Historic Pelham

Presenting the rich history of Pelham, NY in Westchester County: current historical research, descriptions of how to research Pelham history online and genealogy discussions of Pelham families.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Pelham Manor Cracked Down on Proliferation of Miniature Golf and Golf Driving Ranges in the Early 1930s


During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the nation's interest in golf was at a fever pitch.  Pelham was no exception.  

One manifestation of golf fever was the proliferation of so-called "midget golf courses."  These are courses we think of today as "short courses," akin to a smaller "par 3 course."  Another type of course that swept the nation was a "Tom Thumb course," otherwise known as a "putt putt course" -- what we think of today as a true "miniature golf course."  Indeed, I have written before of two such Tom Thumb courses that opened in 1930 in the Village of North Pelham.  See Tue., Dec. 09, 2014:  The Miniature Golf Craze Hits Pelham in 1930 as Two "Tom Thumb" Golf Courses Open.  

During this nationwide golf craze, driving ranges and a short course opened in the Village of Pelham Manor as well.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog article tells the story of those Pelham Manor driving ranges and short course. 

The Pelham Driving Range

By either late 1929 or early 1930, a man named Thomas Alton opened an extensive golf driving range along Boston Post Road in the Village of Pelham Manor near the Hutchinson River Parkway.  Alton named the facility "Pelham Golf Range."  It also was referenced as the "Pelham Driving Range" and the "Boston Post Driving Range."  



1932 Advertisement for the "Pelham Golf Range."  Source:
PELHAM GOLF RANGE, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 3, 1932,
p. 11, col. 8.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

As the advertisement above notes, when the range opened lessons were available and a pail of golf balls cost 35 cents.  The facility also advertised itself as "THE FINEST RANGE IN WESTCHESTER" (see advertisement immediately below).  


1931 Advertisement for the "Pelham Golf Driving Range."  Source:
[Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 20, 1931, p. 22, cols 3-4.  NOTE:  Click
on Image to Enlarge.

The Pelham Golf Driving Range gained some notoriety when, on Sunday, May 10, 1931, a terrible electrical storm swept over Pelham.  As the lightning began, three employees of the facility began running for cover toward a small shed on the range.  As they ran, a massive lightning bolt struck near them, knocking all three unconscious.  Others nearby phoned the police.  

Motorcycle patrolman Thomas Fagan arrived and found James McFarland, 22, William Dorasch, 18, and Thomas Alton, 33 unconscious.  He applied first aid and brought two of the men back to consciousness.  An ambulance arrived and took the three men to New Rochelle Hospital where two were promptly released and the third was held for observation though he also recovered.

The Pelham Golf Driving Range had a constant problem with trespassers who would sneak onto the range at night and steal golf balls.  Finally the owner, Tom Alton, seemed to follow a zero tolerance policy and prosecuted all who were caught -- even when they were caught with as few as three golf balls.  Culprits were dragged into the Pelham Manor police court repeatedly -- and usually were residents of New York City, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon.

By at least 1936 if not before, ownership of the driving range had changed.  Arthur Milton became the owner and the facility was renamed "Milton's Driving Range."  It became a location where members of the Pelham Memorial High School Driving Club practiced.

Although research has not yet revealed when the facility closed, it continued to operate as late as 1941.

The Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course

A man named Jules Kibel (also misspelled "Kibble") opened a golf short course on September 27, 1930 named the "Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course."  Although a number of newspaper references to its location were imprecise (and even erroneous), it was located southeast of the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue in part of an area between today's Boston Post Road and Wynnewood Avenue once owned by Arthur W. Cole (through Colco Inc.).  The map detail immediately below shows the rough location of the short course and driving range.



Detail from 1929 Map With Arrow Indicating Approximate Location
of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course and Driving Range on Land
of Arthur Cole (Owned Through Colco Inc.).  Source:  G. M. Hopkins
Co., Atlas of Westchester County, Vol. 1, Pg. 2 (Philadelphia, PA:
G. M. Hopkins Co., 1929).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

At first the short course offered mere golf experience for those interested in playing short clubs on a small course chock full of hazards.  In early July, 1931, however, Jules Kibel announced the opening of a new driving range "installed alongside of the attractive fairways of the miniature golf course."  Thus, the facility offered "not only the popular approach game" on its short fairways, but also the opportunity to practice long drives on a range that even offered distance targets as "an opportunity for those who like to smack them out for great distances."  

The Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue is now equipped to suit all the requirements of the golfing enthusiast who likes his game to be centered in a small space.  A new driving range has been installed alongside of the attractive fairways of the miniature golf course.  Here not only the popular approach game can be played but there is also an opportunity for those who like to smack them out for great distances."

The new driving range at Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road charged fifty cents per bucket of balls.  It cost twenty-five cents for adults and fifteen cents for children to play a round of golf on the adjoining short course.  According to one advertisement, a competition was held each Wednesday night for a $5 prize and free automobile parking adjoining the driving range.  

Some in Pelham Manor welcomed the "midget golf course" as it often was called.  Before construction of the course, there stood on a portion of the property an "unsightly pile of bricks" that had been there "for several years."  According to one account, the course was "beautifully landscaped, shrubs have been planted and an ingenious brook winds its way across the fairways which offer many hazards."  Interestingly, the short fairways were not of grass.  They were a mixture of "sand, clay and green slate granules" which required grooming, but not the sort of grounds keeping maintenance of an ordinary golf course.  According to an advertisement when the short course opened in 1930:

"Over 24,000 square feet of the finest playing greens and fairways that can be found anywhere makes playing the popular miniature golf here the most pleasant and healthful sport of all!  The course is three times as large as the average and offers natural water and tree hazards and sand traps that are found only on the best of full-sized golf courses.  You'll need mashie-niblicks here as well as putters -- we supply them with the balls."

Efforts by Pelham Manor to Limit the Spread of Such Golf Facilities

Others in Pelham Manor were outraged at the opening of the new "midget course" known as the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course.  First, they were offended that the facility opened at what then was considered the very heart of Pelham Manor:  Four Corners.  Second, they were fearful that with two relatively new golf facilities along Boston Post Road within a few hundred yards of each other, Pelham Manor soon would be "dotted" with such miniature courses.  

Indeed, there were substantial objections to the short course at Four Corners nearly from the beginning.  The day before the course opened and on the same day that a full page advertisement for the small course appeared in the local newspaper, the front page of the same newspaper (The Pelham Sun) reported on the status of a proposed zoning ordinance to ban driving ranges, miniature golf courses, and so-called "Tom Thumb" golf courses (so-called putt-putt courses or true miniature golf facilities.  The newspaper reported:

"Determined that the Village of Pelham Manor will not be dotted with miniature golf courses, the Board of Trustees has enacted an ordinance preventing the construction of any new golf course or golf range, conducted for profit, outside of the industrial district.  The miniature golf course which will be opened on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue will not be ousted as the ordinance will not be effective until after a public hearing is held on October 6.  Mayor Lawrence F. Sherman told The Pelham Sun that the village could not block the opening of this course as no buildings are to be constructed thereon.  A permit for a caddy house was denied by the building department.  In the meantime a storm of protest has been heard from residents of the Boston road district.  Their contention is that the zoning ordinance bars any business except as an integral part of an apartment house.  Threats of suit to force the trustees to halt the construction of the course has been heard.  At the public hearing the trustees will be required to explain why the existing zone ordinance does not already prevent the construction of such courses as described in the amendment."

A few months later, on May 13, 1931, the Pelham Manor Zoning Board followed the building department's lead and denied a permit for the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course to build the "caddy house" it sought on the course.

There were other issues associated with the small golf facilities.  For example, police repeatedly had to respond to incidents of young people trespassing at the facilities as well as large thefts of range golf balls (as many as 3,000 in one instance).  

Despite such concerns, the Pelham Golf Driving Range and the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Facility with its driving range were popular recreation destinations for a number of years.

The proposed zoning ordinance banning such facilities passed.  Pelham Manor, it would seem, would be spared the horror of proliferating golf facilities.


Full Page Advertisement Announcing the Opening of the Pelham
Manor Junior Golf Course on September 27, 1930.  Source:  "THE
The Pelham Sun, Sep. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 26, p. 5 (Full-Page Ad).
NOTE:  Text Transcribed Immediately Below; Click on Image to Enlarge.

"'The greens are marvelous -- so accurate and even!'

'The fairways are of sand, clay and green slate granules!'

