THE REDOUBTABLE STANLEY THOMPSON 6 WORLD’S GREATEST GOLFING FAMILY By 1924, the Thompson golfing family was being talked about in golf circles all over the Continent. A New York paper headlined a story, “Thompson That’s All.” Greg Clark, famous Toronto journalist, picked [it] up [in] the Toronto Star Weekly on July 20, 1924. The headline: “World’s Greatest Golfing Family.” The cutline under the picture of the five brothers said, “Frank, twice champion of all Canada, and current champion of Canada; Mat, runner-up in Manitoba Championship; Nicol, professional at Hamilton Golf Club and Canadian Professional Champion in 1922; Stanley, a medal player and head of the golfing architect and engineering firm bearing his name; W.J. (Bill), a lawyer, twice Canadian Champion, twice Toronto and District Champion, and winner of four of the six medal plays which he entered this year and current Ontario Champion.” There were several years of triumph lying ahead for all the brothers. practice has grown, as many clubs and players came to the realization that they liked these old courses. Through Ian’s expertise, he has helped clubs see that even if major alterations have occurred in the past, it is possible to restore the character-defining features of an earlier design. Regarding his sensitive restoration at St. George’s Golf & Country Club for example, he says “we concentrated on putting the original features back the way they were originally found, unless greens had been relocated. In such cases, we tried to emulate the original features in the new green locations.” In addition Ian suggests that he rarely makes concessions for technology, opting instead to “look for back tees.” He tries to avoid changing holes as much as possible. He frequently points out to club managers that only five percent of their members are capable of hitting the longer holes that so many clubs now seek to incorporate. The other ninety-five percent of players, the bulk of the paying members, have a more pleasurable experience on the shorter, more interesting holes characteristic of the Golden Age courses. MUNICIPAL DESIGNATION Municipalities in Ontario are beginning to recognize that golf courses are worthy of recognition as heritage resources. The first to do so through the Ontario Heritage Act was the City of Windsor, which designated Rosedale Golf Course a cultural heritage landscape in 2003. This course was designed by another significant Golden Age figure, Donald Ross. In 2010, the City of Mississauga officially designated Lakeview Golf Course, by Golden Age designer Herbert Strong. Mississauga planner, Paula Wubbenhorst, notes that designation has helped to build broader community appreciation for this local landmark. RECALIBRATING OUR PERCEPTION Many golf courses remain off limits to the public and thus widespread public appreciation of their heritage value may not happen quickly. Nonetheless, landscape architects are in a leadership position. Although golf courses raise mixed reactions in the landscape architecture profession due to their association with environmental concerns, we have the sensitivity to perceive other values inherent in these cultural landscapes. As professionals, our role will be to carry out research, to inform the public and the golf club memberships where heritage value is identified, and to use our design and communication skills to demonstrate how to maintain the integrity of these unique landscapes while still supporting one of Canada’s favourite sports. cpaine@uoguelph.ca | brownkr@rogers.com 6 ST. GEORGE’S 11TH TEE, 1930 7 THE THOMPSON TERRORS: THE “WORLD’S GREATEST GOLFING FAMILY” (1924) stanley thompson as indicated 8 ST. GEORGE’S, HOLE 16 | 6 11E TEE, ST GEORGE’S, 1930 7 LES THOMPSON TERRORS : QUATRE DES CINQ FRÈRES CONSTITUANT LA « PLUS GRANDE FAMILLE DU GOLF » (1924) 8 16E TROU, ST GEORGE’S PHOTOS 6 COURTESY/GRACIEUSETÉ DE IAN ANDREW 7 COURTESY BILL NEWTON, (UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH ARCHIVES)/ GRACIEUSETÉ DE BILL NEWTON (ARCHIVES DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE GUELPH) 8 CLIVE BARBER EXCERPTED FROM THOMPSON COLLECTION, PART 1, 14 Stanley 7 8 28 LANDSCAPES PAYSAGES
ADVERTISING opportunities are currently available in <strong>CSLA</strong> media. Landscapes/Paysages quarterly print and digital magazine 2013 <strong>CSLA</strong> Membership Directory annual directory For more information, contact: Kim Davies | Project Manager Naylor (Canada), Inc. (204) 975-0423 | kdavies@naylor.com
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