Devereux Emmet

Devereux Emmet

Emmet, c. 1915
Born (1861-12-11)December 11, 1861
Pelham, New York
Died December 30, 1934(1934-12-30) (aged 73)
Garden City, New York
Nationality American
Alma mater Columbia University
Occupation Architect
Spouse(s) Ella B. Smith
Children 2
Parent(s) William Jenkins Emmet and
Julia Colt Pierson
Projects Bethpage State Park, 1923
Design Congressional Country Club (Blue), 1924

Devereux Emmet (December 11, 1861 – December 30, 1934)[1] was a pioneering American golf course architect who, according to one source, designed more than 150 courses worldwide.[2]

Early life

Devereux Emmet was born in Pelham, New York[3] on December 11, 1861, one of eight children of William Jenkins Emmet and Julia Colt Pierson.[4] He was the great-grandson of Thomas Addis Emmet.

College and marriage

Emmet graduated from Columbia University in 1883;[5] in 1889 he married Ella B. Smith in an elaborate wedding at her home in New York City.[6] Miss Smith, born in 1858, was the daughter of Judge J. Lawrence Smith and a niece of Alexander Turney Stewart. Ella's sister Elizabeth "Bessie" Springs Smith was the wife of architect Stanford White.[7] The couple had two children, Richard Smith Emmet (born October 1889) and Devereux Emmet, Jr. (born January 1897).[8]

Golf course design career

On a vacation in England he spent time with his friend, Charles B. Macdonald, who was measuring British golf courses in preparation for the design of the National Golf Links of America. Emmet's first design was Island Golf Links, a predecessor of Garden City Golf Club.[7] A friend of his remarked:

Emmet could not possibly conceive of any other use to which any given piece of real estate could be put except to lay out golf links on it.[3]

In 1924 he hired Alfred H. Tull as a design associate, and in 1929 made him a partner in the firm of Emmet, Emmet and Tull. The Tull-Emmet partnership continued until Emmet's death in 1934.[9]

Amateur golf

Emmet was a talented amateur golfer. He made the quarter-finals of the 1904 British Amateur and won the Bahamas Amateur at the age of 66.[7] In 1916, after he won the father-son tournament at Sleepy Hollow Country Club with Devereux Emmet, Jr., the United States Golf Association instituted the so-called architects rule that barred golf course architects from competing as amateurs in tournaments.[10]

Death and legacy

Devereux Emmet died in Garden City, New York, on December 30, 1934.[5]

Courses designed

18th hole (formerly the 17th) of the Blue Course of the Congressional Country Club

Emmet designed many of his courses in an era of wooden-shafted clubs. Because the holes are often short by current standards many of his designs have since been reworked.

Note: Dates indicate when the course opened.
Note: This is a partial list, portions of which were taken from WorldGolf.[11]

(originally designed by Herbert Strong, remodeled by Devereux Emmet in 1921)
(remodeled by George Fazio and Tom Fazio in 1977 and by Arthur Hills in 2000)
(renovated by Devereux Emmet and Alfred H. Tull in 1931)
(with Tom Bendelow)
(with Donald Ross)
(remodeled by Devereux Emmet and Alfred Tull in 1931)

References

  1. ↑ Colozzi, Dawn W. "Devereux Emmet". FindAGrave.com. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  2. ↑ "A Brief History". Schuyler Meadows Club. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Jackson (ed), A.V.Williams; Peele (ed), Robert (1911). A History of the Class of Eighteen Hundred and Eighty-Three of Columbia College. New York: Irving Press. p. 42.
  4. ↑ The Yale Forest School (1913). Biographical Record of the Graduates and Former Students of the Yale Forest. New Haven, CT: The Yale Forest School. p. 39.
  5. 1 2 "Devereux Emmet Golf Architect Died on Sunday" (PDF). The Pelham Sun. January 4, 1935. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  6. ↑ "At her Father's Home". New York Times. January 27, 1889. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "Golf Course". Riddell's Bay Golf & Country Club. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ Coates, H.T, (1904). Woodhull Genealogy: The Woodhull Family in England and America. Philadelphia: Henry C. Coates & Co. p. 366.
  9. ↑ Ed Oliver Golf Club. "Course Architects: About The Architects". Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  10. ↑ "EMMET TAKES ISSUE WITH U.S.G.A. RULE". The New York Times. February 25, 1917. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Devereux Emmet". WorldGolf. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  12. ↑ "The Edison Club". Time Union. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  13. ↑ "The CCF Golf Course". Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  14. ↑ Mingay, Jeff (2008). Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective, Volume 4. Pelican Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 9781589806160.
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