'THE PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE' OPENS TOMORROW SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th

You and your friends are cordially invited to inspect Westchester County's most Beautiful and Scientific Miniature Golf Course.

Over 24,000 square feet of the finest playing greens and fairways that can be found anywhere makes playing the popular miniature golf here the most pleasant and healthful sport of all!  The course is three times as large as the average and offers natural water and tree hazards and sand traps that are found only on the best of full-sized golf courses.  You'll need mashie-niblicks here as well as putters -- we supply them with the balls.

PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE
North of Pelhamdale Avenue on the Boston Post Road Next to Manor Gas Station

CHILDREN -- 25 cents
ADULTS -- 35 cents
Until Six P. M.

ADULTS -- 50 cents Evenings, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays

FREE PARKING IN OUR WELL LIGHTED PARKING SECTION WHICH ADJOINS THE COURSE"



July 2, 1931 Advertisement Announcing Addition of a Driving Range at
the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course at Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston
Post Road.  Source:  NEW SPORT AT JUNIOR COURSE IN PELHAM
Golf CourseThe Pelham Sun, Jul. 2, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 14, p. 11, col. 6.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.



1930 Advertisement for the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course.
MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 3, 1930,
Vol. 21, No. 27, p. 2, cols. 5-8.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge;
Transcription of Text Appears Immediately Below.


"There is a TOUCH OF REFINEMENT About the PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE That attracts Refined People

Over 24,000 square feet of the finest playing greens and fairways that can be found anywhere makes playing the popular miniature golf here the most pleasant and healthful sport of all!  The course is three times as large as the average and offers natural water and tree hazards and sand traps that are found only on the best of full sized golf courses.  You'll need mashie-niblicks here as well as putters -- we supply them with the balls.

PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE

NORTH OF PELHAMDALE AVENUE ON THE BOSTON POST ROAD

FREE PARKING IN OUR WELL LIGHTED PARKING SECTION WHICH ADJOINS THE COURSE"

*          *          *          *           *

"PREVENT SPREAD OF MIDGET GOLF COURSES IN MANOR
-----
Public Hearing on Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Be Held Oct. 6.  Opposition Strong.
-----

Determined that the Village of Pelham Manor will not be dotted with miniature golf courses, the Board of Trustees has enacted an ordinance preventing the construction of any new golf course or golf range, conducted for profit, outside of the industrial district.  The miniature golf course which will be opened on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue will not be ousted as the ordinance will not be effective until after a public hearing is held on October 6.

Mayor Lawrence F. Sherman told The Pelham Sun that the village could not block the opening of this course as no buildings are to be constructed thereon.  A permit for a caddy house was denied by the building department.

In the meantime a storm of protest has been heard from residents of the Boston road district.  Their contention is that the zoning ordinance bars any business except as an integral part of an apartment house.  Threats of suit to force the trustees to halt the construction of the course has been heard.  At the public hearing the trustees will be required to explain why the existing zone ordinance does not already prevent the construction of such courses as described in the amendment.

In the meantime Jules Kibel, proprietor of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course has installed a picturesque miniature course on the property adjacent to the old Red Church building.  The ground is owned by Arthur W. Cole.  The golf course has replaced the unsightly pile of bricks that occupied the property for several years.  Kibel has laid his course out in a manner different to the usual variety of midget courses.

The course is beautifully landscaped, shrubs have been planted and an ingenious brook winds its way across the fairways which offer many hazards.

The new course will open to the public tomorrow afternoon."

Source:  PREVENT SPREAD OF MIDGET GOLF COURSES IN MANOR -- Public Hearing on Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Be Held Oct. 6.  Opposition Strong, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 26, p. 1, col. 6.  

"TRESPASS ON GOLF RANGE; FINED $2
-----

Four youths were fined $2 each on charges of trespassing brought by Thomas Alton, of No. 637 James street, Pelham Manor, owner of the Pelham Driving Range.  In Pelham Manor court last night Alton said that the youths had been very sarcastic when he had asked them to get off the range, which is located on the Boston Post road near the Hutchinson River parkway.

The youths were:  Charles Garetta, 21, of No. 109 South 12th avenue; Vincent Fagano, 22, of No. 211 South 12th avenue; Anthony Tusillo, 20, of No. 216 South 6th avenue; all of Mount Vernon; and John Sacco, 19, of No. 45 Seton avenue, Bronx.

