| History |
|
|
|
“How it came into being” written in 1950
The Robert T. Lynch Municipal Golf Course at Putterham Meadows occupies an area that from earliest times was known as Putterham Meadows. A haven for wild life it was a veritable jungle of great trees of all kinds and thick undergrowth and swamps that made it almost impenetrable in many places. Included were groves of sweet chestnut trees killed later by the blight, but from the old roots of which new shoots still struggle for life and after a few feet of growth also succumb to the blight. The magnificent hemlock grove that one passes going to the first tee was a secluded and peaceful domain and was designated by the town a “bird sanctuary.” The soil over most of the area is a rich black peat varying in depth and according to some soundings taken years ago, more than twenty feet deep in spots. One can understand that it was an ideal breeding place for mosquitoes and other pests. Accordingly the Town, many years ago, attempted to drain it, taking advantage of the only possibility, namely: a few feet of grade westward, in the direction of the present Hammond Street. This resulted in lowering the water level several feet but the drainage ditches failed to change the swampy conditions. It was too deep-seated. However, the roots of the big trees became exposed and the trees died or were gradually dying and many more were cut down. The area was a head-ache for the authorities for another reason. Hunters and people on horseback had gradually made trails through some of the dryer sections. Anything lighted or even smoldering falling on that dry peat would start a slow fire. Due to the jungle conditions it might not be noticed for quite a long time until a bluish haze hovering over the spot in the distance gave warning. By that time a deep crater had been burned into the peat and it took strenuous work before one could be sure the creeping fire had been extinguished. An exception to the general character of the area was the present second fairway bordering the brook. It presented a forbidding picture. The surface contained practically no soil of any kind. Instead it was strewn with boulders of all sizes, outcroppings of ledge, stumps and underbrush. Over it grew a forest of forlorn looking trees, some very large and all in an advanced stage of decay. It took much labor and large quantities of loam to create a playing surface there. Those were some of the physical conditions that existed when at a Special Meeting in September 1930 the Town voted to build the golf course. This was the second time the subject had been considered. In 1923 a petition for a golf course was filed by Edward Baker and seventeen others. It was referred to the Town Engineer, Henry A. Varney, for more definite information. As a result no further action was taken at that time. In June 1928 a further petition was filed by Mr. Philip G. Bowker, Mrs. L.B. Schick and thirty seven hundred others. Referred to a committee of five citizens it was reported on very favorably. Their report was based upon “plans, specifications and estimates” for which the Town appropriated $3,000 in June 1929, and their own personal study of the area itself. It was hoped of course to build a regular 18 hole course. Maps showed that a large section of the required flatter area adjoining was owned by The Country Club. They also showed that an almost equally large area of Town land, the topography of which, on account of sharp angles, ledge, etc., made it unsuited for part of a golf course, jutted into The Country Club property. The first step was, if possible, to exchange land with The Country Club. The negotiations covering that part, that required legal authorizations and votes by both parties, called for many meetings and much discussion. The Country Club officials were extremely cooperative and helpful. The actual area ceded to the Town by The Country Club was 210,704 square feet in return for 162,606 square feet ceded by the Town to The Country Club. In addition the Town agreed to at once build a bridle path from a point on Newton Street to connect with the bridle paths on The Country Club also to “erect and maintain in good condition at all times an eight foot wire fence with three strands of barbed wire on an overhang along the full length of the boundary line between the Town and Club properties.” Following competitive bids the Town appropriated $6,950 to build the fence and the bridle path. The work started at once as a preliminary to construction work on the Golf Course. The golf architects who had studied the area now stated we would require the land owned b the Town, adjoining the Town Incinerator, in other words, our present second and third holes. The Selectmen thereupon placed that land under the jurisdiction of the Park Commission. The available area now being defined, golf architects were asked to submit competitive plans. They were told that no plan would be acceptable if first it encroached on the hemlock grove adjoining the first tee and secondly if the layout of any hole created the menace of a sliced shot going into the adjoining street. This of course had reference to right handed players who are in the great majority. The terrain available was now of sufficient acreage. To build a well