Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2012 - 22

well as Minneapolis Park Board courses
Glenwood (now Wirth), Columbia and
Armour (now Francis A. Gross). His plan
for the second nine holes at Oak Ridge
was completed in 1940.
During this building boom, Tom Vardon's
design career also began to take off.
The brother of English great Harry Vardon,
Tom had arrived at the White Bear
Yacht Club in 1916 and soon was traveling
throughout the Dakotas, Minnesota and
Wisconsin to design courses.
Vardon's fi rst signifi cant Minnesota
design was St. Paul's Hillcrest Country
Club, which opened as a nine-hole private
course in 1921. By 1923, a second nine
was being planned, but the club was already
experiencing the fi nancial fl uctuations
that plagued it for years to come. In
1927 the club decided to go public to raise
money to buy the land used for Vardon's
second nine holes. In November 1928, the
club voted to go private once again and
improve the course and the clubhouse.
Golf was spreading throughout the
metro area. On September 18, 1919-just
two days after the incorporation of Somerset
Country Club-16 men kicked in
$1,000 to purchase the 126-acre Peters
farm in West St. Paul, to become known as
Southview Country Club. There would be
no famous architect to lay out the club's
fi rst nine holes. In fact, there would be no
architect at all. The members undertook
the arduous task of cutting trees, clearing
land, picking rocks and raking the dirt to
make their own course.
The club approached Vardon in 1926 to
see if they could interest him in making
suggestions about improving the course.
Vardon attended the club's annual meeting
and dance in 1927 and told the gathering
he would tour the course and provide
sketches for a new layout, which would
expand the course to 18 holes, making use
of the 40 acres of club-owned land south
of Mendota Road. Vardon spent two days
on the course in November 1927 to stake
out his revisions. As sketched, the course
would measure 6,150 yards. The new
course was constructed in 1928.
Vardon's skills were also put to use
at Stillwater Country Club, which was
formed in 1924 out of a sense of impa20
MINNESOTA
GOLFER Spring 2012
Edina CC's original
clubhouse, c. 1925.
University of Minnesota's
Les Bolstad Golf Course
Clark's design skills were in heavy
demand. He laid out courses
in North Dakota, as well as
two Minneapolis Park Board courses.
tience with the over-crowded conditions
at Phalen golf course. Founders Ed
Slaughter and Joe Simonet had come up
with four potential sites and asked Vardon
to choose the best one. After looking at
the 80 acres of North Hill pasture known
as Atwood's Field, Vardon told the committee,
" Here is your golf course. "
Vardon spent a day in April staking the
holes and laying out temporary greens
Bill
Clark
to be used until the club could afford
to build the permanent greens from his
design. He charged the club $100 for his
services. The treeless course was in rough
shape in 1925: thick pasture grass, swarming
mosquitos, bumpy terrain and an old
army tent for a clubhouse. The fi rst permanent
green (the current ninth) was installed
that summer. The remaining new
greens offi cially opened June 1, 1927.
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Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2012

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