Oakhurst
The Birth and Rebirth of America's First Golf Course
by Paula DiPenta and Vikki Keller
Walker and Company New York 2002
The title really does announce the scope of this fascinating book. An outline of the Oakhurst story is briefly told.
Sometime between 1881 and 1884 a golfer, Lionel Tobin, a tea planter from Ceylon decided to visit his cousin George Grant in Oakhurst, West Virginia. Grant was already well established in a social set that included two brothers named MacLeod, remittance men from Scotland and a Harvard trained lawyer who had become a gentleman farmer in the area. In discussions on how to entertain this newcomer to their group, thoughts turned to building a golf course. The MacLeods had already been acquainted with golf in their native Morayshire, as had George Grant, and Russel Montague had become acquainted with the game on a trip to England. Thus a golf course came to be built in the most unlikely of places, West Virginia.
Golf had been played before in the Americas - there are records of Golf Societies in The Carolinas in the early 1800's, but these had died out when the Scots left and all that is left to record their presence are a few invitations; scattered advertisements for golf equipment; and various bills of lading for balls and clubs.
When Horace Hutchinson visited the states in 1887 he found no golf, but he opined that golf may be played in some 'secret places' by expatriate Scots, and he was right. Golf, unbeknownst to him was being played at Oakhurst! The small group formed a golf club, played for a medal, and played there for a number of years. However by 1900 golf was no longer played on these original links, although it was being now being played at the neighboring Greenbrier, and the links slowly reverted to pastureland. The knowledge of Oakhurst may have died were it not for Sam Snead. Sam learnt of Oakhurst in his childhood, and in 1938, when the Greenbrier was hosting the White Sulphur Springs Open he played on the barely recognizable fairways. He had been part of a celebration - put on in conjunction with the golf tournament - honoring Fraser Coron, then eighty-four years old, who was being feted as "Americas first club maker". Fraser had made clubs for the Montague group in the Oakhurst Links days and was indeed still making clubs in 1938.
In 1945 Russel Montague died aged 93 - he had been playing golf till the year before his death - and willed the farm to his son and daughter. The son Cary Montague had become a minister, and by 1959 was looking to sell the farm.
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| Russel Montague, still playing golf at age 92! |
This is where Lewis Keller enters the scene. Lewis was a good amateur golfer and visited Greenbrier in 1954, and soon struck up a playing relationship cum friendship with Sam Snead. By 1959 Lewis was looking to buy a place in the neighborhood, and Sam Snead mentioned Oakhurst. Lewis was fascinated, drove over to Oakhurst and concluded a deal with Cary Montague. However Keller's first thought was not to restore the golf course, he wanted to pursue the raising of thoroughbred horses. He did this and indeed began racing them. For his colors he took the crossed golf clubs of the original Oakhurst Links, and also adopted their motto 'Far and Sure'. However he was always aware of the significance of Oakhurst. As part of his business interests Keller got into the golf course business and struck up a relationship with the designer Bob Cupp. Cupp was fascinated with the Oakhurst story and asked Keller whether he had ever considered restoring the course. This had always been at the back of his mind but he was also very fond of his thoroughbred horses. Then one day some one offered to buy his entire blood line, and Keller was free to develop Oakhurst. The Oakhurst Links was formerly reopened onOctober 20th 1994, with Sam Snead making the inaugural drive at hole number three.
This book does a wonderful job of detailing this basic story, and the authors have turned every stone and pursued every avenue to make sure the tale is as accurate as it can possibly be. the first part of the book emphasizes the original players, and the state of golf at that time. Coming into the modern era of Oakhurst Links they do a magnificent job of describing the detective work that went into rediscovering the layout of the links. But this book is much more than a story of Oakhurst, it is a magnificent documentation of the times and mores of the late Victorian era - it is a window into how a certain class of people lived and conducted their lives in this era. It also reveals Slammin' Sam in a light he is not well known for. Everyone knows of the hustlin' Sam but few appreciate his love for the traditions of the game.
The authors do a good job of putting together what could have been a series of observations and anecdotes into a very readable form.
The book is available at Oakhurst Links, from the publisher and also through Amazon.com