The quartette was arrested by Patrolman Thomas Fagan on Tuesday night while they were crossing the Secor Lane dumping ground after leaving the golf range.  At that time they told the policeman that they were looking for rats.

The youths told Judge John C. Townsend last night that they had left after Alton had directed them to go.  They had no golf balls on their persons when arrested."

Source:  TRESPASS ON GOLF RANGE; FINED $2, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 26, p. 4, col. 3.  

"STEAL 639 BALLS, PAY TWO $25 FINES
-----

Fines of $25 were imposed on Anthony Cassino, twenty, and Nicholas Larusso, seventeen, of New Rochelle by Judge Floyd Price in Pelham Manor Court last night.  The youths pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing golf balls from the Pelham Driving Range at Hutchinson Parkway and the Boston Post Road yesterday morning.  

Sergeant Michael Grady of the Pelham Manor Police saw the boys collecting the balls, waited until they had filled a burlap bag, and then arrested them as they left the range. 

They had labored from sunrise to 7 o'clock in gathering 639 balls from the grounds, they said."

Source:  STEAL 639 BALLS, PAY TWO $25 FINES, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 21, 1930, p. 22, col. 5.  

"MIDGET GOLFERS READY FOR TINY TOURNAMENTS
-----
Driving Range and Miniature Golf Courses Will Soon Be in Shape For Enthusiasts.
-----

With the activity around local pint-sized golf courses, it is easy to imagine that in the spring a young man's fancy turns to light forms of golf.  The knights of the driving range and putting courses are eager to be back of their less tiring games and there is every indication that the season will soon be at the same height that it ws ere the chilly winds put an end to activities last fall.

Over in Pelham Manor the Boston Post Road Driving Range has gotten its game under way early, and hooks and slices have been mixing in with long drives for the last two weeks.  For those to whom golf means simply a bucket of balls and a driver the range is proving most attractive.

But for those who take their game seriously and meticulously tap a pellet around a course clogged with rabbit hutches, hollow logs and over teaspoon water hazards, the Tom Thumb links will soon be ready.  Joe Carraher who presides over the North Pelham Tom Thumb Course on Fourth street, hopes to get his links in shape for opening tomorrow.  Angelo Da Quisto and Vincent Smith who fought it out for the local championship last year are eager to get into the game again; so cries of 'fore,' and sometimes five and six will soon be heard on the midget course.

The Pelham Manor Junior Country Club on the Boston Road will also be in shape within a few days."

Source:  MIDGET GOLFERS READY FOR TINY TOURNAMENTS -- Driving Range and Miniature Golf Courses Will Soon Be in Shape For Enthusiasts, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 24, 1931, p. 11, col. 2.  

"3 MEN RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS BY LIGHTNING BOLT
-----
Sudden Storm Did Damage in Pelham on Sunday Night; Peculiar Accident at Golf Range.
-----

Three men, employees of the Pelham Golf Driving Range at Hutchinson River Parkway and Boston Post Road, Pelham Manor, were rendered unconscious Sunday night during the severe electrical storm when a bolt of lightning struck the range near them.

The trio, James McFarland, 22, of No. 416 Bedford Avenue, and William Dorasch, 18, of No. 259 South Third avenue, both of Mount Vernon, and Thomas Alton, 33, of 3565 Ropes avenue, New York City, were rushed to New Rochelle Hospital in an ambulance.

Motorcycle Officer Thomas Fagan who was detailed to the scene following a telephone call to headquarters that three men had been struck by lightning, found the men lying unconscious in the mud a short distance from a shed on the range.

Officer Fagan, immediately upon discovering the three bodies, applied first aid methods and brought two of the trio back to consciousness before the arrival of the ambulance.

At the hospital, all three were treated for shock and Alton held for observation.  Hospital officials desired to hold McFarland for observation but he refused to stay and was allowed to go home.

The men said that they had been working on the range and had headed for the shed for shelter when the storm broke.  They had almost reached the building when the lightning struck near them and they were rendered unconscious.

Damage by the storm in Pelham was slight with the exception of a large number of branches of trees that were blown down.  The streets of all three villages were littered with leaves.  

