New-York tribune., 1906-12-15
AN IDEAL GOLF COURSE.
LAND HIS BEEN BOUGHT.
Links WI Be Laid Ont on the
Shores of Peconic Bay.

rr,o .,sa., rof course" begins TO look like
something more than dream AFTER years
studv and search, Charles b. Macdonald an
rourc.a last night that he had purchased two
hundred acres of land the Shinnecock Hills.
bordering on Peconic Bay. for $4,000. Mr.
Macdonald said
Tn selecting Shinnecock Hills we have been
Governed nv certain incontrovertibe facts:
E,rst-Tt is the nearest land to New 4ork.Clty
where the nature of the soil and the contour Oh
the surface make 1t possible 10 oullo an lueat 81
conree ON no other land within eighty miles or
New York would 1t he possible to build a course
of this nature. if the land was given TO Us,
second-This particular land has over mile
of contiguous sea frontage. with sand dunes
similar to those abroad 49, - ~,
Third-A modern inn is being built, which VIII
he within two or three hundred yards OF our
first tee Offering first class accommodations
Fourth-The Long Island Railroad Is now nov,
doubling its track to southampton. an anu vi, WI,
eventually have four tracks They nave guar
anteed trains landing golfers on the links in two
hours from Wall Street or Fifth avenue.
FYfth-With the Blackwelfs Island bridge
completed there will be a direct boulevard to
Floral Park From there, through the middle
of the island, a 6O-mile automoblle roao VIII VIII
course in a moderately fast motor in two hours
and a half. It will take two years to build the
course. BY that time the East River tunnel and
the automobile road should be tfnished
The land purchased is what is known as
Sebonac Neck and to the north of Shinnecock
Hills station 1t is bounded three sides by
Bulls Head Bay, Peconc Bay and Cold Spring
Bay. The holding has not yet been definitely
settled, the owners of the property have al
lowed the golfers the privilege of determining
later the exact boundaries of their purchase
A holding company has been formed consisting
Of Charles B. Macdonald, president; James A
StiIlman, treasurer: Robert c. Watson. jr.. sec
retary and Devereaux Emmet and Daniel
Chauncey, directors.
committee TO lay out the course has also
been appointed as follows: C. B. Macdonald.
Walter J. Travis. H. J. Whigham and Devereaux
Emmett This committee has been granted three
months To stake out the course. After that a
plaster of paris model in miniature will be made
This model will be exact reproduction Of the
proposed holes.
According to Mr. Whigham, It will be pos
sible TO reproduce facsimiles of the famous
"Redan.' at North Berwick; the Alps at
Prestwick. and the short hole at st. Andrews.
There is also neck calculated to present one
of the best water hazards to be found any
where. The mile of water frontage along the
shores of a beautiful body of water is some
thing no other course in the United States will
have.
Golfers conversant with the courses abroad
we'll the best In this country which
generally conceded TO be those OF the Garden
City Golf Club. Myopia Hunt Club and Chicago
Golf Club realize that as yet America has
links which compares with the classic courses
in Great Britain and Ireland. There is no rea-
why this should be In fact It is the
object OF the organizers of the new movement
to build such a
The idea is TO ask sixty men to subscribe
$1,000 each for this purpose. These sixty sub
scribers to be called the founders" Be
sides the founders there is to be an associate
membership OF two hundred men, with an ini-
tiation fee Of S1OO TO 500 and the annual dues of
$50 to $40 each. The associate membership
would build the necessary golf club home
While the $1,000 subscription is expected to
be made in the spirit of advancing the sport in
this country. and not as an investment at the
same time il is proposed TO give something for
the outlay. AS a matter Of fact. only about
one hundred and ten of the two hundred acres
viii be needed to lay out the golf course proper
and add 70 this f1ve acres for a clubhouse and
accessories, and there would still be more than
one hundred acres left. 1t is therefore proposed
TO give each subscriber an acre and a half of
ground In fee simple The ground in itself
would probably be worth $500 an acre in the
vicinity Of a golf course of this character.
In the opinion of Mr.. Macdonald, the best total
length OF golf course speaking roughly, is six
thousand yards. He quotes such well known
authorities as Messrs. Low, Hutchinson and
Whgham, men who have been brought up in
entirely different schools. to back him up in
this statement. They agree that bad as too
short a course may be, too long a course is In
f1nitely worse. Mr.. Macdonald also declares
that what a golfer most desires is variety, and
there VIII be variety enough in the new course
to satisfy the most exactfng.
He also declares that more than three blind
holes on course are a defect; that they should
be at the end of long shot only. Hills. in his
opinion, detrment and should have no
place on golf course Trees are also barred
and cop bunkers pronounced an abomination.