Golf Courses & Travel
The Many Intersections
of Golf and the Civil War
It's uncanny how often our Architecture Editor found aspects of golf in his study of the American Civil War
November 2011
If you've read my piece, Golf and Civil Warfare, in the November issue of Golf Digest, then you already know that I've become a Civil War buff and in my study of the War Between the States, I've repeatedly stumbled upon connections between it and the game of golf (For instance, cannon batteries that look like Oakmont's Church Pews bunker.) If you haven't read the article, perhaps this slideshow will persuade you to do so.
Note: For more on Golf & the Civil War, download the November issue of Golf Digest on the iPad.
Note: For more on Golf & the Civil War, download the November issue of Golf Digest on the iPad.
In reading Earl McElfresh's book, Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War (Abrams 1999), I was struck by how similar the grid sketch pad used in 1863 by Union topographical engineer G.K. Warren (left) was to the grid field note pad used by course architect Donald Ross (right) Then it dawned on me that Ross surely adapted his methodology from cartography, since in essence he was mapping out golf holes.
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