Homes in North Pelham were plunged into darkness shortly after 8:30 o'clock when the storm damaged lighting wires in that village.  Police notified the Westchester Lighting Company that all lights between First and Sixth Streets on First, Second and Third avenues were out.  Emergency crews got to work as soon as possible and repaired the damage so that service was resumed shortly after midnight.

In Pelham Heights, a large tree on First street was struck by lightning and one section of the trunk split and the bark peeled off."

Source:  3 MEN RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS BY LIGHTNING BOLT -- Sudden Storm Did Damage in Pelham on Sunday Night; Peculiar Accident at Golf Range, The Pelham Sun, May 15, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 7, p. 1, col. 6.

"Permit Denied
-----

The Pelham Manor Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night reviewed the application of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course for a permit to construct a caddy house at the course which is located on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue.  The permit was denied."

Source:  Permit Denied, The Pelham Sun, May 15, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 7, p. 1, col. 1.

"NEW SPORT AT JUNIOR COURSE IN PELHAM MANOR
-----
Driving Range Added to Sports Facilities of Attractive Miniature Golf Course.
-----

The Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue is now equipped to suit all the requirements of the golfing enthusiast who likes his game to be centered in a small space.  A new driving range has been installed alongside of the attractive fairways of the miniature golf course.  Here not only the popular approach game can be played but there is also an opportunity for those who like to smack them out for great distances.

Targets have been arranged for those who are able to regulate their direction accurately.

Jules Kibble is proprietor of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course."

Source:  NEW SPORT AT JUNIOR COURSE IN PELHAM MANOR -- Driving Range Added to Sports Facilities of Attractive Miniature Golf Course, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 2, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 14, p. 11, col. 6.

"PELHAM MANOR
CHARGE DISMISSED

A petty larceny charge against Ernest Garcian of Manchester, N. H., was dismissed by Judge Floyd Price in Pelham Manor Court last night.  Garcian had been picked up on the Boston Road by Sergeant Grady and Patrolman Smith.  He admitted having been on the property of the Pelham Driving Range, the manager of which appeared last night to press the charge of larceny of three golf balls."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR -- CHARGE DISMISSED, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 30, 1931, p. 14, col. 4.  

"BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT
-----

Four young New Rochelle boys were taken into custody by Pelham Manor police on Wednesday afternoon on complaint of Tom Alton of the Pelham Driving Range on Boston Post road, that they had stolen golf balls from his range.

When arrested the boys had 33 golf balls.  They were turned over to Children's Court authorities."

Source:  BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 28, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 22, p. 1, col. 5.  

"BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT
-----

Charged with the theft of 80 golf balls from the Pelham Driving Range on Boston Post road, Pelham Manor, Edward Olson, 17, of No. 4029 Hill avenue, and Oscar Larson, 18, 2108 Strang avenue, both of the Bronx, pleaded not guilty before Judge Frank Roberson in Manor court last night.  The court found them guilty of petit larceny and suspended sentence.

The boys were arrested by Mount Vernon police on Wednesday afternoon on complaint of Thomas Alton, proprietor of the driving range.  Alton charged that the boys had stolen the balls from his property.  They were taken to Pelham Manor and later released in bail of $25.00 each, pending trial."

Source:  BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 11, 1932, p. 8, col. 7.  

"Fine For Blasting Without A Permit
-----

Carlo Petrillo, contractor, of No. 114 Primrose avenue, Mount Vernon, was fined $15.00 in Pelham Manor  police court Friday night when he was found guilty by Judge James Male on a charge of blasting without a permit.  

Petrillo, who was summoned by Arthur W. Fawcett, acting chief of the Manor Fire Department, was charged with blasting rock on the golf driving range at Boston Post Road and the Hutchinson River Parkway."

Source:  Fine For Blasting Without A Permit, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 6, 1934, p. 12, col. 2.

"Reports Theft of 3,000 Golf Balls
-----

Three thousand golf balls, valued at $85.00 and the property of the Pelham Manor Driving Range at Boston road and Hutchinson River Parkway, were reported stolen Wednesday morning by William Scanlon, owner of the establishment.  Pelham Manor police sent out an alarm notifying county police departments of the theft in case attempts were made to dispose of the balls.  The balls were contained in cloth bags and were 'seconds.'

Scanlon discovered the theft Wednesday morning when he opened the frame building in which he stores his equipment.  Police investigated but were unable to find any trace of forced entry.  During the night the premises were inspected several times by policemen on their tours of duty, but everything was reported all right."

