Golf Course History
"Forces of nature that shaped the rugged Blue Lakes contours along Snake River north of Twin Falls inadvertently did the spade work for what promised to be one of the nation's most challenging golf courses."
This is the opinion of Francis L. James, golf course architect, who drafted specifications for the Blue Lakes Country Club golf course.
Architect James knows whereof he speaks for he has built more than 100 courses. Formerly of Scotland, he designed and supervises the University of Idaho golf course that nestles in the Palouse Hills west of that institution at Moscow.
With the preliminary estimate completed, the country club is turning to raising the $50,000.00 by subscription among the members to finance the venture. Construction may start this fall, and the construction of half a mile of graveled road from Blue Lakes poper to the site if the course, as well as the clubhouse at the head of Alpheus Creek. The country club completed improvement of the main road leading down into the canyon on the north side of the river and also set up picnic sites and other developments along the four-mile stretch, which it has on the north bank of the Snake.
Frank K. Cook has been appointed by Club President Tom Peavey as chairman of the golf course construction committee. To them, James has sent the results of his findings during his survey of the golf course site last month.
Of the 300 acres set aside for the golf course, 34 will be seeded. A feature of the nine-hole course will be a provision for alternate tees, so beginner and expert golfers alike will derive pleasure from playing. There will be about 21 tees. As an example of this, the second hole from the first tee calls for a 200-yard drive across an artificial "Blue Lake." The golfer who doesn't feel quite up to this, however, can move to another tee near the tip of the lake where the golf ball mortality rate will be lower.
In his preliminary estimate, James writes:
"My first impression of the site on which the golf course will be built was the extreme ruggedness. Here is a place on which a course would be built of a nature rarely equaled in any part of the country. I am happy to say that, after spending some days there and staking the course out, you really have something of which you may well be proud. Not only will it make up into an exceptionally fine golf course, but one which will be a real test of the game."
Continuing he comments,
"The extra tees offer a diversity of play on each nine, the length and character of holes calling for every shot in the bag."
The golf expert, in outlining such details as construction of fairways, putting greens, tees, traps and other features, points out that the contours provide a natural setting complete with hazards, for a top flight course. Turning to landscaping and development of the greens and fairways by proper planting of grass mixtures, he mentions,
"At Twin Falls you are very fortunate in having access to all the water you can possibly use of nearly any type of sprinkling system."
Of landscaping he says,
"The landscaping of your golf course should not be done in a haphazard fashion. It is a permanent part of your course and in itself will express much of its finest beauty. I would advise a well thought out plan so whatever work is done would be part of this plan. No golf course attempts to do all this work in the first year. It is one of those things we plan and build as we go along, always with an eye to the future. At least to start with, rough places; dead trees and other debris should be removed. Some trees around the clubhouse, others around the tees and greens and in between the fairways should be put in as early as possible. They serve as focal points and add to the perspective. The landscape around the clubhouse, with the waterfalls, the swimming pool and the picnic grounds close by offer an opportunity for beauty rarely seen."
During the summer before the golf course was finished and could be used, many of the members, men and women both, would spend weekends with rakes and shovels cleaning up debris, making many picnic areas along Alpheus Creek and other places in the canyon.