More on the Beginnings of the Pelham Bay Golf Course in 1900

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In the late 19th century and the earliest years of the 20th century, residents of Pelham and New Rochelle, and members of the New York Athletic Club who used the club's facilities on Travers Island were pressuring New York City to construct a world-class public golf course in Pelham Bay Park.  The New York Athletic Club even established a "Golf Committee" to push for such a course.  

In 1899, members of the New York Athletic Club asked Lawrence E. Van Etten to develop plans for the construction of an eighteen-hole course in Pelham Bay Park adjacent to the border with the Village of Pelham Manor bounded by Shore Road on one side and the branch line railroad tracks on the other.  Van Etten was a civil engineer and architect who drew up the plans for the Sutton Manor subdivision in New Rochelle.  In the late 19th century and early 20th century Van Etten became a somewhat noted golf course architect.  He prepared the initial design for the Wykagyl Country Club golf course completed in 1905.  He also designed the Knollwood Country Club course near White Plains, and the first golf course at Deal Beach, New Jersey.  At the time, New York City and the New York City Park Commissioner were busy finishing construction of the golf course in Van Cortlandt Park.  Once that was complete, however, they turned their attention to Van Etten's plans for Pelham Bay Park.

In early April, 1900, the New York City Park Commissioner August Moebus of The Bronx, arranged for his engineer, Daniel Ulrich, to survey the area of Pelham Bay Park near the old Delancey Mansion opposite Hunter's Island for the construction of the proposed eighteen-hole course.  Only days later, on April 16, 1900, a gang of workmen began construction of the new course with the hope that nine holes would be open for play by the following June.  

Portions of the course were planned for the area that once served as the polo grounds and steeplechase course of the old "Country Club at Pelham" that operated in the 1880s on land that it leased before the formal creation of Pelham Bay Park and the annexation of the park lands to New York City.  According to one article, the following was planned:

"The golf course will be in the northwestern end of the park, the first tee being about one mile from the Pelham Manor station on the New Haven branch railroad running from Mott Haven to New Rochelle.  The entire course will be east of the railroad.  The first tee will be almost opposite the entrance to Hunter's Island, and close by the old De Lancey Kane house, now owned by the Park Department.  It is the intention to have some of the rooms in this house fitted up for the golfers, with lockers and dressing rooms.

A few trees will be cut down, the stone walls removed, except where needed for bunkers, when they will be covered with earth, and the entire course will be thoroughly rolled several times.  The turf is excellent, and one green will be laid out on the old polo field formerly used by the members of the Westchester Country Club.  The old clubhouse of the Country Club is just across Shore Road from the links.  In one corner of the property near the railroad track, is a small pond, and there are one or two brooks, so several water hazards can be added as an attractive novelty."

Pelham Bay Golf Course Along Shore Road in

Pelham Bay Park in Satellite Photo Taken Earlier

This Year.  Source:  Google Maps.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of another article describing the earliest efforts to create the Pelham Bay Golf Course beginning in 1899 and 1900.  The text is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

I have written about this topic before.  For examples of other such articles, see, e.g.:  

Thu., Mar. 19, 2009:  More on the Early Efforts To Develop the First Nine Holes of the First Pelham Bay Golf Course. 

Tue., Dec. 20, 2005:  An Early Description of Construction of the First Nine Holes of the Pelham Bay Golf Course.

Fri., Oct. 02, 2009:  Failed Efforts in 1900 to Build a Golf Course on Hunter's Island Rather than on the Mainland in Pelham Bay Park.

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"GOLF LINKS IN PELHAM PARK.

-----

Work Begun on a New Course in Pelham Bay Park, Which Will Be the Longest in the Country.

Work has begun yesterday in Pelham Bay Park upon a new public golf course for the lovers of the game in New York City.  While this will be cheerful news to the great body of golfers in general, it will appeal with particular interest to the members of the New York Athletic Club, who for over a year have been making strenuous efforts to secure a course may not be opened until August, or September, the Golf Committee of the club feels well satisfied with the practical results of their twelve months' efforts.

Park Commissioner Moebus of the Borough of the Bronx delegated to his engineer, Daniel Ulrich, to make a final survey of the property last week, and yesterday morning Mr. Ulrich, with a gang of workmen, began operations.

'We shall make the new course just as good as possible with the money at our disposal,' said Commissioner Moebus yesterday.  'The links were mapped out last year by Lawrence E. Van Etten, at the request of some of the New York Athletic Club members, and the plans were sent to me with estimates of cost.  Our whole attention then was devoted toward enlarging the Van Cortlandt links, but now, with that work well completed, we are going to give New Yorkers a second public course in another part of the city.

'Besides the New York Athletic Club members, we have had many requests from residents in the locality of New Rochelle to utilize a section of Pelham Bay Park for a golf links, and when finished it will be open to all, subject to no restrictions, on the same basis as the Van Cortlandt course is open to the public.  There is no doubt that the course will be popular, and it will also serve to make New Yorkers acquainted with the beauties of Pelham Bay Park.'

Lawrence E. Van Etten, who is a practical golfer, having laid out the Knollwood Country Club course near White Plains, and the first course at Deal Beach, went over the Pelham Bay property with Park Engineer Ulrich last week and made a few slight changes in his original plan.  The distances of some of the holes may be changed as work progresses, but the present plans call for an eighteen-hole course, 6,363 yards long.  This will make it the longest eighteen-hole course in the country, and the longest hole, which will run parallel with the Shore Road, will be over 600 yards from the tee to the green.

The golf course will be in the northwestern end of the park, the first tee being about one mile from the Pelham Manor station on the New Haven branch railroad running from Mott Haven to New Rochelle.  The entire course will be east of the railroad.  The first tee will be almost opposite the entrance to Hunter's Island, and close by the old De Lancey Kane house, now owned by the Park Department.  It is the intention to have some of the rooms in this house fitted up for the golfers, with lockers and dressing rooms.

A few trees will be cut down, the stone walls removed, except where needed for bunkers, when they will be covered with earth, and the entire course will be thoroughly rolled several times.  The turf is excellent, and one green will be laid out on the old polo field formerly used by the members of the Westchester Country Club.  The old clubhouse of the Country Club is just across Shore Road from the links.  In one corner of the property near the railroad track, is a small pond, and there are one or two brooks, so several water hazards can be added as an attractive novelty.

The first tee will be less than half a mile from the little neck of land leading to Travers Island, from the road to Pelham Manor Station, and the New York Athletic Club golfers can get to the links from their clubhouse in fifteen minutes or less.  The Golf Committee of the club consists of James D. Foot, J. J. O'Donohue, Jr., George E. Armstrong, Paul A. Curtis, and J. H. Stead.  If the work progresses favorably nine holes may be opened for play in June.  The Van Cortlandt links measure 6,060 yards, and with the completion of those at Pelham Bay, New York will be far in advance of all other cities in the United States in respect to its public golf facilities." 

Source:  GOLF LINKS IN PELHAM PARK -- Work Begun on a New Course in Pelham Bay Park, Which Will Be the Longest in the Country, N.Y. Times, Apr. 17, 1900, p. 10, col. 2.  

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