The Original Nine
Voted That Jerih Smith Jr., S. T. Pierce, and Fredrick D. Stetson constitute a committee to lay out golf links on the Club grounds.*5
Thus began the process of building a new golf course for the the city of New Bedford when our founders relocated to Dartmouth in 1902.
The BOG Minutes describe the original property acquired ... “for the sum of $12,000, for the purchase of the Club, a tract of land in Dartmouth containing approximately 86 acres, bounded by Kempton Street, Slocum Road and Hathaway Road". *14 At the time of purchase, the land was still a working farm. The farmland acquired was a small portion of the much larger John and Elisabeth Cummings estate which once also included all of Smith Mills.
The tract of land acquired to be used as a golf course was held by Mr. Holder Brownell. When it was purchased the property was still inhabited by tenant farmers. The acreage included a stream and was essentially open fields - some still being tilled for crops, pastureland and some containing orchards.
During a subsequent Board Meeting there ensued a discussion about the "rights of tenants on club premises". These farmers apparently had no lease on the land that they were farming and thus the Board decided that it "might be not much trouble about tenants vacating after they had gathered crops". It was also reported that the "tenants agreed not to break up any more ground". *14
Artifacts from these early tenant farmers were discovered years later by former CCNB Superintendent Paul Barrett when he was laying out the irrigation system. He described the area around the current ladies tee on hole number three as a likely dumping ground where he found pieces of china and other household items while digging and installing the irrigation.
Prior to purchasing the property, Mr. Stetson, who served on the Committee on Golf Links, toured the grounds with Mr. David Findlay. Having served as the “golfing professional” at the Hawthorn Golf Club, Mr. Findlay was instrumental in determining that this piece of land was suitable for the construction of the newly proposed golf links. Mr. Brown was also appointed to this committee " since he was a prime mover in the idea of employing a landscape gardener". *14
Mr. Findlay laid out the original nine hole links course using the natural contours of the land. Thus any references to Willie Park having designed the original nine holes is completely unfounded. Willie Park Sr. died in Scotland in 1903 and never came to America. Willie Park Jr. was still actively playing golf in 1902 and designing golf courses in Europe. David Findlay not only laid out the original nine, he then became the first groundskeeper at the new course in February of 1903. *18 *27
The nine hole course Findlay designed was primarily laid out on the of the perimeter of the property. It crossed over some of the existing stone walls, went over the ledge (which is now part of the second hole), and used the marshy land (along what is now hole number fourteen) as a hazard. *27
Treasurer Edward Brown subsequently visited the renowned landscape architects Olmsted and Olmsted in Boston and recommended that they be hired as "landscape gardeners ... to lay out club grounds" and "at a cost not to exceed $300" for a new golf course. *15 The Board thus appropriated $500 for the Committee on Golf Links - to be used in laying out links". *16
It should be noted here that famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. was in his late nineties at this time and had fully retired. He died in 1903 and thus was never involved with the project at the Country Club of New Bedford. His step-son Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. visited the site and was the landscape architect for CCNB. *55 His architectural maps which included proposed tennis courts and croquet grounds can be found at the Olmsted National Historical Park in Brookline. Correspondence between the BOG and Mr. Olmsted is stored at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
On 1/1/03 the Minutes reflect that the Olmsted plans for links as laid out were approved. The plans included topography of the land to be used for the nine hole layout of the Country Club of New Bedford in its new location. They also planned the space for other sporting activities on the property plus the approach to the club and any surrounding gardens. *36 The Olmsted plans essentially followed the golf course design layout envisioned by David Findlay for a nine hole links golf course.
“Laying out” a links golf course in 1902 meant using the existing contours of the property without much modification, sowing grass where fields had been cultivated and locating both a teeing area and a green. Eighty six acres allowed Mr. Findlay’s design to spread the nine holes over the entire property as seen in an early diagram of the original golf course. *27 Also visible in this early sketch are the existing stone walls (some of which were removed), a “sand hill” located where our current 15th hole sits and a marsh to the right of our present 14th hole.
A pond was envisioned but was not used as a hazard in the original course design. Several farm buildings are also illustrated near the center of the property in the early sketch. The original clubhouse, as seen in the Olmsted elevations, was situated where the current clubhouse sits on the property. The Minutes reflect that there were some heated discussions between the architect and the Olmsteads regarding the height of the proposed building “so as to not dominate the landscape”.
