Belmont Club Reflects On 100 Year Milestone
Belmont Golf Club is reflecting on a 100 year milestone, noting that “throughout Bermuda’s business community at that time, there was universal acceptance to galvanize and transform Bermuda into an overseas sports and leisure haven.”
Kim Swan said, “While we reflect on Belmont’s 100 year milestone, it is important to recognize that throughout Bermuda’s business community at that time, there was universal acceptance to galvanize and transform Bermuda into an overseas sports and leisure haven.
“To have had so many projects realized at that time not only speaks volumes to the beauty of a shared vision, but also suggests an ease in translating ideas into reality.
“We who are associated with Newstead Belmont Hills Golf Resort are excited to celebrate the rich history which encompasses the centenary of Belmont Golf Club, built to enhance the Belmont Manor Hotel.
“From its inception and throughout the years, Belmont Manor Hotel attracted many high-profile guests, portraying Bermuda in a positive light and helping raise our global awareness.
- Willie McFarland, originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, emigrated to America and won the 1925 US Open Golf Championship. He played an exhibition match at Belmont Golf Club in 1928 when on the island to compete in the Bermuda Open.
- Sir Garfield Sobers, the legendary West Indies cricketer, visited The Belmont on several occasions in the 1970s and 80s. His love for golf was no secret.
- The great Bob Hope chose the Belmont Hotel as his base for his annual Christmas television show.
“The 1920s saw the development of numerous golf courses in Bermuda, clearly illuminating the entire island in the world of golf. Our celebration of Belmont Golf Club cannot be done in isolation of the entire island focus on the development of golf courses to enhance our tourism product. In doing so, Bermuda businessmen engaged very reputable golf course architects.
- Prospect Golf Link [Devonshire Golf Links] 1800s
- St. Georges Garrison Links [Million Dollar] 1880s
- Mid Ocean Club, 1922 – Charles Blair McDonald & Seth Raynor
- Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club, 1922 – Devereaux Emmet
- Belmont Golf Club, 1924 – Devereaux Emmet & Albert H. Tull
- Grasmere & Fairylands Hotel & Golf Club, Pembroke, 1927– Roy Herne, Golf Professional
- St. George’s Hotel Golf Club, 1928 – Devereaux Emmet & Albert H. Tull
- Frascati Hotel Golf Club, 1928 – Devereaux Emmet & Albert H. Tull
- Shore Hills Hotel & Golf Club, 1929 – Devereaux Emmet
- The Castle Harbour Hotel & Golf Club, 1931 – Charles Banks
- Prospect Golf Link [Devonshire Golf Links]
- Grasmere & Fairylands Golf Club, Pembroke – Roy Herne, Golf Professional
- Southampton Princess, 1963 – Albert H. Tull
Summary of 1920s Golf Course Developments
“Our celebration of Belmont Golf Club cannot be done in isolation from the island’s focus on developing golf courses to enhance our tourism product. Bermuda businessmen engaged very reputable golf course architects. Devereaux Emmet became a household name in Bermuda, and his connection to legendary architect Seth Raynor was a follow-on from the Mid Ocean Club golf course development.
“Charles Blair Macdonald [November 14, 1855 – April 21, 1939] was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in founding the United States Golf Association, won the first U.S. Amateur Championship, and later built some of the most influential golf courses in the United States, to the extent that he is considered the father of American golf course architecture. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
“Seth Jagger Raynor [May 7, 1874 – January 23, 1926] was an American golf course architect and engineer. He designed approximately 85 golf courses in about 13 years, his first in 1914, at age 40. His mentor was Charles Blair Macdonald, the creator of the National Golf Links of America and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
“Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club, which sadly folded just shy of celebrating its centenary, made an undeniable contribution to the development of golf in Bermuda as an important tourism product.
“Prospect Golf Link [Devonshire Golf Links], known today as Ocean View Golf Course, was an established golf operation in 1933 under Louis Corbin, Golf Professional, before the Ocean View Golf Committee first opened in 1950 and later incorporated.
“Devereux Emmet [December 11, 1861 – December 30, 1934] was a pioneering American golf course architect who designed more than 150 courses worldwide.
“Today, the former Shore Hills Hotel is home to the world-acclaimed Bermuda Institute of Oceanography Science [BIOS], with other nearby areas of the former golf course used as the headquarters for Bermuda’s two fuel ports [Rubis & Sol] and a government correctional facility.
“The Castle Harbour Hotel [1931] & Golf Club was designed by Charles Banks.
“The last major event hosted by the original Castle Harbour Hotel & Golf Resort was the 1984 World Cup of Golf, Americas Zone Qualifying in August 1984. The event was hosted by the Bermuda Professional Golfers Association under the leadership of Terrence Brannon, Bermuda Properties Limited [owners of Castle Harbour], Pierre Roellinger, President, and presented by the International Golf Association [IGA], Howard Clark, Chairman. The Bermuda team of Kim Swan & Keith Smith won the qualifying.
“Charles Henry Banks [1883-1931] worked with Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald for five years, supervising the construction of Yale Golf Club and Mid Ocean Club, among others. When Raynor died in 1926, Banks completed 10 unfinished projects.
A Golf Course in Fairylands?
“Another golf course emerged that advertised regular tournaments, built in conjunction with a hotel property: Hotel Grasmere By-The-Sea. Roy Herne, Golf Professional, came to Bermuda from Hastings Park Golf Club, Vancouver, Canada, where he was the first golf professional of that municipal golf course.
“The influence of Devereaux Emmet carried forward to the emergence of the next boom period when a Par 3 golf course was built in Southampton—a precursor to the magnificent Southampton Princess Hotel that would soon follow.
“Alfred H. Tull [1897-1982] moved to the United States from England in 1914, at the young age of 17. His first job was with a construction firm that supervised the building of courses of famous architects such as Walter Travis, A.W. Tillinghast, and Devereux Emmet. Alfred and his brother William also handled designs on their own. Alfred moved on from the construction firm and became an Associate, then a full partner for Devereux Emmet. After Emmet died in 1934, Tull entered private practice as a golf course architect. Alfred was noted for his ability to create individual holes without looking at a topographical plan. This type of creativity allowed Tull to have a very successful career as a golf course architect. Alfred was elected into the ASGCA as a new member in 1963 and later nominated as a Fellow in 1967. He remained a member until his death in 1982.
Summary – 100 Years [50 Years] of Golf Growth
“It is impossible to tell the story of Belmont Golf Club in isolation from the development of golf in Bermuda for the benefit of tourism. An obvious plan was conceived and executed with great effect across the island.
“It is safe to conclude that this vision led to the eventual development of Port Royal, which followed 50 years after the introduction of Belmont and the boom period of the 1920s. The introduction of Port Royal followed on from the vision for golf laid a half-century earlier and helped to move Bermuda forward in golf tourism at a greater pace.
“Finally, we must recognize the administrative efforts of Muriel & Eric Parker and their involvement with the Belmont Golf Club especially. Mrs. Eric [Muriel] Parker, Secretary/Treasurer of Belmont Golf Club and the Bermuda Golf Association, was an accomplished golfer who became the backbone of golf in Bermuda for decades. Bermuda’s reputation globally in the game of golf is stellar, and Mrs. Parker was a stickler who ensured best practices were followed.”
