TULSA, OK –
Chris Clouser, author of “The Midwest Associate” may have compiled the most comprehensive synopsis of Perry Maxwell’s body of work as a golf course architect. “Actually, Maxwell is misunderstood by many people” he notes with a hint of regret in his voice. “For example, he wasn’t Mackenzie’s associate, he was his partner.” Clouser goes on to explain that, during their period of collaboration (1924-1935) “Mackenzie would get the contracts, then they would collaborate n the design. Then Maxwell finished everything.” History reflects this arrangement at such famous places as Crystal Downs and The University of Michigan Golf Course, but did you know they also did Oklahoma City Country Club and Melrose Country Club in Pennsylvania?
Clouser found a Maxwell quote in an article published late in Perry’s life where Maxwell was quoted as saying that he believed he was involved with the original or complete redesign of roughly seventy courses and did some work on almost fifty courses more. His career took him to twenty-one different states. This timeline, which made its way from Clouser through golf course architecture expert and aficionado Wyatt Halliday, can only clearly affirm fifty-two original designs and twenty-seven renovations in only 20 states, but this list is the most comprehensive to date.
“Maxwell’s career was a little weird” Clouser admits with a sheepish grin and a hint of puckishness in his voice. “He had three distinct styles. First and best known is what I call ‘Oklahoma style'” he continues energetically. “Most of his designs in Oklahoma are remarkably consistent: simple lines with most holes pretty straight and dog-legs around 45 degrees average and then his greens had his trademark rolls” he finishes. Maxwell had simple bunkers early in his career; not the standard saucers you see at Southern, but also not the blown out bunkers of say a Coore and Crenshaw design.”
Clouser pauses almost reverently, seeming to revitalize himself to recount more of the interesting tale of the banker turned designer, who turned to golf design at the impetus of his wife, who died tragically a few years later of appendicitis. “After Mackenzie and for most of his stuff outside Oklahoma, he developed a more artistic flair in bunkering. It became more flamboyant with rough edging, looking a little closer to Coore and Crenshaw and Tom Doak. This was a conscious decision to depart from his earlier work” Clouser notes instructively.
“Then I find a third style in two of his courses – his first and last, Dornick Hills in Oklahoma and Oak Cliff in Dallas.” Clouser notes almost reverently that these courses were modeled after the fabled template holes he studied at National Golf Links of America and other Charles Blair Macdonald designs. “Macdonald was clearly an early influence” Clouser remarks emphatically. “At Oak Cliff you have a cape hole, a bottle, a knoll, and variations on an eden and a redan. Then Maxwell came up a couple on his own. When he found a similar land form on a property he’d build a similar hole” Clouser reckons. One example is a tee shot to plateau, then drop shot to the green. These were mostly shorter-to-medium length par-4s.
Clouser finishes his review of the list of Maxwell courses with this notation:
“Currently, there are five courses prior to the Lakewood construction and eleven courses after the Lakewood construction that need to be identified to meet the Maxwell number. One of the largest possibilities is the window of time between 1926 and 1933 in the Philadelphia area, as Maxwell had an active office in the area, but no documented work during that period of time. Another is post World War II in Texas along what is now the I-35 corridor as he took several jobs during this period in this area and only a few are documented. The likelihood also exists that several courses from the early days of his career in Oklahoma are not identified as they fell under during the Depression or during World War II. It is known that he also did work on a course in Connecticut but no members of the Maxwell family know the details of the work as Perry only mentioned it as some additional work that he took on during his career. Using these as the basis for further investigation it is hopeful that one day a complete list of his work can be identified.”
