raynor located the Eden on #12 and the Redan at #7 but they are flip-flopped today.  Although they are modern interpretations, current templates today are Long #2, Punch Bowl #4, Narrows #6, Eden #7, Road #9, Redan #13, Double Plateau #14, and Short #17.  In the 1933 aerial, #3 appears to be a Biarritz.  You are also correct on our city's uninspiring topography which is flat as a pool table and was once mostly swamp. 


Incidentally, three holes were moved in the late 1920's so the Short #17 you see in the black and white aerial is likely a true Bartholomew original.  Here is a close-up so you can see the double ring bunkers a little better.


https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNz_s7z2Y54h7_2iuuVG_0ikrDIsOHzaI_1zo8XwyWoWCMO6vl6ez44c5PBO032-A/photo/AF1QipOLAjyxCwiuLdfniW2rIFKv4qBczFy1tfhwLbxC?key=NTVPMXZDMmR2M1UzS0hvYThCdlNnU3k0ZHU2QTZ3