Many Architecture of the Aficionados Insist That Shinnecock Hills Could
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The Best Many architecture OF THE aficionados insist Best? that Shinnecock Hills hinnecock Hills Golf Club can com- But most architecture aficionados insist that could be the most pare with any American design. Pair it Shinnecock is the most complete design in the Sup against any other course in hole-by- world, calling on every conceivable shot. And complete design hole match play and Shinnecock, located in until recently, few people realized who engi- Southampton, N.Y., on Long Island, will close neered this American masterpiece. in the world out the proceedings by the 15th tee. Pine Valley could take the course to sudden A late bloomer STORY AND PHOTOS death, as might Cypress Point (but we know In 1891, golf professional Willie Davis laid BY GEOFF SHACKELFORD, who will win the argument about finishing holes out 12 holes that established Shinnecock Hills CONTRIBUTING EDITOR between those two). Some counter that Shin- as one of the first American courses. The club's necock's design is too perfect. Is that even original pro, Willie Dunn, extended the course possible? into the first full 18-holer around 1894 when Such a claim implies the course is too pol- Shinnecock was about to become one of the ished and lacks the quirky breather holes that USGA's five founding member clubs. Shinnecock's par-3 seventh hole make repeat rounds fun for everyone. And even With coffin-shaped bunkers and holes is arguably the most severe and Shinnecock admirers concede that the course is bisected by the nearby Long Island Railroad line, unusual Redan derivative ever relendess with encroaching fairways on a windy Shinnecock looked nothing like the great links created. links-like site. of Scotland. And at just under 5,000 yards, it was short even by late-19th century standards. Following the 1896 U.S. Open at Shin- necock, design features were updated based on competitor comments. But the reworked 5,800- yard course still did not take full advantage of the grassy, rolling Southampton terrain. It was land of such beauty that it would soon be made famous by American impressionist William Mer- ritt Chase's idyllic paintings portraying socialites strolling through the grassy fields overlooking Peconic Bay. Though the original design wove its way through the sandy scrublands with Stanford White's world-famous clubhouse looming over the course, the golf holes proved forgettable. Matters were made worse by the odd rela- tionship Shinnecock developed with its new neighbor, the National Golf Links of America. That ingenious design slowly emerged under C.B. Macdonald's guidance until its completion in late 1910. Continued on page 48 The Best of the Best? suited for the sweeping right-to-left ground shot. Shinnecock's Redan literally pops up out of a field. Yet it works beautifully, call- ing on an aerial attack that still rewards the player using the severe right-side slope. Flynn's 1931 version of the course measured 6,755 yards, played to a par 73 and featured virtually no trees. The nines as viewers will see them during this year's U.S. Open were originally reversed, but switched when golfers got a taste of the brutal opening holes that will surely lead to swollen back-nine scores again this year. The nines were mysteriously reversed Continued from page 46 From 1928 to 1931, William Flynn created the again in the early 1950s until some wise Macdonald tried to buy Shinnecock back nine, including the 10th hole. soul settled on today's sequence in 1953. Hills to create his dream course (the mem- Other minor changes occurred, and nearly bership obviously rejected him). Since Na- Hills, the club moved forward with con- 400 yards of length were added. tional Golf Links was an architectural mar- struction of 12 new holes on 108 newly Flynn's original design featured more vel, it siphoned many of Shinnecock's acquired acres. From 1928 to 1930, Flynn extensive bunkering along with sandy members and, most egregiously of all, created the entire back nine along with waste areas, since replaced by the tan hired away its renowned chef. todays fourth, fifth and sixth holes. native grasses seen today (look hard and Motivated by the National s emergence When he completed the holes, mem- you can see the outlines of some of the old and the obvious design issues fostered bers played six remaining Macdonald- hazards). Flynn's design also included when fairways played through the Long Raynor holes south of the clubhouse. much wider playing corridors than we'll Island Railroad line (not to mention the (These holes would later be taken out of see during the Open. But his brilliantly annoying grass fires ignited by locomo- the rotation after Flynn redesigned todays conceived greens, bunker placement and tives), Shinnecock Hills enlisted Mac- one to three and seven to nine sets.) The overall genius remain