Solo Designs by Perry Maxwell
Dornick Hills Golf & Country Club Ardmore, Oklahoma 1913 – 1923
Twin Hills Golf & Country Club Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1920 – 1923
Duncan Golf & Country Club Duncan, Oklahoma 1921
Buffalo Hills Golf Club Pawhuska, Oklahoma 1922
Bristow Golf Club Bristow, Oklahoma 1923
Shawnee Country Club Shawnee, Oklahoma 1923
Indian Hills Country Club Catoosa, Oklahoma 1924
Muskogee Country Club (redesign) Muskogee, Oklahoma 1924
Kennedy Golf Course (NLE) Tulsa, Oklahoma 1925
Highland Park Golf Course (NLE) Tulsa, Oklahoma 1925
Edgemere Golf Course Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1925
Riverside Country Club Tishomingo, Oklahoma 1925
Hillcrest Country Club Bartlesville, Oklahoma 1926
Hardscrabble Country Club Fort Smith, Arkansas 1926
Pennsylvania Golf Club (NLE) Llarnech, Pennsylvania 1924
Cushing Country Club Cushing, Oklahoma 1929
Ponca City Country Club (redesign) Ponca City, Oklahoma 1929
Rochelle Country Club Rochelle, Illinois 1929
Princeton Country Club Princeton, Kentucky 1931
Hillcrest Golf Course Coffeyville, Kansas 1932
Brookside Golf Course Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1934
Mohawk Park Golf Course Tulsa, Oklahoma 1934
Iowa State University Golf Course Ames, Iowa 1934 -1937
Oak Hills Golf & Country Club Ada, Oklahoma 1935
Southern Hills Country Club Tulsa, Oklahoma 1935 – 1936
Arkansas City Country Club Arkansas City, Kansas 1937
McPherson Country Club McPherson, Kansas 1937
Topeka Country Club (redesign) Topeka, Kansas 1938
Blackwell Municipal Golf Course Blackwell, Oklahoma 1939
Mount Pleasant Country Club Mount Pleasant, Texas 1939
The Old Town Club Winston-Salem, NC 1939
Reynolds Park Golf Course Winston-Salem, NC 1940
Walnut Hills Golf Club (NLE) Dallas, Texas 1940
Duke University (Never constructed) Durham, North Carolina 1940
Gillespie Golf Club Greensboro, North Carolina 1941
Lawton Country Club Lawton, Oklahoma 1948
Co-Designed with Art Jackson
Lincoln Park Golf Course (second course) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1926
Co-Designed with John Bredemus and Marvin Leonard
Colonial Country Club Fort Worth, Texas 1934
Co-Designed with Alister Mackenzie
Melrose Country Club Cheltenham, Pennsylvania 1924 – 1926
Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club* Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1927
Crystal Downs Country Club Frankfort, Michigan 1928 – 1931
University of Michigan Golf Course Ann Arbor, Michigan 1931
Ohio State University Golf Course ** Columbus, Ohio 1935
*co-design in contract only
**construction by Maxwell, design by Mackenzie
Co-Designed with Press Maxwell
Prairie Dunes Country Club Hutchinson, Kansas 1937, 1957
Lakewood Country Club Point Clear, Alabama 1944 – 1947
Austin Country Club Austin, Texas 1946 – 1948
Excelsior Springs Golf Course (NLE) Excelsior Springs, Missouri 1947
Grandview Municipal Golf Course Springfield, Missouri 1947
Oakwood Country Club Enid, Oklahoma 1947 – 1948
Kentucky Dam Village Kentucky Dam Village, KY 1948
Camp Hood Golf Course (NLE) Camp Hood, Texas 1948
Randolph Oaks Golf Course Randolph AFB, Texas 1948
F.E. Warren AFB Golf Course Cheyenne, Wyoming 1948
Bayou DeSiard Country Club Monroe, Louisiana 1949
Palmetto Country Club Benton, Louisiana 1950
University of Oklahoma Golf Course Norman, Oklahoma 1950
Oak Cliff Country Club Dallas, Texas 1951
River Hills Golf Club (NLE) Irving, Texas 1951
Lake Hefner Golf Course Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1951
Renovations by Perry Maxwell
Lincoln Park Golf Course (green renovation) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1926
Philadelphia Country Club (one hole and greens)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1933
Pine Valley Golf Club (three holes) Clementon, New Jersey 1933
Sunnybrook Golf Club (greens) Flourtown, Pennsylvania 1934
Gulph Mills Country Club (five holes) King of Prussia, Pa 1934 -1938
The National Golf Links of America (unknown) Southampton, New York 1935
Dornick Hills Golf & Country Club (three holes) Ardmore, Oklahoma 1936
Links Golf Club (greens) Long Island, New York 1936
Oaks Country Club (six holes) Tulsa, Oklahoma 1936
Augusta National Golf Club (eleven holes) Augusta, Georgia 1937-1938
North Fulton Golf Course (up to four holes) Atlanta, Georgia 1937
Merion Golf Club (greens) Ardmore, Pennsylvania 1938
Hillandale Country Club (green renovation) Hillandale, North Carolina 1938
Huntington Crescent Club (unknown) Long Island, New York 1939
Rockaway Hunting Club (unknown) Long Island, New York 1939
Maidstone Golf Club (renovation plan) Long Island, New York 1939
Westchester Country Club (unknown) Westchester, New York 1939
Twin Hills (greens) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1939
Colonial Country Club (three holes) Fort Worth, Texas 1940
Brook Hollow Country Club (greens) Dallas, Texas 1940
Hope Valley Country Club (all greens) Durham, North Carolina 1940
Clearwater Country Club (all greens, four holes) Clearwater, Florida 1940 – 1945
Saucon Valley Country Club (two holes) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 1944
Salina Country Club (four holes) Salina, Kansas 1945
Lincoln Homestead Park Golf Course (greens) Springfield, Kentucky 1948
Omaha Country Club (several holes) Omaha, Nebraska 1951
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