LANGARA INFLUENCED THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURTHER P-A-Y-P COURSES
Public golf in British Columbia lagged behind Washington and Oregon. But when entrepreneurs, municipal, and provincial governments recognized the profitability of the public golf course, they decided to enter the golf business.
UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE
In 1926 the Lands and Forest Department of the BC government possessed a plan and construction details created by Vernon Macan. Macan, the busiest golf architect on the coast, developed an 18-hole golf course on the Endowment Lands for the Shaughnessy Heights Golf Club in 1925. Because of his connections with the Lands and Forest Department, he actually negotiated a lease agreement for Shaughnessy to construct a new 18-hole layout on the Endowment Lands to replace their Oak Street location. Due to financial restraints the private club decided to remain at their original location.
In 1928 the Lands and Fores Department wished to construct a public golf course on the 120 acres at the entrance to the University. The University Boulevard separated the parcel into two sections. To proceed with their desires the Government signed an- order-council with Major JM Ballard November 16th, 1928. . Basically Ballard agreed to construct the 18-hole public golf course and operate the facility for 20 years under a fixed agreement. In return Ballard would receive a parcel of land next to the north side of the golf course. From 1928 – 1930 Vernon Macan lived in Vancouver to supervise the construction of the University Golf Course.
Ballard awarded John Boyd, the owner of the General Construction Company, the contract to construct the golf course. Boyd, a member of Shaughnessy Heights, grew-up playing golf on the Westward Ho Golf Course in England. But John Boyd had a closer relationship with the government. Boyd’s company constructed the major road network throughout the province. During this period it was not uncommon for friends of the government to have the inside track to lucrative contracts. It is also interesting to note that many local golf courses throughout BC compete for the Boyd Cup or the Boyd Trophy. To promote golf and to create friendly relationships in the golf communities throughout BC Boyd donated trophies to local clubs. Many of these events are still played today.
When the opposition parties realized the government had given Ballard a “sweet- heart” deal a scandal developed. After one year of wrangling the new government cancelled Ballard’s deal. Because Boyd had commenced construction the government signed a new thirty-five year lease with John Boyd and the Westward Ho Golf Links Ltd. to operate the public golf course.
When the second nine holes opened in May 1930 the newspapers gave the course high marks. “The course is well laid out and has a beautiful setting and care has been taken to when clearing to save as many as possible of the evergreen and dogwood trees. Commanding views of the distant mountains are seen from holes #3 and #14. Every fairway is “different”, with no sameness of anyone fairway to another. These are gently undulating, with no monotonous flatness about them – neither are there any difficult hills to climb.”
PEACE PORTAL GOLF COURSE
In 1926, Sam Hill, the railway builder, envisioned a golf course at the Peace Arch border crossing. He purchased about 200 acres adjacent to the border under the name “ Old English Restaurants Ltd.” Some believe the prime purpose of the course was to run “booze” across the border. Perhaps this occurred, but Sam Hill presented a vision in 1920 that had a profound influence on the development of golf along the Pacific Coast.
After World War 1, Hill formed the Pacific Coast Automobile Association (PCAA). In the 1920’s people had more leisure time and more disposable funds in their pockets. Hill believed people would purchase automobiles and begin to travel along the coast. His PCAA united the various local automobile associations that began to emerge along the coast. Sam Hill worked tirelessly for the various associations to convince the governments to construct a highway from San Diego to Fairbanks Alaska. He envisioned people would travel this network of roads on holidays. He wanted a golf course constructed one day apart along the highway. The golf course would encourage the travellers to spend one more day in the local area to see the sights and spend their money. Local municipalities supported his vision whole-heartedly. The state and provincial governments in California, Oregon Washington and British Columbia also supported his plan. In 1930 when the Willingdon Links Golf Course opened in Quesnel, BC a traveler could drive from San Diego,CA to that destination on a “beautiful road”.
At the Peace Arch Hill added to the plan by constructing the Peace Portal Golf Course. He hired Francis L. James, to design and construct his course. Vernon Macan probably never received the contract because a fundamental difference existed between the to designers. Vernon Macan considered himself only an architect not a builder. The owner needed to hire someone who knew how to move dirt and oversee the costs of construction. For this reason Macan lost many projects to James. James gave the owner of the property a firm price to design and construct a nine or eighteen hole golf course on the land provided. In fact James can be credited with the construction and design of more golf courses in WA, OR, ID than Macan. It is ironic that James received his architectural training for designing a golf course from Macan. He learned how to construct a golf course while working as the construction foreman in the northwest for the William Tucker Co. From 1920 – 1925 James constructed most of Vernon Macan’s designs.
Peace Portal is the only golf course design credited to James in BC. For some reason James laid out the course, did the clearing, and general shaping but Hill then hired Vernon Macan in 1929 to complete the green designs and the bunkering plan. Actually this was not uncommon. Macan definitely knew how to design greens better than any other architect working in the northwest. His bunkering plans made it possible for the medium and high handicap players to enjoy the course while the low handicap was challenged to attain a good score.
Unfortunately Sam Hill died suddenly in 1931 and never saw the full scope of his original vision on the development of golf along the Pacific Coast.
FRASER VIEW GOLF COURSE
Located in the original Municipality of South Vancouver, the Fraser View Golf Course resulted from the desire of local municipalities seeking projects that could be constructed with relief funds from the federal government. The area known as Willingdon Park in South Vancouver returned to the City because landowners could no longer afford the taxes.
Fred Crone, “the father of public golf” in Vancouver, convinced the Pacific National Exhibition Board to construct a nine hole public golf course in 1925 on their lands. In 1929 he began lobbying the South Vancouver Municipal authorities to follow the PNE. Crone, owner of Crone Moving & Storage, was an enthusiastic golfer and member of the Marine Drive Golf Club. He travelled the northwest playing in local tournaments and was a prominent member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).
He provided the council with a detailed course drawing and complete cost estimates for construction of a eighteen hole course and a clubhouse. “He arranged for the Federal Government to supply the funding from the National Relief Fund”. H.L. McPherson, a partner of J. Alexander Walker Engineering Firm, supervised the construction. McPherson also supervised the construction of the Stanley Park Pitch & Putt Golf Course. DJ Clark acted as the construction foreman. One news account credits Clark with the construction of the island hole at Pebble Beach in 1928. Following this idea Clark and McPherson designed an island hole for Fraser View. “A moat twenty yards wide was dug around the green and filled with water – necessitating the player to play a perfect pitch over the water and keep it on the green,” The first nine officially opened on June 14, 1934.
Many different reports exist for the official opening of the second nine holes at Fraser View. Manyreports indicate the spring and summer 1938 for the actual date. Because of delays in construction the actual official opening day did not occur until Wednesday Oct 15th, 1938.
“With a proud smile and sparkling eyes Alderman Fred Crone officially announced the birth of his sweetest baby.” He opened the second nine of the Fraser Golf Course and the new clubhouse.” As he stated at the opening: “The second nine supplies the golfer the scenery and views of the mighty Fraser. It also has the rolling fairway, gullies, brooks, and most important scenic foliage.”
Little did Fred Crone realize his “baby” would become the busiest public golf course in Canada.
