Walter J Travis As a Young Man, C.1899 BA In
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Sutton bay’s 4th hole is one of the three par fives that Marsh included in the front nine Inset: a large central bunker defines the tee shot landing area on the 480m par 5 15th. the fairway splits around this bunker, with the higher left side continuing on as the main fairway, while the right is truncated G O L F A R C H I T E C T U R E 17 Below: Walter J Below: The 1903 US The British champion, Caught in his own web - Travis playing The Schenectady putter, designed by Travis as a young Amateur Champion photographed upon his out of the extremely deep pot he added Arthur Knight, will forever be associated with own Memory Lane Since youthful days 50 years ago, when it was man, c.1899 in action return to America in 1904 to the 18th green at Garden City in 1906 Travis’ victory in the 1904 British Amateur 24 hours before his first He later wrote that: “Golf, with us, This caused a falling out with Emmet, He called for standardization of the Photographs below, from top: The tee shot on the opening hole at Garden City Country The 18th green at Stafford CC in 1922 His contributions as a writer and possible to take the train from London all the way to St. Andrews station, I match, Travis trialled the is mostly of a kindergarten order. and the two hardly spoke for the golf ball, advanced ideas of a national Club, Long Island, played over a sandy waste area and sandy mounds planted with displays typical Travis contouring which champion for equity in the game have centre-shafted ‘Schenectady’ The holes are too easy, and there is rest of their lives. golf farm for agronomic research and clumpy grasses / The 4th hole at Hollywood Golf Club, New Jersey c.1920, following divided the putting surface into distinct been considerable, but mostly we are formed my own special attachment with a venerable links, a golf course like putter - which he had briefly too much of a family resemblance all training of qualified personnel and the substantial redesign by Walter Travis in 1917 - note the dramatic mounding sections. Note the length of the flagstick thankful for his architectural talents no other and one that I took sublime pleasure in playing over and over again, used in the past and was later through. Our courses seem to be laid Travis and Dunn made some fought off allegations that he should and bunkering on this par 3 that were a feature of his redesign / More dramatic being held by the caddie and the steep and desire to spread the notion of to be banned - and immediately out not with reference to first class alterations to Essex Country Club in be deemed a professional since he Travis mounding and bunkering at Hollywood Golf Club’s 9th hole c.1920 mounding on the adjacent 15th hole strategic design in the days when the Old Course at St. Andrews. From some serious match play as a young amateur, rediscovered his putting touch, play, but rather to suit the game of Massachusetts, but these only lasted derived his income from writing about steeplechase golf was most common. and with it, the rest of his game. the average player. Really good a few years until Donald Ross was golf and planning courses. Forced to Travis apparently got his inspiration Travis left his country of birth as a in an Open Championship as a Tour player in 1964 and sensibly back Travis used all the negatives he was links develop really good entrusted with a major rebuild. Illness retire from Amateur tournaments to from the convoluted 16th green at young man, surely never imagining the encountering and turned them, in his players, a few remarkably so, in 1911 made Travis realise he was not pursue his course design ambitions, North Berwick. This green style saw a success and varied careers that lay playing as an amateur in countless social games since, I have played own words, into “a steel-clad resolution” while the general standard bullet proof and he convalesced in his swansong was winning the 1915 deep swale cutting through the surface, ahead of him in America. His legacy to A champion amateur golfer, author of two to win the title. This he did, overcoming of play is at the same time Vermont at Ekwanok. Later that year Metropolitan Amateur by sinking a often on a diagonal, that separated the golf is great, and we are proud to claim or walked over the old links, never bored, never under the same books on the game, turf experimentalist, the best British opponents along the very sensibly improved.” he designed an 18 holer for the 40 foot putt for a 1 up victory over 36 green into two halves. These swales so him as one of our greatest Australian way. It was far from a popular victory Youngstown Country Club in Ohio. holes. His opponent, John Anderson, influenced approach shots and putts Golf Course Architects. conditions, always exhilarated. Quite the best golf I have ever found founder and editor of The American Golfer though. The Peer, Lord Northbourne, Travis laid out a new course for stated “I cannot imagine a finer they have been softened or eliminated presented the cup and in his the club after they had been finish to a career”. over the years on a number of Travis The Walter J Travis Society What joy therefore ten years ago, having spent thirty years as a practicing and golf course architect. Was Walter speech, said he hoped that such forced to move from their courses - fortunately some have The Walter J Travis Society was golf course architect, to be given the task of producing a new course a disaster as Mr Travis’ victory previous site. The holes vary survived intact. established in 1994 to promote a on fields overlooking the “Auld Gray Toon”. A commission to design Travis a truly unsung hero of golf and would never hit British sport again, in length and direction and the The course was later remodelled by Design philosophy and legacy greater awareness and appreciation and build the Dukes golf course and clubhouse during the mid and that not since the days of the routing is far from monotonous - Dick Wilson in 1962 and by Rees Jones Over a 28 year period, Walter Travis The routing of a Travis course is always for the legacy of Walter Travis and his 90’s, reunited our firm with St. Andrews. Peter Thomson to America’s first renaissance man in golf? Roman occupation had the British although subsequently remodelled by in 1998, but still retains the Travis was involved with some 58 golf course a strong point, and he used the land accomplishments and contributions stay and live there during the summer months, the first been subject to such an indignity. It Bob Labbance, in his excellent book Donald Ross in 1921, Ross wisely left routing, his dramatic green complexes projects. Some have subsequently brilliantly to create diversity in the feel to the game of golf. The publication Open Champion to do so since Old Tom Morris presided And what claim can Australia make on was a most ungracious speech, which The Old Man, records that Travis also Travisí routing alone at Youngstown. and most of his original bunkers. been remodelled and others lost, but of the golf holes and the directions they of Bob Labbance’s book The Old Man as ‘Keeper of the Green’ a hundred years ago and the Old Man gracefully acknowledged. played a significant role in the two aspects of Travis’ designs have played in. Accolades for his bunkering was the culmination of considerable myself with the best excuse to visit more often. this man who left the country of his remodelling of the Number 2 course at The editor Travis continued to work into the rarely been altered - his course and spectacular mounding have been research by the Society and Labbance Above: Scottish newspaper Architectural leanings Pinehurst Resort in the sand barrens of This continuously cigar smoking man, 1920’s, designing courses from routings and his greens. given by a number of into Travis’ life and achievements, and clipping from 1857 describes birth at the age of 23? At the Dyker Meadow Club, Travis first North Carolina, at least according to somewhat saturnine and of withdrawn Georgia to Canada. His friend Robert present day architects copies of the book, autographed by how the R&A had spent 20 met James L Taylor, who was planning Travis himself. The course was poorly temperament, who did not endear Hunter, tried everything he could to Bob Labbance quotes who are involved in the author, can be purchased by pounds to repair the bunker a golf course on 200 acres of farmland patronised when it first opened and himself to all, then began writing get Travis to come out to California in Dr Mike Hurdzan restoring some of his contacting the Society. Early days Opening a new store in New York, The golf bug He won the title in 1900 at his new faces. Repairing the bunker he had options on in Manchester, Travis finally convinced the owner volumes of material for Country Life 1920 and 1921, but it never came to describing Travis’ green remaining courses. Walter John Travis was born in USA in 1885, the organisation offered When Travis was sent to England home course of Garden City GC, Long faces has been a regular Vermont. Taylor invited Travis there in James Walker Tufts and his son and Golf magazines, initially fruition.