More on the Early Efforts To Develop the First Nine Holes of the First Pelham Bay Golf Course

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Today's Pelham Split Rock Golf Club, consisting of the Pelham Bay Golf Course and the Split Rock Golf Course, sits on land that once was part of the Town of Pelham before annexation by New York City in 1896. The narrow, tree-lined Split Rock Golf Course opened in 1934 and was designed by John van Kleek. Pelham Bay Golf Course opened in 1905.

I previously have published to the Historic Pelham Blog an interesting account of the early, slow efforts to build the first nine holes of the Pelham Bay Golf Course. See Tuesday, December 20, 2005: An Early Description of Construction of the First Nine Holes of the Pelham Bay Golf Course. As noted in that posting, the account, published in The New York Times in 1900, indicates that Val Flood, New York City's "golf professional" was overseeing construction of the course. Although the first nine holes of the course were scheduled to open in August, 1900, its condition in September of that year -- a full month later -- was described as "chaotic".

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes an excerpt of an article that describes the earliest efforts to plan and construct the course. The full article appeared in the April 18, 1900 issue of the New-York Tribune.

"GOLF.

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COMING MATCHES AT RICHMOND HILL -- ANOTHER PUBLIC LINKS AT PELHAM BAY PARK.

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Now that the Van Cortlandt Park links are in running order, Commissioner Moebus has turned his attention to Pelham Bay Park, where a second public links is to be laid out this coming season. Commissioner Moebus has all along promised that as soon as the Van Cortlandt improvements were completed he would devote his attention to Pelham Bay, and in fulfilment of that promise a gang of men were at work yesterday making the preliminary arrangements for the new course.

The news of the Commissioner's action will be particularly gratifying to the members of the New-York Athletic Club, whose summer grounds at Travers Island are scarcely fifteen minutes from the new links. In fact, when the club's scheme for a course at Fox Hills fell through the golfing portion of the membership were quick to see that Pelham Bay Park offered the most satisfactory substitute, and they have been urging the carrying out of the project ever since. At the direction of Mr. Moebus, Daniel Ulrich, the city's engineer, has made a careful survey of the property, and, with the suggestions of Laurence E. Van Etten, of the New-York Athletic Club, the map of the new course is now fairly outlined. The course will occupy the northwestern end of the park, about a mile from Pelham Manor, and is comparatively easy of access by means of the New-Haven Railroad to New-Rochelle. It is probable that the first nine holes will be opened in July, but the completed course will be opened in July, but the completed course will hardly be ready before September. . . ."

Source: Golf, New-York Tribune, Apr. 18, 1900, p. 6, col. 3.

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