New-York tribune., 1918-05-12
Links Club Now
Building World S
Severest Course
National Links Rival Laid
Under Same Supervision
on Long Island

When the National Links was laid
out some years ago by Charles B.
Macdonald. who made tour of Eu-
rope, visiting the most famous golf
links abroad, making surveys of the
most famous hole on. the various
courses, with a view Of laying out the
ideal course of the world, over the
Shinnecock Hills, the project was
backed by 100 men who put in $1,000
each. The course he produced has
had no equal in this or any other
country.
II has led to the trapping and stiffen-
ing up of all the other leading golf
courses in the country.
Many hints have been thrown out
that the exclusive millionaires' club
which has been formed with a limit of
100 members, each having subscribed
$4,000, was laying out course that
would be far superior to the National
Links or any other golf course on the
face of the globe.
Such rumors as this had a natural
tendency TO arouse curiosity, and al
though the 150 acres of land over
which the course is laid out was pur-
chased nearly two years ago and the
work of constructing the course has
been going on for more than year,
this work has gone on so quietly that
even the go!fing public did not know
that the course was actually under
construction. Occasionally one would
hear that the millionaires' club was
going TO have the greatest course that
was ever laid out, but there it seemed
to stop. as no one seemed to know
Just where this celebrated course was
located.
The Secret Is Out
The matter was brought up in course
of conversation on Thursday at the
North Hampstead Country Club, when
one of the members spoke up and said
the Millionaires' Club is known as the
Links Club and the Shelter Rock road
Will take you right to it.
The property is located on what is
known as the backbone of Long Island.
est peak of the property, with the
ground gradually sloping toward the
Sound on the north side and toward the
ocean on the south side. 1t was the
bunking at this green that attracted
attention from the road below, as the
green looks like fort on the brow
of the hill overlooking the surround
ing country.
There has been q gang of forty or
fifty workmen .busily engaged in put
ting on the finishing touches, as the
course is almost complete. The labor
ers arc nearly all Italians, although
~, ich
one of the men it was learned that
the course was being laid out under
the supervision of Charles Blair Mac
donald, who was one of the group of
100 men, putting in $1,000 each for
the laying out of the best golf course
IN the world.
Green Resembles Fort
The green, which resembles fort
feet higher than the surrounding prop
erty, with a wide sand pit, from four
to twelve feet deep, running around
on three sides of the green, and being
deepest just behind the green, where
to the left an over-approach could keep
on running down hill twenty yards
more to pond, which has to be crossed
playing the sixteenth hole, and makes
an excellent trap for topped ball.
The workman said the big fort green,
which is undulating, requiring skilful
putting after reaching and holding the
green, is the seventeenth green.
Really, the only thing that is holding
them back at present is the building of
the eighteenth green, which is in the
corner of the property upon which
man holds lease which has not quite
expired, and he will not give up at any
price.
Much of the property was formerly
owned by Joseph Grace. In fact, for
further particulars the workman said
it would be necessary to see MIR. Will
let's, Mr.. Grace or Mr.. Charles b. Mac
donald.
In leaving the property it was no
ticed that all other putting greens in
sight were built on the same order,
raised three or four feet higher than
the land upon which they are built,with
deep sand bunkers all around, making
it necessary to pitch to the green with
backspin in order to prevent the ball
from rolling over the green and drop
ping into the big pit.
Course Not Too Severe
There is no one to find fault with the
course being too severely trapped, as
outside the fact of their all being
all members of the Piping Rock or
other first class clubs, where they
have their home course to fall back
on in case the new course is too severe
test for their skill. Their greatest
pride, however, will be in taking their
guests to the most severe test of golf
that is known.
While the club now is known an the
Links Club, it is said there is some
talk of changing the name to the cold
Hundred Club" A temporary club
house has been made out of an old
farmhouse. 1t is hardly likely the
new clubhouse will be built until after
the war.