“A Course Remembered

“A Course Remembered!”

Thanks to Mr. Bill Whedon, many time Club Champion.

THE GOLF COURSE AT THE MADISON COUNTRY CLUB

AS IT PLAYED IN THE SUMMER OF 1938.

This will take you hole by hole through all 18 holes pretty much as it was laid out and built by Willie Parks Jr. in the early 1900's. There were probably very few changes from inception up to and including 1938.

Hole #1, Par 4 __ yards (present #12). In 1938 the clubhouse was the present Surf Club and there was a small pro shop near the first tee which was 30 to 40 yards due west of what is today home plate at the Surf Club soft ball field. There was a fence running down the left side of the hole that separated the course from a cow pasture. The fence was Out of Bounds. The hole ran straight out to the top of the hill and from there you had to hit over a small shallow pond to a green where the present 12^th green is today. This green has been entirely rebuilt but is in the same general location. The sand bunkers have all been reworked and made larger and deeper.

Hole #2, Par 3 ___ yards (present #13). There was one general teeing ground which held both the white and red markers and that area was where the present blue markers are today. The green is exactly the same size and shape that it was 68 years ago. There were two small sand bunkers on either side of the green and it was a formidable par 3.

Hole#3, Par 5 ___ yards (present #14). There was one teeing area and it was where the present white markers are. This hole plays today as it did in ‘38 with a clear brook running across the fairway. The size and shape of the green is much as it was with the addition today of only a slightly larger and deeper bunker short right of the hole.

Hole #4, Par 4 ___ yards (present #15). This hole is quite different in that there was just one tee and it was where the present ladies tee is today. Most players laid up short of the brook as it was difficult to carry with wooden shafted clubs. The green was much the same as it is today with the exception of the back right portion that was recently added. Also, much bunkering work has been added over the years.

Hole #5, Par 4 ___ yards (present #16). Again, one tee for both the white and red and there was no pond, just a brook running into the small pond on old # 1 (our present 12^th). No forward tee on top of the hill. It was a good dogleg left hole and the green today is exactly the same as it was in '38. Only the bunkers have been altered.

Hole #6, Par 4 ___ yards (present #17). This hole has changed not at all except for the bunkering and of course the most recently added pond. On this hole and in most of the holes there was one teeing area that had both the white and red markers. Today we see blue and black tees that were not seen at all 70 years ago. Sort of a "one size fits all" arrangement and it did cut down on the mowing. Plus, the ladies didn't complain about hitting just in front of the men.

Hole #7, Par 5 ___ yards (present #18). This is one of the few holes where the tee has not changed except for being a little larger. Where it held white and red, it now holds black, blue, white and red. This hole was and still is a straight away par 5 and the green is the same shape and size as it was in '38, only

the bunkers have been enlarged and deepened. Behind this green was a red farmhouse which in 1939 became the club house and pro shop for the Madison Country Club.

Hole #8, Par 4 __ yards (present #1). Again, one tee for all and that was where the present blue tee is today. The brook was there and ran into the marsh area on our present 8^th hole. There were no bunkers on the fairway and the green is much the same except for the enlarged mounding at the rear.

Hole #9, Par 3 __ yards (present #2). A short par 3 and the green was about the same size except it was a lot lower and quite flat and there was a very wide shallow bunker running the entire width of the green directly in front. Many players putted out of the bunker onto the putting surface.

Hole #10, Par 4 __ yards (present #3). This is where we start to see some real changes. The tee for the 10^th hole was south east of the old 9^th green, and you would get to in it much the same way as you would go today from our 4^th green to our 5^th tee. It was a fairly long par 4 and the green was where the mounds are today on our present 3rd hole. There was a fairly flat green with minimal bunkering. We would leave that green and go southeasterly to the 11th tee that was a short par 3.

Hole #11, Par 3 ___ yards (present #4). In '38 this was a par 3 and we hit to the exact same green that is there today on # 4. There was no pond, just a swampy area in front, and very little bunkering.

Hole #12, Par 4 ___ yards (present #5). Very little change here. It plays much the same as it did in 1938. Only the bunkers were added and enlarged and the mounds on the left side of the fairway were not there and there was no pond to drive over.

Hole #13, Par 4 __ yards (present #6). We left the 12^th green (our 5^thtoday) and walked due west behind the present #3 green almost to West Wharf Rd to reach the 13^th tee. This was one of the largest, widest holes on the entire course. We would tee off just south of the Loupone house (the one with the stone porch just opposite today’s pro shop) and play toward the Dolly Madison to a green just short of the old 9^th tee (today’s 2^nd tee). There was some left fairway bunkering and a couple of small bunkers near the green. The 13th hole encompassed enough land by itself to build 21 houses on it to later become Cherry Lane. When we lost that land we had to squeeze our present #3 and #6 holes into what land was left.

Hole # 14, Par 4 ___ yards (present #7). This hole changed quite a bit because the tee was some 20 to 25 yards south of Surf Club Road. We had to drive across the road but there were so few cars using that area it was no problem. There was one small bunker in front of the tree’d mound and the green is very much the same as it was in '38. Again, bunkers, bigger and deeper were added.

Hole #15, Par 4 ___ yards (present #8). This hole has changed less than any other of the 18. One teeing ground where the present back tee is today and we still had to hit over some rough 40 yards in front of the green and there were two shallow bunkers right of the putting surface. The green is basically unchanged and is one of the few with a front to back slope. This remains one of the better holes and the only hole with a blind shot to the green. But, as the saying goes, "there is no blind shot for a golfer who has a memory".

Hole # 16, Par 3 ___ yards (present #9). No change here except for the bunkers, more and deeper. It would appear that thru the years the Club couldn't add much length and in some cases lost some yardage so they resorted to more and deeper bunkers.