South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-08-14
COUNTRY CLUB IS
To BE ORGANIZED
Plans Being Laid to Purchase
Land Near Chain Lake
Expert Reports.

South Bend is 10 have a new COun-
try club. situated on Chain lakes, ac-
cording TO plans that have been pend
ing for several weeks, and which part
Is materialized at a meeting Of the
organization committee held FRIDAY
night at the oliver hotel
The Chain lakes site was selected by
a process of elimination from list
of sites proposed by the site commit
tee which has made an investigation
Of eight desirable locations, finally de
Gliding on the Chain lakes site as the
best for golhng and other golf cluD
activities.
An option has been secured on the
MilIiken farm, consisting of about III
acres beautifully situated on three OF
the Chain lakes, about six miles west
OF the city, and easily accessible 10y
both fnterurban lines. When the or
ganiZatiOn of the club Is completed,
the lands will be taken over and
placed in the hands Of expert country
club and golf course constructors.
George A. O'Nen of Chicago, one
of the most eminent experts on cOun-
try club construction in the country,
who visited the site last Monday,
made the following report on the pos
sibilities of the grounds as country
club site:
I'm the matter Of practicability, the
site is admirable. 1t viii lend itself
in every way TO the making of an IS
hole course of championship quality
and one which would compare with
any course in the west. The natural
lay OF the land is peculiarly adapted
TO the purposes of a great COLL course,
and. viii permit of a wide variety OF
holes. Also, the course would lend
itself to an especially beautiful land
i. N 10
The water can be utilized both for
the purpose of making hazards and in
the ornamentatiOn of the course.
L should recommend an in mediate
beginning OF the work, from the
standpoint OF practicability and econ
omv. The putting greens, the tees
and such artificial hazards as shall
be decided upon should be located at
once This means the coming autumn
with every advantage TO the club re-
siding I'm starting in September. To
place green's and tees thus early
would make il possible TO play golf
or this course as early as June, 1916.
In conclusion, / wish you TO re-
gard my endorseme lent of the site for
the purpose of golf as unqualified.
Very few courses anywhere in the
United States have had so good a
natural basis. 1t would require no
more expense or time or work to make
a course OF what we call champion
ship quality than TO make an ordinary
course; and the championship course
would be, Of course, an enormous as
set for South Bend.
"a championship course would at
tract the attention OF all amateur golf
authorities of the country, so that
b South Bend would be in line for such
classic golf ANNALS as the National
Open. the Western open. the National
Amateur and the Western Amateur.
These things are all not only of ma
tional. but OF international import
ance in the world Of golf. and serve as
enormous advertisements for the cities
in which they are held
Fred Donaghey, expert golf writer
for the Chicago Tribune, heartily en-
dOrsing Mr.. O'NeiIs report, pro-
nounced the site one of the finest in
the middle west for the purpose To
which Ii will be devoted.
A meeting of the organization com
mittee is to be held next Monday
evening at the oliver hotel. at which
a definite plan Of organization will be
formulated. PrOspeCtuses will be is
sued during the coming week, which
will describe the plan TO be followed
in forming the club.