The William Flynn Society Newsletter by Wayne S. Morrison
Flynn created terrific examples of strategic design, variety and a sense of naturalness at the Boca Raton South Course. If the course existed today, it might well be considered the greatest course in Florida and one of the best in America.
If a list of great Golden Age Golf Architects is considered, William Flynn and Donald Ross would arguably be part of anyone’s top five.
The Country Club was founded in Glenville, Ohio, near Lake Erie in 1889. More than 130 years later, it remains true to its founders’ purpose – providing a country retreat for elite Cleveland families. Samuel Mather introduced golf to the Club in 1895; shortly thereafter, a 9-hole course was created, which was expanded to 18 holes in 1913. The members took to the sport in earnest, playing an important role in the development of golf … Read more
John Reid laid out the first nine-hole course for Lancaster Country Club in 1900 near the site of the Rossmere Hotel. The 2400-yard course had its formal opening on May Day, 1901. In 1913, the Board of Governors responded to the overcrowding and inadequate facilities by purchasing 60 acres from the Wirth Farm property and built a new nine-hole course of 3,000 yards and clubhouse. William Flynn was hired six years later to redesign the … Read more
The Philadelphia Cricket Club hosted the ninth U.S. Amateur Four-ball championship May 25-29, 2024, and we thought it would be appropriate to review William Flynn’s association with the Club. Though founded in 1854 as one of the oldest clubs in America devoted to sports, it wasn’t until 1883 that the itinerant cricketers settled down to its own grounds in the St. Martin’s section of Chestnut Hill. The Philadelphia Cricket Club was an early adopter of … Read more
It is interesting to study the accounts of the September 14, 1912 opening of the new course, the present East Course, of the Merion Cricket Club. While there were numerous accounts in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Ledger and other national newspapers all lauding the outstanding design, there is no discussion whatsoever of the baskets used on the standards that are now so closely tied to the Merion mystique. Few photographs exist of the … Read more
The origin of golf in Scotland differed from that in the United States. The extended daylight in the highlands of Scotland provided sufficient me for working men as well as upper class gentlemen to enjoy a round of golf, even after a full workday. While the US doesn’t enjoy the extended daylight found in northern climes, the Industrial Revolution resulted in a wealthy class that could enjoy leisure time. In the early 1890s, while golf … Read more
Playing along the old golf grounds of Merion Golf Club’s East Course, one cannot escape the sense that it is a uniquely enjoyable golf experience. Can one analyze the assembled components, which together manifest the overall experience? With the veil of mystery set aside, does the solution to the puzzle lessen the quality of the experience? In analyzing the architectural underpinnings of the Merion East golf course, it is the opposite which occurs. There is … Read more
September 28, 1890 – January 24, 1945. My good and dearly departed friend, Jack Whitaker, was kind enough to write the foreword to my biography of Flynn, The Nature Faker—William S. Flynn, Golf Course Architect. I’ve included it below for your reference as The William Flynn Society (“WFS”) dedicates its first Newsletter to an introduction to this brilliant and influential golf course designer, constructor, turf specialist, and golf course superintendent in U.S. history. “The origins … Read more
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