The Boston Herald reported on the new project as follows: “New Bedford Country Club ... will soon have a nine-hole golf course of some 3,000 yards that promises to be fully as sporting as any in this section of the state.” By their description, the property contained “hills and valleys and ledges here and there. At present it is cut into fields, several being hay meadows, several under cultivation and several under pasturage, divided by roughly piled walls of field stone; and there is much to be done before the course will be ready for play.” *27
“Most of the stone walls will be taken down, except where they may serve as hazards, the plowed land will be smoothed and seeded and the existing turf put in order.” In addition the article noted “numerous fine trees with a double line extending from Kempton St., but they are not in the line of play and will be spared to adorn the links.” *27 The old farm buildings were to be removed.
This same article confirms that Mr. Olmsted was the original “architect engineer” and that “the course has been cleverly laid out by Mr. David Findlay, professional of the Hawthorn Golf Club, who has cleverly taken advantage of the peculiarities of the land ...”*27
The Herald’s description of the original nine holes details the direction, the description of the terrain and the exact length of each hole;
“The first tee will be situated near the proposed clubhouse, and the drive will be in a northerly direction towards the hole with two cop bunkers and the putting green will be in a little hollow.
The second tee will be placed near the Hathaway Road, and the direction of the drive will be southwesterly. The hole will be about 450 yards away, over meadowland, fairly good golf turf as it stands, and downhill all the way.
The third tee is to be placed near the wall, and an accurate drive will be necessary, for a sliced ball will find a marsh, and a sand pit awaits a pulled ball. The green will be located on a high bank, requiring a well played approach.
The fourth tee will be placed on top of a sand hill, and a carry of nearly 100 yards will be required to avoid the sand pit. The green is to be 250 yards away, in the same meadow with the second hole.
The fifth tee will be placed in the orchard and the drive will be uphill in a north easterly direction about 285 yards.
A walk past the clubhouse brings one towards the sixth tee, whence the hole will be 350 yards deep and the green will be located at the corner of Kempton Street and Slocum Road.
The seventh drive will be towards the west. A ledge with a fringe of low trees will hide the green and beyond the ledge the hill slopes downwards to the hole.
The eighth tee will be near the big ledge, and the green will be 400 yards away near the corner of Kempton Street and Slocum Road.
The ninth hole heads back towards the clubhouse the distance being 500 yards. There is a stone wall almost 200 yards from the tee which may be left as a hazard for the second shot. These two holes are level ground.
These are the distances by holes and the bogey as estimated by Mr. Findlay.
Hole Yds. Bogey Hole Yds. Bogey
1 ..... 300 Bogey 4 6 ..... 350 Bogey 4
2 ..... 450 Bogey 5 7 ..... 200 Bogey 3
3 ..... 200 Bogey 4 8 ..... 400 Bogey 5
4 ..... 280 Bogey 4 9 ..... 500 Bogey 6
5 ..... 275 Bogey 4
Totals ............................. 2955 Yds. Bogey 39
It is proposed, in addition to the golf course, the construction of tennis courts and croquet grounds. A place to the extreme west end of the property has been selected for trap shooting and a low pasture on the Kempton Street side will be excavated to make a skating pond.
David Findlay, the final groundskeeper for the Hawthorn Golf Club and designer of the first nine hole golf course, was hired “as Green Keeper and custodian of the Club grounds for one year at $50 a month beginning (on) March 1st 1903." *18
Despite the Club’s inception occurring during the early stage of the Industrial Revolution, the day-to-day maintenance of a true links course like our early layout was not initially a mechanized operation. Keeping the grass on the course “cut” was accomplished in a more natural manner. The “mowing” was delegated to sheep and thus on April of 1903 the Board;
Voted "That the President be empowered to purchase fifty sheep"
Voted That Mr Findlay be empowered to use one of the buildings north of the blacksmith shop for a sheep-fold" *24
By August of the same year it was apparent that fifty sheep would not be adequate to maintain eighty-six acres in the new location and another fifty sheep were purchased - along with one very lucky ram. *21 Photographs of the sheep in action along Slocum Road still exist which documents their presence.
It seems apparent that the sheep were not welcome while the course was in play and there is a call in the Minutes for their removal from the course. The Board then hired a shepherd to tend the flock. Mechanization began to creep into the course maintenance around this time. The Golf Committee was authorized to ascertain the cost of a combined cutting and rolling machine.
Much like it’s predecessor, the Hawthorn Golf Links, the 1902 Findlay designed nine hole course would ultimately be satisfactory to its expanding membership for a relatively short amount of time. Members began complaining about crowded conditions once again and by 1915 the Board of Governors began their discussions to enlarge the course to eighteen holes.