Source:  Reports Theft of 3,000 Golf Balls, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 20, 1934, Vol. 25, No. 5, p. 1, col. 6.  

"THEFT CHARGES ARE WITHDRAWN
-----
Driving Range Owner Drops Case Against Two Suspects
-----
(Special To The Daily Argus)

PELHAM MANOR, Aug. 26 -- Charges of petit larceny in connection with the theft of golf balls were withdrawn by the owner of the Pelham driving range in Village Court last night.

Louis De Caprio, twenty-eight, and Guisseppe Fuselli, twenty-one, both of New York City, were arrested Sunday on the complaint of Arthur Milton, owner of the range.  Milton told the Court he wished to withdraw the charges, but stipulated the men must keep away from Pelham.

'We are continually having golf balls stolen,' Mr. Milton said, 'but I don't want to press charges, because Caprio is trying for a Civil Service position.'

Fuselli received a suspended sentence for driving without a registration card."

Source:  THEFT CHARGES ARE WITHDRAWN -- Driving Range Owner Drops Case Against Two Suspects, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 26, 1936, p. 4, col. 5.  

"LEGAL NOTICE
-----
APRIL, 1938
PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE for the VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR New York
Prepared by RUDOLPH P. MILLER Consulting Engineer
New York, N. Y.
Revised by the ZONING COMMISSION of the Village of Pelham Manor after a public hearing on March 21, 1938. . . . 

Section 32 -- GENERAL RESTRICTIONS.

     1. -- New Buildings and Uses.  No building or structure shall hereafter be erected, and no existing building or structure shall hereafter be enlarged or otherwise structurally altered, to be used or occupied for any purpose other than a use permitted in the district in which the building or land is located.

     2. -- Existing Buildings and Uses.  (a)  The lawful use of a building heretofore erected, or of a building heretofore authorized by a building permit lawfully issued and the construction of which, at the time this ordinance became effective, was actually begun and diligently prosecuted, may be continued, although such use does not conform with the provisions of this ordinance.

     (b)  No non-conforming use shall be extended so as to displace a conforming residential use.

     3. -- Non-Conforming Use. (a) The lawful use of any land existing at the time of this ordinance is adopted may be continued, although such use does not conform with the provisions of this ordinance.

     (b)  Whenever a non-conforming use of a building or of any land has been discontinued such building or land shall not be used or occupied for any purpose other than a use permitted in the district in which the building or land is located.  A change of ownership or tenancy shall not be deemed a discontinuance of use, provided the occupancy is not changed to a use of different classification.

     4. -- Prohibitions.  Except as hereinafter specifically provided, the following prohibitions shall apply throughout the Village of Pelham Manor: . . . .

     (e) No building or structure shall be hereafter erected or altered, nor shall any land be used as an amusement park or motordrome, or as a driving range, Tom Thumb course, miniature golf course, or golf course of any kind, if in any case it is to be conducted or operated for hire or profit. . . ."

Source:  LEGAL NOTICE ----- APRIL, 1938 PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE for the VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR New York, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 22, 1938, p. 11, cols. 1-8 & p. 12, cols. 1-8.  

"GOLF GROUP PRACTICES ON DRIVING RANGE
-----

Pelham High School golf group held its first practice driving session on Monday afternoon at Milton's Driving Range, Boston Post road, Pelham Manor.

The club is composed of ten boys interested in learning the finer points of golf.  It is sponsored by Carl Schilling every Monday afternoon.  The club includes:  Victor Armell, Edward Casanave, George Gow, Charles Lang, Jack Newitz, Robert Riesner, Frank Ward, Dave Hayman, Charles Schrotter and Robert Moberg."

Source:  GOLF GROUP PRACTICES ON DRIVING RANGE, The Pelham Sun, May 2, 1941, Vol. 31, No. 4, p. 3, col. 5.

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Friday, February 16, 2018

What Do Bill Kilgour Golf Clubs Have to Do With Pelham History?


