Cherokee CC (Knoxville) - Barker?

[Sven Nilsen]

Cherokee is credited to Donald Ross (although he did not note it in his own listing of work) with a date around 1920.  From the sounds of the article below, it appears that the club opened a new course around 1916, which was the work of H. H. Barker.  It is possible that this was one of Barker's last designs in the U.S., prior to returning to the UK in late 1915.

Daily Arkansas Gazette - June 29, 1916

[John Mayhugh]

If you look at the IMO piece on here, Mike Threlkeld refers to board hiring Ross in 1919 for greens improvements and paying him in 1920.  He mentions Jimmie Dickson - their first pro - as overseeing the course expansion from 9 holes back in 1910. 

Barker adds an interesting twist.

[Mike Hendren]

http://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/ticpdf.py?file=/2000s/2004/040319.pdf

Fantastic photograph in this piece. 

Mike

[BCrosby]

Sven -


A link to the article does not appear on my screen.


Please re-post, or is it filters at my end blocking the link?


BTW, Barker designing the course would make sense. He was doing design work in the SE over the period 1910 to 1914 or so from his base at the Roebuck Club in Birmingham, AL. 


Bob

[Mike Hendren]

The photo in the attached links looks across the current 18th green toward what is now the par 3 10th green with the 10th tee on the extreme right.  The mounding at the 10th green no longer exists. 

http://cmdc.knoxlib.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p265301coll7/id/1812/rec/1

The current 9th green is in the middle of the frame and the current 1st hole runs up the side of the image. 

Mike

[Joe Bausch]

Recently a Knoxville newspaper (Sentinel) came onto Newspaper.com and it has some good stuff on Cherokee.  First is this map (clickable to larger size) from the July 2, 1915 issue:





And with this accompanying article:

[Joe Bausch]

Then this article from July 16, 1919 says Donald Ross will be going over the course:





Then this June 3, 1920 article seems to confirm Ross was there in December of 1919:





This June 7, 1920 article has more on the Ross plans:





And then this August 13, 1921 article talks about the 1907 course, a 1911 visit by Ross, then Barker being there at some point:

[Sven Nilsen]

Joe:


Two additional Knoxville Sentinel articles on Cherokee.


The first covers Barker's involvement with the expansion to 18 holes in 1914.


July 6, 1914 Knoxville Sentinel -





The second contains the map from the later article you posted as well as a veiled description of the architect.  I recall Vardon and Ray speaking highly of Mayfield (a Barker), but that course is not in Detroit.


April 3, 1915 Knoxville Sentinel -

[Sven Nilsen]

The April 3, 1915 article I posted notes the architect had promised to return to bunker the course.  If it is Barker the article is referring to, the timing makes sense as he wouldn't leave to enlist for WWI until later in 1915. 


I'm a bit skeptical of the Aug. 13, 1921 article that was posted, particularly any involvement by Ross in 1911.  Be nice to see some more contemporaneous confirmation of his early involvement here. 


Sven