diversified 18 holes it was necessary to take advantage of every hill, valley and corner without, if possible, any heavy expense that would be caused by changing materially the topography. On matters of that kind many alternatives present themselves. Which are preferable? Experience on may courses had shown how expensive, unsatisfactory ad really tragic it had been when, after a course had been built, it was found that, for one reason or another, errors in planning and judgment had created a state of affairs that must be corrected, requiring changing of holes and a general revamping of the course. In order to check and double check on our plans we sought and obtained without charge the valuable advice of such individuals as H.G. Windeler, a former President of the United States Golf Association who had assisted in building courses both in this country and in Europe, Everett S. Litchfield, President of the Massachusetts Golf Association, Judge James A. Lowell, President of The Country Club, H.W. Pierce, Chairman and Alexander S. Browne, former Chairman of the Golf Committee of The Country Club, Francis Ouimet, golfing idol of the time and many others of wide experience. They studied the plans and day after day tramped over the area. Their written reports and comments now in the archives of the Park Department are increasing supplements to this history. A plan for the course was agreed upon. It must be remembered that when the original Town appropriations were made in June 1929 the Town like the entire country had been experiencing a boom in values of every kind. Almost everyone was gloating over the tremendously increased prices on the stock and other markets. Before the end of that year a very different state of affairs had resulted from the historic “crash” in the stock market. On the presumption that the “slump” would not be as long lived as it proved later to be, the Town in Special Meeting, September 1930 appropriated $164,500 for building the Golf Course and $72,000 for constructing the locker building. Now the “green light” was given. Contracts for the first operations were let, and the work started. As the work progressed the endless big stumps of great trees and the roots of same, many of which were twenty or more feet in diameter and deep in the peat, were encountered. Heavy machinery was required to extricate these. Then how to dispose of this great tonnage? To cut it up and haul it away involved difficulties and large expense not anticipated. We could not burn it on or near the peat, which was on all sides, except for a couple of rather small spots of ledge. On these spots the burning was done and it was a continuous operation for many months. Tests of the peat showed that is was very sour. In that condition it was anything but favorable for growing grass on the fairways. Experimental plots of the peat were selected and on these tests were made to determine the amount of lime, the necessary “sweetener,” that would be needed. It was found that it called for very large quantities. They were applied at the proper time and the grass seed caught on the peat. More lime was required in later years to neutralize many extra sour spots. Superintendent Sheehan of the Park Department, with his long experience to draw on, gave his special attention to the greens, their proper drainage and turf. The twelfth green was a problem due to the surrounding trees that permitted so little sun to hit it. The fourteenth green, near the high ledge, at the extreme eastern end of the course was rebuilt twice. It was known that the ground for many yards around the base of such high ledges in that district collected and held very large pockets of water. When that green was built, large quantities of material were used to raise it to the required height. That increased weight on the surface could not be supported by what later proved to be the watery base many feet below, but of which there was no indication on the surface. Within a year the green sank several feet. Thinking that the subsurface might have adjusted itself it was rebuilt in about the same place, but again it sank. Quicksand had been found near the service building but not elsewhere. A clue to the possible cause of the settling was the very wet condition at all times of the ground at the foot of the high ledge. Acting upon that, a series of blind drains were built leading from the ledge to a neighboring open ditch drain. A temporary green on firm place in the fairway was substituted for a year or more. Then the original green was rebuilt and it “stayed put.” That problem was solved. The same technique was employed in obtaining quicker drainage from the ledge area in other parts of the course. The start of golf play, July 10, 1933, found many open, muddy and watery ditches across the fairways. These required planks for players to cross on and hundreds of yards of screening to keep balls out. All those hundreds of yards of ditches have been piped, with metal and concrete pipe, (one foot to four feet in diameter) and covered with soil, but it took years to do it. We were deep in the financial depression of the 30’s. The Town was understandably niggardly in appropriations for anything not urgent and the job had to be done piecemeal. Superintendent Sheehan and