Donald Ross Designed the Eighteen Hole Golf Course at Hyannisport in 1913
In 1897, it is likely that John Reid, a founder of Hyannis Port Golf Club and a founder of the United States Golf Association, laid out the first six hole golf course at Hyannis Port on 34 acres on the east side of Hall Creek and the marsh.
In 1902, it is well known that Alex Findlay, who has been called “The Father of American Golf” for his playing skills and his early golf course design work, re-designed the nine hole golf course at Hyannisport Golf Club on a 60 acre golfing ground on both sides of the creek and marsh.
In 1913, Hyannisport Club leased the Marchant Dairy Farm to create a 100 acre golfing ground and build an 18 hole golf course. Heretofore, the designer of the first eighteen hole links at Hyannisport Club has been unknown.
In August 2021, Sven Nilsen, a Donald Ross scholar from Bandon, Oregon, discovered a news article in the Boston Evening Transcript dated July 30, 1913, which stated, “The new course was laid out by Donald Ross….” At that time, Donald Ross was changing his career trajectory from competitive golfer, golf club professional, club maker, and green keeping to golf course architecture. From 1899 to 1913, Ross served as the golf professional at Oakley CC and Essex CC, but after 1910, Mr. Ross spent much of his time on golf course design and re-design.
This finding explains who expanded the 1902 nine hole Alex Findlay golf course at Hyannisport to create the 1913 eighteen hole links, which played to 5033 yards at par 67 and included sixteen straight golf holes, one dogleg right, and one dogleg left. This information also suggests that Ross was probably involved in the member-suggested golf course improvements at Hyannisport Club from 1913 to 1929.
In 1930, when Hyannisport Club acquired the Lumbert family land to create a 140 acre golfing ground, Donald J. Ross Associates were engaged to design and reconstruct a longer, more interesting, and more challenging links. Interestingly, when Ross delivered the plans for the new golf course, the Club did not have sufficient funds to pay for the reconstruction. Subsequently, Club President, Lucius Frank Paine, supervised implementation of most, but not all, of the proposed Ross reconstruction.
Of great interest is the fact that the July 30, 1913 Boston Evening Transcript article confirms the remarkable historical fact that by 1913, the golf course at Hyannisport was touched by three of the “Fathers of American Golf”---John Reid, Alex Findlay, and Donald Ross.
The designer of the first eighteen hole routing at Hyannisport Club is no longer unknown. Donald Ross designed the eighteen hole golf course at Hyannisport in 1913.
Bill Healy, MD
Concord, MA
August 2021.