Ross In the Twin Cities

The Beginning:
White Bear Yacht Club 1912-1915

We have no evidence that Mr. Ross visited the site of the White Bear Yacht Club in 1912 or 1915 when he designed first the front nine (1912) and later the back nine (1915). It is thought that this course was designed from topographical maps that were submitted to Mr. Ross. The drawings for the course were lost in a fire in 1938, leaving scant written evidence of the work of the Master.

The course is all the evidence that one would need to confirm that White Bear is a work of Donald Ross.

The course sits hard by White Bear Lake in White Bear, 20 miles northeast of St. Paul, and offers 6471 yards of marvelous golf. The property moves dramatically from the first tee to the eighteenth green allowing for very few flat lies. The opening hole is not the normal friendly handshake that Ross aficionados have come to expect. Rather it is a 405 yard par four that offers a driving area that is abruptly uphill for most players leaving a 175 yard shot from a steeply uphill lie to a wonderful perched green that is guarded by a second steep slope. Measuring the second shot is very difficult, yet very important. If the player is short the ball will roll down the slope leaving between 15 and 25 yards between he and the green. Of course if the player is long he faces the ever-present terrifying downhill chip to a green that runs away. This hole is a stern handshake at best.

Fairway of the 4th hole

The short holes on the front side at White Bear Yacht Club are excellent. The third and the sixth are downhill one-shotters that demand that the player hit the green. There really is no other option. Both greens are designed to defend par from as little as three feet.

White Bear Yacht Club employed Renaissance Golf back in the mid-90’s to restore the course. Over the years there had been significant growth of trees and a number of material changes made by Green Committees. The good people at Renaissance widened the fairways from the then 20-25 yard avenues to 40-60 yards today. The members report that this has not made the course any easier due to the increased difficulty of the bunkers that were redone and the difficulty of the expanded greens.

