Legend has it that Tweedie and Macdonald played the first game of golf ever played in the Chicago area. Both are credited with having a major influence in establishing the game in the area. Tweedie designed 13 courses in Illinois between 1898 and 1906, notable among which are Midlothian Country Club and LaGrange Country Club, both of which have hosted national championships. He was also a consultant to architect Richard Leslie in the design of the Glen View Club, and participated with James Foulis, Robert Foulis and H.J. Whigham in a remodeling of Onwentsia Club.
Because of lost club records, little is known about Tweedie’s design of the original 9-hole course at Park Ridge Country Club. A diagram in the club’s centennial history book suggests a possible routing. Interestingly, his Park Ridge design may have been his last. He died suddenly in July, 1906, two weeks before his 42nd birthday. He is buried in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
Tweedie left behind, with no means of support, his wife Mary Ellen and eight children. A committee led by Western Golf Association President Phelps B. Hoyt sent out an appeal for funds for Tweedie’s estate. In a twist, it was Hoyt who defeated Tweedie in the 1902 U.S. Amateur Championship.
H.J. Tweedie’s important place in the history of Chicago golf is reflected well in his obituary. He was called “The Father of Golf in the West.” He was affectionately known as “Pop” because he was “sort of a father confessor for the professionals who all knew him and told him their troubles.”
Because of lost club records, little is known about Tweedie’s design of the original 9-hole course at Park Ridge Country Club. A diagram in the club’s centennial history book suggests a possible routing. Interestingly, his Park Ridge design may have been his last. He died suddenly in July, 1906, two weeks before his 42nd birthday. He is buried in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
Tweedie left behind, with no means of support, his wife Mary Ellen and eight children. A committee led by Western Golf Association President Phelps B. Hoyt sent out an appeal for funds for Tweedie’s estate. In a twist, it was Hoyt who defeated Tweedie in the 1902 U.S. Amateur Championship.
H.J. Tweedie’s important place in the history of Chicago golf is reflected well in his obituary. He was called “The Father of Golf in the West.” He was affectionately known as “Pop” because he was “sort of a father confessor for the professionals who all knew him and told him their troubles.”