Sewells Point has a nomadic , fascinating past . The present course is at its third location , and its history includes a long list of land sales , purchases and leases . Research by Carlin Field of the Norfolk Historical Society found that the government even seized part of a course after the United States entered The Great War in 1917 and turned it into an Army supply base . ( After the war , the club was allowed to lease back a portion of the land .)
The Navy purchased the property in 1942 , renaming it the Commissioned Officers Golf Club . The rules were amended to allow enlisted service members access in 1974 . Today , though not widely known , it is open to the public .
Ross ’ name and reputation are what gave it notoriety . His designs include Pinehurst , perhaps the closest thing to sacred ground in American golf , in league with Augusta National , Pine Valley and Cypress Point . Nine of his designs appear in Golf Digest ’ s top 100 .
The misconception regarding Ross ’ connection with the club may have persisted had it not been for a concerned citizen of Norfolk .
Last winter , Ed Ware , retired senior executive of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority , penned an op-ed in The Virginian-Pilot . He called for the Navy Morale , Welfare and Recreation Division ( which oversees Sewells Point ), along with various authorities , foundations and historical societies , to form a working group that would explore restoring the course as Ross intended .
As part of this effort , a well-intentioned team convened to discuss various ways of celebrating the course ’ s century of life .
ABOVE : Donald Ross with daughter Lillian in Pinehurst in 1923 . At left : Images of Sewells Point Golf Course today .
In search of Ross ’ original plan , author and Ross expert Bradley Klein was contacted and traveled to Norfolk to inspect the course . Klein delivered disappointing news , noting that the small bunkers , the green construction and the overall land usage were all strikingly inconsistent with Ross ’ typical design style . Understandably , Ware was stunned . “ I was like , ‘ How could this have not been detected in almost 100 years ?’” he said . “ It really underscores how unappreciated and under-curated it has been for a century .”
“ An unusual situation ,” Donald Ross Society president Brad Becken admitted upon hearing the news , “ although we find from time to time that courses thought to have been worked on by Ross are , in fact , the product of another architect .”
The Ross Society has begun the process of removing Sewells Point from its list of Ross courses . Unraveling how this happened quickly became a priority for the Norfolk Historical Society and its supporters .
The true course designer is among the most accomplished — yet least celebrated — architects , particularly when compared to Ross , who is credited with over 400 designs . However , his smaller body of work places him at the pinnacle of his field during what is considered the Golden Age of American golf course architecture .
William Flynn was a native of Massachusetts . Close friend and competitor to famed amateur Francis Ouimet , Flynn moved to Philadelphia to help Dick Wilson complete work on the East Course at Merion . He made the city his base of operations until his death at age 55 .
Flynn was the guiding light of a design style known as the “ Philadelphia School .” His colleagues included Wilson ( The Greenbrier , Meadows Course ), A . W . Tillinghast ( Winged Foot , East , West ), George Thomas ( Riviera CC ) and George Crump ( Pine Valley ).
ED WARE ( 5 , SEWELLS POINT PHOTOS ); USGA ARCHIVES vsga . org