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er RY Aer" September 10, 1927 WINNETKA TALK » North Shore Golf Northwestern, Public Links in Preserve Is Popular Charles Speed Who Built the Club Laments Action Which Took It Away From Him This is the last article of a series describing the fine golf clubs of the north shore. It tells of how the County took over the Northwestern course in the Forest Preserve. By RAY C. PEARSON UST one more story of golf success on the north shore is tabulated when one writes of Northwestern, that course which winds through the scenic Forest Preserve of Glenview. North- western is the property of the Cook County Board which seems to function very well in its con- trol of golf, but the County hasn't always run this public golf- ing playground and the tale of how only a few years ago this club got going and prospered makes in- teresting reading. That, however, will be saved until later--after we have written something about the North- western of the present. : Everyone this writer has talked with imparts the information that this Forest Preserve course is a natural golf course and that means a whole lot. The wooded land, the creeks-- natural hazards--make it just that. Northwestern's popularity is attested by the fact that on Saturdays and Sun- days as many as four hundred and fifty golfers step up to the box office and buy tickets. On week days too, we are told the "attendance" has been very satisfactory. Work on Improvements Just what this popularity means now and for the future will interest those who play Northwestern. The fees are to be used to make a better course. For instance we hear that a new six- teenth hole is just being finished to take the place of the one played for the last four years. It will be a fine "shot" of 140 yards. The seventeenth also is to be changed to make a straight shooting hole of 410 yards. The present four: teenth, a sharp dog-leg, is to be re- moved in the general plans for im- provement. "There'll be a greatly improved Northwestern when this work is finish- ed for play next season," one official says. "Chick" Evans, who knows his nib- lick as he often has proved and who recently was runner-up to the famous Bobby Jones at Minnekadha, is the controlling force at Northwestern. Evans has the title of County Golf architect. But the active person at County Controlled i Ra yo | {4 THE PICTURES: The Northwestern clubhouse in Glenview Forest Pre- serve (top): at the eleventh, a water hole (below). Northwestern is Ted Long who is the greens keeper. Reuter Is Professional John Reuter, Jr., is the profes- sional. Reuter is a fine golfer. He plays in nearly all of the big tour- neys and when we saw him yester- day he was ripping off a few fancy |§ drives down the fairway is prepara- tion for the Western open to be held shortly at Olympia Field. Reuter says that many fine players shoot the county course, and I am told that Richard Hughes and Mrs. J. Milligan are the club cham- pions. Incidentally he calls atten- tion to the fact that Mrs. Zech shot an 86 a few days ago, which is dandy shooting at Northwestern, a 73 par for men, the present yardage being 6,460. With the course changed next year the present yardage and par will go into the discard. Speed Builds Course Now for something about North- western's entry into north shore golf. That dates back to one day in 1922 when Charles Speed, an aggressive Ev- anston man who finds time for golf despite numerous and important busi- ness affairs, decided that a golf course in the Forest Preserve would be a fine thing. Mr. Speed was so sure of it that he went to the County board and told the board mem- bers what he wanted to do. The plan met with the approval of the board. But who was to build the golf course? Mr. Speed said that would be taken care of. His first thought was to get together a band of men to finance the project, but that idea flivvered out for he discovered it a difficult task to find men who could "see" the future and who would put up their money. But Speed saw the future, saw it so well that he quickly gave up the plan of enlisting others in and played a lone hand. $58,000 and built North- the project He put up western. Course Built in Year But it should be mentioned here that when it camé to signing the contract the County board inserted some hard and fast clauses in the papers. Briefly stated Speed had to get back the money he had invested within six years or be the loser. In other words if Speed failed to make the course the success he visualized, it would revert to the County. But that wasn't all The contract specifically stated that Speed must have it ready for play within one year or the club would go to the County. Lots of men would have thrown up the sponge when facing those exac- tions, but not Speed, who quickly proved his name was not a misnomer. He bucked the game, had the course ready for play within a year and now listen to this--he made the course pay for itself in three years plus five per- cent. That means that the course was finished in 1923. Netted $26,000 last year "Northwestern netted $26,000 in 1926," said Mr. Speed. "So you see how popular the course was. It would have netted $30,000 this year if I could have gone along with it." That brings us up to a subject which has given Mr. Speed many unpleasant thoughts. The County stepped in last March and took the course away fromy the man who had built it. He says it was a cold kickout. But is Speed angry? Does he bear malice? Not a bit. He sat at his desk yesterday and spoke thusly: "They hurt my feelings when they took the course away from me. My work out there was not finished. F wanted to finish it and make North- western one of the finest golf courses on the north shore. It would have been the only championship public course in the County. But the County spoiled those plans for me." Then Mr. Speed continued pride- (Continued on Page 38)