Recently an unusual item popped up for auction on eBay.  It is a right-handed hickory-shafted antique golf club known as a "dot face Mashie Niblick" -- a club with a loft between those of a mashie and a niblick today's closest relative of which would be about a six iron.  The reverse of the club face is inscribed "BILL KILGOUR PELHAM BAY PARK, N.Y.     X     MASHIE . . NIBLICK"

With the opening of the auction, another Pelham history mystery was born.  Who was Bill Kilgour?  What, if anything, did he have to do with Pelham Bay Park?  Today's Historic Pelham article attempts to answer such questions.

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 a 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.   I have written about construction of the course a number of times.  See:  

Wed., Oct. 14, 2015:  More on the Beginnings of the Pelham Bay Golf Course in 1900.


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.

Construction of the original nine-hole course was slower and more chaotic than planned in 1900 and 1901.  The course opened, however.  It still exists, though somewhat evolved, as a portion of today's Pelham Bay Golf Course in Pelham Bay Park bordering the Village of Pelham Manor boundary.  The course later was joined by a second adjacent course known today as the Split Rock Golf Course.

William Kilgour, also known as "Bill" and "Willie" was a golf pro who began with the Pelham Bay Golf Course in 1911.  He was an early golf professional in the region.  Though virtually nothing has been written about him (and his professional accomplishments are little known today) he was a golf architect who designed several holes at the Mosholu golf course in The Bronx, redesigned several holes at the Van Cortlandt golf course in The Bronx, and even spent several months in late 1913 and early 1914 designing an entire course overseas in Prague.  

Bill Kilgour was instrumental in expanding the popularity of the Pelham Bay Golf Course in the years leading up to World War I.  As one article notes, although one hundred lockers had been built in the old Delancey Hunter Mansion (that later became Hunter Island Inn) when that structure was first co-opted for use as the Pelham Bay Golf Course clubhouse, Kilgour had to oversee construction of an additional 100 lockers and feared more would be necessary.  

Kilgour served as the golf pro at the Pelham Bay Golf Course until at least late 1917.  

Periodically Bill Kilgour golf clubs appear for auction.  Last night one such auction was ended when the "dot face Mashie Niblick" referenced above sold for about $40.00.  An image of that club appear immediately below.





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"Going to Pelham.

As the season advances the congestion at Van Cortlandt Park links becomes more apparent.  Many who used to golf there have gone elsewhere, and among others 'Willie' Kilgour, who looks after the interests of the enthusiasts at Pelham Bay Park, is finding the truth of the saying that 'it is an ill wind that blows no one good.'  That the throng is wending Pelhamward is evidenced by the fact that more than one hundred additional lockers have been installed there, making a total of more than two hundred.  The early season rush soon accounted for the first batch.  Now it begins to look as if still more will soon have to be installed."

Source:  Going to Pelham, The Evening Telegram [NY, NY], Jun. 5, 1912, p. 10, col. 6.

"KILGOUR GOING ABROAD.
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'Willie' Kilgour, who has had the clubhouse and golfing privileges of the Pelham links for the past two years, has been engaged to lay out an eighteen hole course near Prague, in the heart of Bohemia.  He will leave on Saturday, but will spend some time in the British Isles, from which he graduated as a golfer.  His intention is to look over the field and to note the very latest developments there of links architecture."

Source:  KILGOUR GOING ABROAD, N.Y. Herald, Dec. 3, 1913, p. 14, col. 7.

"'BILL' KILGOUR RETURNS.
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Declaring that he had found golf fast becoming the king of outdoor sports wherever he had turned during his travels abroad.  'Willie' Kilgour, professional to the Manhattan Golf Club, of Pelham Bay Park, returned to this country on Monday and already is making his preparations for a busy season at Pelham.  Kilgour went abroad several weeks ago for the purpose of laying out a golf course at Prague, in the heart of Bohemia.  He is perhaps the first professional golfer connected with an American links and club to receive such a commission.

While away Kilgour found time to pay a visit to many of the leading British golf courses, noting the very latest developments there.  He tells an amusing story of how while looking over a links near London he was more than surprised to hear a familiar 'Hello Bill,' come booming over the links.

'Gee,' said Kilgour when telling the story, 'I thought for a moment I was back at Pelham.  Imagine my astonishment when I turned to behold 'Dan' Mackie, the same Dan who used to hail me when we would be running around New York on business of a Monday,.'

Mackie, who is professional at the Century Country Club, of White Plains, was married recently.  He and his bride are spending their honeymoon abroad."

