A Reversible Golf Course?
So, what in the world is a reversible golf course?
In the simplest terms, it is a golf course that can be played in two directions within the framework of a single routing. Currently, there are but a few variations of reversible golf in the US, though the concept was actually introduced as early as the 1930’s by some estimates. It is unknown if any of those early examples have survived.
During the golf boom of the the Golden Era, many clubs began to update their courses as popularity of the game began to soar. The old courses were fighting some of the same battles clubs fight today - equipment improvements that made the ball travel further and players becoming more proficient at the game and hence demanding more challenge. And let’s not forget the human desire of keeping up with the Jones’ - or more accurately the Shinnecock’s or Pinehurst’s.
But where did the concept originate? It is documented that Old Tom Morris made modifications to The Old Course at St. Andrews in or around 1870. Legend says some of the old timers wanted to play the course the “old” way, so once a year (to become known as St. Andrews Day), patrons could play the (semi) original clockwise routing, which was essentially the reverse of Old Tom’s revision. St. Andrews halted the tradition for some reason in 2009, but after a decade of absence, reintroduced the event. So, reversible golf is not a new concept, but perhaps a nearly forgotten tradition.
In The Architectural Side of Golf (first published in 1929), H.N. Wethered and T. Simpson penned “The Old Course was habitually played in reverse and at North Berwick, and probably most, if not all, of the older courses, the custom prevailed, in order, as it was said, to ‘rest the course’.”
They go on to say “we are inclined to believe that the holes owe much of their fascination to the fact that there were, and are still, reversible; that in this old and discarded principle of reversibility lies one of the great possibilities in the way of development so far as modern golf architecture is concerned. Such a scheme might conceivably be found to be the best antidote to an existing tendency towards the undue repetition of stock devices which are always liable to creep in and create a monotony of design. Anything that would be likely to conduce to greater freedom and elasticity is a development to be heartily welcomed by everyone. Surely there are many advantages to be gained in making two courses out of one…”
Being on the other side of the Bobby Jones project, I’m not sure truer words have ever been spoken. Every golf course I look at or work on now, I find myself exploring the possibilities for reversibility.
To say designing a reversible golf course is a cranial endeavor would be a gross understatement. The concept development is extensive. One tweak would lead to three or four more, as everything is connected. And the final design and construction was 10x the challenge of the conceptual development.
Not only did Bobby Jones stretch the design mind, but it was also an in-depth exercise in engineering. There were floodplain restrictions and environmental considerations, all of which were addressed, implemented and overcome and all of which are seamlessly ensconced into the design of the course. But perhaps the most remarkable story of the current Bobby Jones Golf Course is how it came to be and how it operates.
The Bobby Jones Golf Course was originally designed by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek and opened in 1932 as Atlanta’s first public golf course. Not to be a critic, but I would venture to say the original design was not the best work of Stiles and Van Kleek, considering they were responsible for the creation of such gems as Taconic Golf Club, Cranwell Resort Golf Club and Glen Arven ( of which we had the distinct pleasure of restoring just prior to the Bobby Jones project). Through a divine series of events, property ownership transferred from the City of Atlanta to the State of Georgia and in October of 2017, the not-for-profit Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation was formed and entered into a lease with the State of Georgia. Founding partners, Chuck Palmer and Marty Elgison raised the money to construct the golf course, parking garage, a dozen tennis courts (for the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center - Atlanta’s busiest public tennis facility) and all the related infrastructure and amenities through foundations, individual and corporate donations with the singular premise of growing the game of golf. The Bobby Jones Golf Course has been so successful that the project has become a model for other like-minded urban golf enterprises and in at least one instance in south Florida, it has been implemented.
If you would like to see a list of the sponsors and partners that made the new Bobby Jones Golf Course possible, please click here.
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation, please click here.