Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2019 - 26

For that reason, the matter of attribution is taken seriously
by some.
In the modern era,
attribution is easy.
Joel Goldstrand
has been a prolifi c golf architect in Minnesota (the Links at
Northfork, Ridges at Sand Creek, Blueberry Pines, etc.) and his
work has been well documented. So, too, has the work of the
late Don Herfort (Dellwood Hills, Indian Hills, Oak Glen, etc.).
But when it comes to the so-called Golden Age architects, attribution
mysteries have lingered for decades due to poor recordkeeping,
clubhouse fi res and the fact that some clubs simply
didn't think later generations would fi nd architectural credit all
that important.
Older clubs that have maintained their records can accurately
identify their architectural pedigree. Golden Valley Country
Club and Rochester Country Club both take pride in their
Tillinghast-designed courses; North Oaks boasts a course laid
out by Canadian master Stanley Thompson; Edina Country
Club traces its roots back to early architecture pioneer Tom
Bendelow; and Hazeltine is a product of mid-century kingpin
Robert Trent Jones.
But some venerable courses cannot be quite as certain about
their lineage.
Debunking a Donald Ross Design
White Bear Yacht Club has always been referred to as a Donald
Ross course, and it's included in the listing of Ross courses at
the Tufts Archives, researched and maintained by the Donald
Ross Society in Pinehurst, N.C., where Ross' offi ce was located.
But White Bear's true origins came into question when historians
pointed to a brochure printed by the club in 1925 citing
William Watson as the original designer, with advice from Ross
and head pro Tom Vardon. Watson-a Scotsman like Ross-is
an important fi gure in the development of American golf, having
designed the original versions of Minikahda, Interlachen
and Olympia Fields in Chicago, among more than one hundred
other courses, but his name is not as familiar to the average
golfer as is Donald Ross'. Nevertheless, White Bear now lists
both Watson and Ross as architects.
WBYC historian Dr. Mark Mammel acknowledges that the
Ross name carries some extra cachet ( " There isn't any William
Watson Society, " he notes), but he's not sure White Bear's members
care all that much.
" I would have to say, most of the members are fairly oblivious, "
Mammel says. " I wrote an item about Watson and why he
should get credit for the layout in the April newsletter. The club
continues to promote Donald Ross on its website. This will take
a little time to sink in. Many people don't care, but some will be
hard-pressed to give up the Ross link. "
Another club reluctant to give up what may well be an incorrect
association with Donald Ross is Cloquet Country Club. For
years, Cloquet has claimed that its original nine holes-created
sometime in the early 1920s-were designed by Donald Ross.
There is zero proof of that, however; Cloquet Country Club is
not listed in the Tufts Archives.
WHITE BEAR
YACHT CLUB
Cloquet CC superintendent Jud Crist, who worked at the club
from the mid-1990s to 2001 and returned to the club in January,
says he has seen no evidence that Ross designed the course.
" I think originally there were only four holes here, then
another fi ve holes were added on, " Crist says. " It had something
to do with the [paper] plant here. Maybe it's true that Ross had
a hand in fi nishing it off, or redoing the whole thing. "
Crist does see similarities between Cloquet and the nearby
Northland Country Club in Duluth, which Ross redesigned in
the early 1920s.
" There are some similar things in terms of slopes of the
greens and tee box shapes, similar to his [Ross'] style, " Crist says.
" But I haven't seen any of the evidence. "
Crist says some at the club point to an alleged friendship
between Ross and the Weyerhaeuser family, owners of the Cloquet
paper mill, but actual documentation has not been found.
Minnesota Valley's Raynor Mystery
Then there's Minnesota Valley Country Club, long thought to
be the creation of Seth Raynor, who also designed Somerset
Country Club and Midland Hills Country Club. Minnesota
Valley has all the attributes of a Raynor, including the template
holes that Raynor was known for building on all his courses (the
Biarritz, the Redan, the Road, the Eden, etc.), but somewhere in
the transition from being built and operated by the Minneapolis
Auto Club in 1924 to becoming a private club, documentation
of Raynor's presence was lost.
26
MINNESOTAGOLFER Summer 2019
mngolf.org
PHOTO BY W.P. RYAN
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2019

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