intact. donald and his engineering associate Seth final remodeling phase took place over the Raynor to build 13 new holes while keep- winter of 1930-31, and Flynn charged the Who was William Flynn? ing five of Dunns originals. club a total of $32,250 for his services. Born in Massachusetts where he played The new-look Shinnecock opened in William Gordon, who went on to high school golf with amateur great Fran- 1917 and lasted about 10 years, until word create several renowned courses, super- cis Ouimet, Flynn designed his first course of a soon-to-be-built highway required the vised the Shinnecock Hills reconstruction. at 19, then moved to the Philadelphia area members to consider yet another redesign. Future architect Dick Wilson worked and worked under Hugh Wilson at Merion The club had grown weary of fellow under Gordon and later consulted for the Golf Club. After helping with the original member Macdonalds strong-willed and club, but Wilson took credit for design- Merion East Course's construction prior authoritative personality. And since Raynor ing the course when he consulted for the to World War I and staying on briefly as died in 1926, the redesign job went to the club during the 1960s. the superintendent, Flynn supervised a design firm of Toomey and Flynn. Flynn retained only one hole from the 1924 redesign that led to the version of the old Macdonald-Raynor course, todays American classic we know today. In like Flynn devilish par-3 seventh. Its arguably the Flynn started his own practice prior to Emboldened by an endorsement from most severe and unusual Redan deriva- the war, joining with engineer Howard renowned architect C.H. Alison after the tive created, leading some to wonder if Toomey, who handled engineering and Englishmen thoroughly examined Flynn didn't touch up even that hole. construction. They also worked on other William Flynn's plans for Shinnecock Most Redans are crafted out of terrain Continued on page 50 Flynns design style was fairly simple, but slightly outlandish at select times. Continued from page 48 a la Kramer from Seinfeld., Flynns design ural features. He never embraced the all- design projects under the Toomey and style was fairly simple, but slightly out- out quirkiness that his counterparts Till- Flynn Construction Engineers banner. landish at select times. Its hard to tell look- inghast and Thomas enjoyed, but Flynn Flynns design portfolio is impressive: ing at his courses today that he was any- did base his strategy on the same princi- Besides Shinnecock Hills, he planned the thing but a very conservative designer ples that fed his mentor s success — place underrated Kittansett in southern Mass- whose courses were solid and large in scale. greens at peninsula-like angles with room achusetts, Cherry Hills Country Club in His bunkers featured subtle and irregular for a run-up approach, and let players Denver, Atlantic City Country Club in boundaries, a stark contrast to the capes decide how much risk they want to take New Jersey, the Cascades Course at The and bays seen in the work of his friends with approach shots. Homestead Resort in Virginia and two and fellow Philadelphian's A. W. Tilling- "The best way to whet the appetite and courses named The Country Club (the hast and George C. Thomas. improve the game of any golfer is to offer first is a renowned original Flynn creation The quirky side of Flynn went unno- an incentive and provide a reward for high- near Cleveland; the second is his rarely ticed because many sandy features have class play," Flynn wrote in the late 1920s. heralded redesign of The Country Club been grassed over or trees have suffocated in Brookline, Mass.). Flynns courses to the point that they are Shinnecock: America's masterpiece? In Pennsylvania, Flynns many classic unrecognizable. However, he was never Many of golfs movers and shakers say designs are better appreciated thanks to shy in his use of vast sandy areas or envi- Shinnecock Hills hails as one of Americas several recent restorations: Lehigh Coun- sioning dramatic alternate route designs. greatest designs. try Club in Allentown; Lancaster Coun- His dynamic plans were meticulously "Its about as good as we have," says try Club in central Pennsylvania; and drawn, yet Flynn insisted "the ultimate retired USGA Executive Director Frank Manufacturers, Huntington Valley and character of the course must be developed Hannigan, who was largely responsi- Philadelphia country clubs in the city of as the construction progresses." Flynn was ble for convincing the executive com- brotherly love. also notoriously precise with budgets. mittee to bring the 1986 U.S. Open to Typically dressed in plus fours and Flynn preached strategic design with the course. sporting a strange clutter of vertical hair an emphasis on the incorporation of nat- Architect Tom Doak wrote in his Con- fidential Guide to Golf Courses that Flynns design "is one of the games great exami- U.S.