You don’t hear the name Tom Bendelow often unless you really pay attention to the minutiae of Chicago golf. He was a prolific designer who lived from 1868 to 1936. And when I say prolific, I mean prolific.
I’m attached to the guy, although I’ve been too ignorant to notice until recently. He designed the course I grew up playing, Findlay Country Club (Ohio). He designed Medinah Country Club, maybe the most famous course in Chicago, which I played a few weeks ago. And he designed the course I’m playing tomorrow, Chevy Chase.
Of course, little about these courses probably bears any resemblance to what they looked like when Bendelow was roaming the country early last century. Nonetheless, the guy has had a huge influence on American golf (and me) yet you don’t hear his name batted around as much as Ross, MacKenzie, or Jones.
So we will dig into this. It’s going to be one of the things we do here.
As always, thanks for stopping by.