[W.H. Cosgrove]

I received a phone call this AM from the Superintendent at my home club. While a heavy rain fell outside, he was looking through some archival stuff and found a Master Plan completed by Thomson, Wolveridge and Freem.  

I have found many references to Thomson, Wolveridge and Perrett.  Can anyone help with information concerning these two groups?  

The plan document dates from 1983.

[David_Elvins]

I am fairly sure that the Ron Whitten book has the timeline of the company structure at about this time.  I dont have the book on me but as a fairly rough guide I am fairly sure it goes something along the lines of the following:

Peter Thomson (no P) and Michael Wolveridge became design partners in the 60s, designing mainly in Australia and Asia.  For a period in the 70s and 80s they did some work with Ron Freem (this may have been mainly American work, I am not sure but the Whitten book will tell you).  In the 90s Ross Perrett's name went on the company after he had worked with them for some time.  Wolveridge left the partnership a few years ago and the company is now Thomson Perrett.

I assume you are in America, I would hazard a guess (but could be completely wrong) that Ron Freem would have been largely responsible for the masterplan, unless the plan contains numerous pot bunkers and references to ha-has.  Then it is likely that Wolveridge was responsible.  

[Brad Klein]

The one obvious "ha-ha" (not the technical kind, I assure you) at Oakbrook G&CC is the impenetrable wall of arbor vitae out there on the back nine. Hardly by design.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Dr Klein, you are indeed astute.  The aforementioned Arborvitae were apparently added by this plan.  The plan called for plantings for perspective behind the 11th green and a row of Arborvitae shielding the road abutting the 11th tee.  Someone in their abundant wisdom decided to plant the offending hedge behind the green instead.

This is a real HA HA we have been trying to undo for 10 years.  We now have the history to explain the existence of the frightful and inpenetrable hedge.  

Thanks David for the background and spelling correction!

[Neil_Crafter]

....here's another spelling correction - its Ron Fream with an a. Ron is still very active in design across the world with David Dale in his Golf Plan business.

According to Whitten, Peter Thomson and British architect Commander John Harris commenced working together in the early 1960's and Thomson became a partner in 1964. Fream joined the partnership after 1972 and in 1977 Mike Wolveridge became a partner after Harris' death, having joined Harris in the 1960's. Fream apparently left in 1980 to set up his own shop.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

And what a wall it is......(the Arbor Vitae)

I really do think this course has a lot of promise, if in the right hands.

[Philip Spogard]

I have previously worked for a short period of time at the Melbourne based Thomson Perrett office, before joining The London based Thomson Perrett & Lobb office as a golf course architect.

The Fream days was way before my time there (2005), but I will be happy to enquire/investigate about any questions you might have.

For those of you interested in the Melbourne Mornington Peninsula region (south of The Sandbelt), Ross Perrett and Kimbal Baker has recently written the book 'Golf Courses of the Mornington Peninsula.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Now that you have all taught me the proper spellings, I have been able to search out much more information.  

On the GOLFPLAN website Fream and various associates are listed as working at West Seattle, Seattle, Broadmoor and Sahallee during the same perid in the early eighties.  Looks like someone gotr in their Winnebago and used their summer vacation to have a travelling gypsy show of Master Planning and renovation.  Alas lowly Oakbrook is not listed as one of the projects.  

I should get my own look at the document later today.  This is one way to entertain yourself when the rain is pouring down and small rivers flow over the putting surfaces.  

Thanks again for the information.  

[Steve_Lovett]

If I'm not mistaken, I think Thompson, Wolveridge & Fream designed Kayak Point...

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