Foreman Hickey developed a technique for laying that heavy pipe deep in the soft peat, so that the pipe would not sink deeper and upset the drainage grade that so far seems to have stood the test. Every spring for years one of the first jobs was to remove from the fairways many roots and stumps, some quite large. These were at varying depths in the peat and were not visible after the original clearing was done. The winter frosts forced them to the surface requiring their removal before the fairway mowers could function properly. The only other development that called for attention was the closeness of the boundary fence at points on the sixth and seventh fairways. The Country Club permitted the fence to be set back the necessary short distance on its property to give the course the desired elbow room. The course has gradually matured as hoped for. The hurricane of 1938, however, left its mark when it felled many of the giant hemlocks in the superb grove that bordered the twelfth fairway. There have been some minor changes and refinements over the years. Most had to do with “speeding up” the course. Some of the traps in the architect’s plans were picturesque but made the course unnecessarily difficult for the run of the mill Public Course golfer. They were filled and turfed. Some other obstacles were dealt with in various ways as to leave only a limited number that no one, except a very unskilled golfer, would have much difficulty in overcoming. One really major departure from the architect’s plans was made which has proved to be most satisfactory. On their plans the present first hole was to be the tenth and vice versa. They would have made it a “blind” starting hole, on account of the hill in the mid-distance. The starter would have required an assistant of some sort to signal when it was safe for the following match to drive. All now are familiar with the first starting hole, that gives full view for the starter, unassisted, to pace the matches. Locker Building, Shop, Etc. It was hoped to locate the Locker Building on a higher spot, near the hemlock grove, to be away from the street noises and to command a wider view of the landscape. The importance of having it close to service pipes and sewers decided the matter in favor of the location chosen. There was also the advantage of having the parking area close at hand. The fact that the course layout left an ideal spot for the service building was very fortunate. The locker building followed the architect’s plans. The service building was constructed under contract for $3,000. Preliminaries More than a year before the start of play the Park Commissioners asked for advice from every listed Public Course in the country. The question had to do with management and operation and was simply “what to do” and “what not to do.” Many instructive answers were received. In addition the Park Commissioners visited and studied several of the Public Courses of the State. This study revealed the fact that, due to the constant and heavy play, on most Public Courses it was impossible to maintain, as on private courses, turf surfaces on the tees for any length of time. The turf was destroyed quickly and left either a very hard and uneven or a muddy surface, depending on the weather. For that reason the woven steel and rubber mats were adopted and proved to be popular with all but a few very particular players. The mats assured a dry and level teeing spot at all times. The attempts to maintain turf surfaces on some tees only confirmed the experience of other Public Courses. In 1933 an option on an acre of open ground adjoining the fourteenth green for a “turf nursery” was obtained for a price of $1,500. The Town refused the offer but in 1939 the Town purchased the same acre for $2,613.60. It was decided to handle the refreshment service in the Locker Building through a concessionaire. Fortunately, the Seiler Co. bought it, on a commission basis, and gave a first year example of excellent service. They did not continue beyond that as it proved to be unprofitable for them. They had standard prices for their quality food in all their restaurants that were somewhat too high for Public Course clientele. Since that time the succeeding concessionaires seem to have given the service required. For the other important department, that of professional and golf shop, the advice of the suppliers of clubs, balls, etc., to stock the shop was sought. The question was not only the reputation of the person as a player and teacher but also his trustworthiness as a credit risk for supplies furnished. Tom Lally was given the concession and remained for the first two years. The next applicant was John Keefe, the club maker at The Country Club. He had everything the job called for and gave the Municipal Course splendid service for many years. In conclusion is the remembrance that Roland Wingate when pro at The Country Club made regular broadcasts on the subject golf. Whenever he touched on Public Courses he invariably included somewhere the statement that “The Brookline Municipal Course is the best Public Course in every way” that he had ever seen. Note: The Park Commissioners responsible for the building of the Course were Paul M. Hubbard, Chairman, Richard C. Floyd and Francis J. Oakes Jr. |
