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The Old Nine at Fifty: a Retrospective

by John David Lipson 

 
I phoned my old friend Harry Bowers just about a year ago to remind him that 2011 would mark a significant anniversary for the Picton Golf Club. For it was on opening day in 1961, fifty years ago, that Harry as club president gave a wonderful speech welcoming the membership to our new nine holes. Harry was one of the prime movers of the new nine project and was justifiably proud of seeing it to fruition. (Note: the "new nine" of 1961 would eventually become the "old nine" of the present eighteen hole layout.)          

We reminisced about that opening day, and our conversation eventually turned to the original nine hole course and the wonderful times we had circa 1954-56 when the world was young and so were we. Back then Harry introduced me to the nuances and pleasures of competitive golf and I have never had more fun on the golf course than I did in those halcyon days. We made plans to get together in 2011 to toast the fiftieth anniversary of the old nine in a suitable manner.          

Alas it was not to be. Harry passed away October 24, 2010 at the age of 82. And I got yet another sad reminder that the list of those still around who remember the original nine is getting terribly short. So maybe it is fitting on this occasion of celebrating the old nine to pay homage one last time to the original nine holes of the Picton Golf Club.          

We finally pinned down the architectural source of the original nine. It was Nicol Thompson, longtime professional at the Hamilton Golf Club, who was commissioned by our founding President , H.B. Bristol, to lay out the course.  (Yes, this is the Bristol of the Bristol Block building that still stands on Main  Street .)         

The original course, with its six holes on the clubhouse side of the highway, was quaint  and quirky in an early 1900s sort of way, but  not without charm. In fact, there were  some very good holes indeed. Let me describe the signature hole, the 434 yard par five second.          

Tee off about where the 100 yard stake is in the  middle of the first fairway and head off in the general direction of the present second green. The green is not too far from the present 14th tee. Got it? Yes, you drive over the highway! The other members of your foursome will yell "car", possibly in the middle of your backswing should traffic intervene, much like kids playing street hockey. I am sure the better players regarded this hole as a birdie opportunity. For the neophyte, it was pure terror.          

A similar experience awaited you on the 155 yard par three fifth. Tee off  not too far from the 100 yard marker in the 16th fairway. The green is adjacent to the large tree at the corner of the dogleg on the first fairway. Just like the second hole, it is a case of death or glory. And watch for traffic before you tee off.          

The final three holes were a tad short by modern standards, but oh were they fun to  play. The 7th was a 103 yard par three played over a forest of evergreens. Hit your short iron good and high or else your ball will bound over the rock hard green into Morley Dainard's cabbage patch. The eighth hole was a 277 yard gem. Tee off by the highway (the tee is still visible today) and thread your drive through, around, or over the giant twin elms (long since gone) dead in line with the green. You are heading for the present  seventeenth green, which is the only green that remains unchanged from the original nine. The home hole is a 234 yard par four. Move the  present eighteenth tee back about sixty yards, and have a go at the green with your driver or three wood. Careful you don't slice.  

Ironically, it was two of the strongest holes, the second and fifth requiring the tee shots across the highway, that spelled the death knell for the original nine. Around 1955 the club solicitor of the day, the late Justice Robert Walmsley, dutifully warned the club about serious liability issues stemming from those cross-highway tee shots. This in turn led to a movement to build a whole new nine holes. The acquisition in 1957 of additional acreage that contains the present 10th, 14th, and 15th holes made this a realistic possibility.        

I have already mentioned Harry Bowers's contribution to this enterprise. I similarly recall the tremendous contributions of George Ross, Homer Shields, John Boos, Dr. Jim Clapp, and Jack Goodwin. And I am sure there were others escaping my recollection.          

But one individual above all others deserves the lions share of the credit for bringing the new nine into existence. And that was our beloved and storied golf pro Fred Purcell. Fred did it all, and all by himself. He brought a unique combination of passion and dedication to this monumental project. I can still see Fred in those years 1956-1960 sculpting those beautiful greens that we enjoy to this day. It was indeed a labour of love and what a living legacy he left us.          

One of the many wonderful features of the Steven Ward design that I most admire is the blending of the magnificent new holes with the old nine ("Fred Purcell") holes. As the years go by this blending has become virtually seamless, which speaks volumes for the timeless skills of our two architects, Fred Purcell and Steve Ward. And  maybe we should also raise a glass to H.B. Bristol and Nicol Thompson who gave us the club's first course.