Source:  "BILL" KILGOUR RETURNS, N.Y. Herald, Feb. 11, 1914, p. 14, col. 2

"WORKING ON LINKS AT VAN CORTLANDT
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Several Additional Traps To Be Installed -- Old Bunkers to Go.

Preliminary work relative to the improvement of the public golf links at Van Cortlandt Park began yesterday when Thomas W. Whittle, the Park Commissioner; William Kilgour, the professional, and Hamilton, the superintendent, went over the ground and decided to place a number of additional traps.  One or two old-time bunkers, including the zig-zag affair close to the first tee, will be removed.

Most of the work which the Commissioner expects to have started in the near future will consist of trapping about the greens.  In all probability a sand hazard will be dug a few yards short of the first green, thereby adding considerably to the difficulty of the second shot.  Going to No. 5, the bunker on the other side of the brook, will be knocked down and the green trapped.  The new tenth green will be trapped and so will the eleventh, while the plan is to have a sand hazard to the side of the twelfth green.

Mr. Whittle admitted yesterday that he expected soon to take up the game.  Before he appears in public, however, the Commissioner will have a few lessons at an indoor school.

The new Mosholu links also will be gone over.  Last season this course consisted of only nine holes, but Kilgour declares it will not be long before the entire eighteen holes will be playable.  The 'pro' is enthusiastic over the possibilities of this course, which, in his opinion, is destined to become more popular than the old.  There appears to be little doubt now that considerable time and money will be expended on municipal golf this year."

Source:   WORKING ON LINKS AT VAN CORTLANDT -- Several Additional Traps To Be Installed -- Old Bunkers to Go, N.Y. Tribune, Feb. 17, 1915, p. 10, col. 3

"NEW FIRST HOLE PLANNED
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Change Is Made In Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course.
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Golfers who frequent the public links at Van Cortlandt Park will be surprised to learn that it has been decided to make a new first hole.  The layout was staked off yesterday under the direction of William Kilgour, the professional at Pelham Bay.

The tee of the new hole is to be between the skate house and the boathouse.  The green will be near the clump of trees just beyond the drain that runs past the milk booth.

The line of play, about 170 yards, will be between the lake and the road that forms at the police booth.  This arrangement will make the present first hole, the beginning of the meadow holes, the second.  To make room for this extra hole the third and fourth holes (old tenth and eleventh) will be played as one, skipping the third green.  The distance of this combined hole, which was suggested in The Eagle three years ago, will be about 520 yards, a fine three-shot hole.

It is feared that sliced balls from the new first tee may hit persons on the sidewalk or that pulled tee shots will injure persons at the boathouse.  One idea of the authorities to avoid this danger is to build protective network along the roadside.

Other changes now under way are a moving of the water-hole tee (the eleventh) back to the railroad fence.  The marsh at the cop bunker of the tenth is being drained and the brush has been cut away, changes that will take away the dog's-leg character of the hole.  The green of this has been spaded up for new grass, and some of the cross bunker at the west end has been leveled down.

The cross bunker at the tee of the old first meadow hole has been taken away and a new gravelled path has been constructed where the old tee was.  The new tee will not be raised and will be about twenty feet nearer the lake.  The cross bunker at the first (old twelfth) hole, or water jump, just beyond the brook, was levelled yesterday, and a ring of shallow traps about as deep as the one back of the fourth green has been dug around the fifth green on three sides, the front being left untrapped according to present arrangements."

Source:  NEW FIRST HOLE PLANNED -- Change Is Made In Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar. 18, 1915, p. 2, col. 7.

"SOME SHOTS OFF THE FIRST TEE
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The public links situation looks more encouraging every day.  William Kilgour, the Pelham professional, who has been requested to complete the details incident to laying out the links at Mosholu, has been over the ground twice since the time Thomas W. Whittle, Park Commissioner for The Bronx, made the trip.  Kilgour will make another inspection and report his findings to the Commissioner.
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Some time ago some one referred to the socket club as being an American invention.  Kilgour is authority for the statement that the idea was the invention of Charles Spinks, of Leith, Scotland, and was brought out about twenty-five years ago.  Klgour was a youth then, but remembers the occasion. . . ."

Source:  SOME SHOTS OFF THE FIRST TEE, N.Y. Tribune, Mar. 12, 1915, p. 10, col. 6.

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