Fairway Bunkers along the 12th

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The Beginning: White Bear Yacht Club 1912-1915 We have no evidence that Mr. Ross visited the site of the White Bear Yacht Club in 1912 or 1915 when he designed first the front nine (1912) and later the back nine (1915). It is thought that this course was designed from topographical maps that were submitted to Mr. Ross. The drawings for the course were lost in a fire in 1938, leaving scant written evidence of the work of the Master. The course is all the evidence that one would need to confirm that White Bear is a work of Donald Ross. The course sits hard by White Bear Lake in White Bear, 20 miles northeast of St. Paul, and offers 6471 yards of marvelous golf. The property moves dramatically from the first tee to the eighteenth green allowing for very few flat lies. The opening hole is not the normal friendly handshake that Ross aficionados have come to expect. Rather it is a 405 yard par four that offers a driving area that is abruptly uphill for most players leaving a 175 yard shot from a steeply uphill lie to a wonderful perched green that is guarded by a second steep slope. Measuring the second shot is very difficult, yet very important. If the player is short the ball will roll down the slope leaving between 15 and 25 yards between he and the green. Of course if the player is long he faces the ever-present terrifying downhill chip to a green that runs away. This hole is a stern handshake at best. Fairway of the 4th hole The short holes on the front side at White Bear Yacht Club are excellent. The third and the sixth are downhill one-shotters that demand that the player hit the green. There really is no other option. Both greens are designed to defend par from as little as three feet. White Bear Yacht Club employed Renaissance Golf back in the mid-90’s to restore the course. Over the years there had been significant growth of trees and a number of material changes made by Green Committees. The good people at Renaissance widened the fairways from the then 20-25 yard avenues to 40-60 yards today. The members report that this has not made the course any easier due to the increased difficulty of the bunkers that were redone and the difficulty of the expanded greens. Fairway Bunkers along the 12th TOP
Woodhill Country Club: Designed 1916 Remodeled 1934 Woodhill Country Club is located in the beautiful suburb of Wayzata, Minnesota and was the first site that Donald Ross visited in Minnesota. He arrived in 1915 and went about planning for an 18-hole golf course on this delightful piece of property. Woodside 3rd Approach Narrowed by Trees Ross Society member Charles Leck, a Woodhill member, discovered the only evidence of the original course. Charlie found an engineers drawing of the course dated 1915 in the archives of the University of Minnesota Library. Charlie later found the original “stake out” routing plan of Donald Ross that was dated September 2,1915. The original drawings had been lost in a Clubhouse fire in 1943. Ross returned to Woodhill in 1934 to remodel the golf course. Using the original routing he moved some tees and rebuilt some bunkers but essentially the 1934 course was a refinement of the 1916 design. 4th Fairway - Nowhere to Play Woodhill is a very good test of golf. Playing 6575 yards from the back tees, this par 71 course challenges the player to use every club in the bag. The movement in the land is magnificent, allowing for few shots to be hit from flat lies. The key to Woodhill is once again the Ross greens. No three-foot putt is a safe bet. Shots that are hit long of the hole are especially challenging, often times just to keep the ball on the green. 13th - A Dogleg 3-Par? Woodhill has suffered many of the pitfalls of Ross courses nationwide. Trees were planted without sufficient regard for the avenues of play and the bunkering has changed to the point where it no longer resembles the work of Donald Ross. A team of Woodhill members led by Charles Leck has hired John Fought, Golf Architect to present a restoration plan to the Committee. John is currently working at the Pine Needles Golf Club with Pat McGowan and Kelly Miller on a restoration of that vaunted venue. John’s intention is to widen the fairways, replace and restore the bunkering and resize the greens to bring many of the best cupping positions back into play. John’s talent and Charles Leck’s watchful eye seem to be a formula for success. 17th from the Tee Box
The Early Woodhill -- Trees just on the Hill TOP
Minikahda: Elegance and Pride In 1898, William Watson left Scotland to join with Robert Foulis in building nine holes at the Minikahda Country Club in Minneapolis. The new nine complimented nine that had been built by Robert Taylor and C.T. Jaffray, two amateur Architects. The combination must have been reasonably successful as the USGA chose Minkahda Country Club to be the site of the 1916 US Open. Chick Evans won the 1916 with great aplomb. Carrying only seven wooden-shafted clubs Evans soared to a 2 under par total of 286 to take the crown. Members of the Club must have been worried that their course was obsolete in the face of the power and finesse of the Championship players of the day. After all, Evans set a record for the lowest score in the Open, a score that they did not know would remain a record for 20 years and Evans, the great ball-striker, was the worst putter of his day. The members called in Donald Ross who redesigned the Minikahda Club in 1917. 6th Hole from the Tee The course may have been altered but the elegant clubhouse on the lake was left intact. The original clubhouse still stands along with the carefully crafted and architecturally complementary additions. This magnificent building features a warm yet dignified grillroom, two lovely dining rooms, a sporty yet efficient old time locker room and the “piece de resistance” the ballroom. The ballroom is of another era, an era of taste and grandeur. The ballroom, with floor to ceiling windows, overlooks beautiful Lake Calhoun in the heart of the city of Minneapolis. Beyond and above the ballroom are elegant little patios to sit on, enjoy a highball and view the skyline of Minneapolis in the distance. As part of the Master Plan of the Minikahda Club the clubhouse has been totally refurbished by Kip Colwell, current President of Minikahda, and his Committee. Typical Ross Approach Shot The Master Plan was one of the most comprehensive I have ever encountered. It included the Pro Shop (an A+ by anyone’s standards), the grounds and parking areas and of course the 1917 Donald Ross design. In 2001, Minikahda contracted with restoration specialist, Golf Architect Ron Prichard of Montgomeryville, PA. Prichard did them proud. He removed hundreds of trees, stretched many of the greens back to their original and terrifying sizes, squared all the tees and rebuilt and relocated the bunkers. The golf course at Minikahda is a joy. The continuous theme of Donald Ross follows from the first tee to the eighteenth green. The ground moves exceptionally well and it is easy to see that Ross used all of the promontories offered by the property. The holes fit the ground, leading the player to feel that the course is only an extension of the natural surroundings. The bunkering is strategic and thought provoking. The idea of the half-shot penalty in all of the fairway bunkers is evident. The near ninety-year-old Donald Ross greens are intact and offer a good deal of consternation on any putt in excess of three feet. Fairway Bunkering along 18th The Members of the Minikahda have set a new standard in restoration. They did the entire project and have encapsulated the elegance and charm of another age for future generations to enjoy. They should be proud of themselves and their leadership. It is difficult to not fall in love with Minikahda and I fell hard and forever. Cross Bunker and 18th Green TOP
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