The new department is aiming to unify these resources and services. “Family [will] have access to the information that they need, not only around what’s available in their neighborhood or in the area that they’re looking for, but also what financing is available for their child care,” she said. This will allow families to see whether they are eligible for federal, state or local funding.

How will this new department work to ensure equity in the kinds of families that it serves?

“Our focus is always going to be families who are in greatest need,” Mezquita said. “We want to make sure that the services and supports are meaningful.”

Mezquita said their goal is to reduce or eliminate racial disparities. “We’re in this unique position where not only are we going to be funding child care, but we’re also looking at children in a holistic way,” she said. She said this will include looking at comprehensive services and ensuring there are no gaps or missing links to support children and their families.

When are you expecting expanded services to be available to families?

“We were just approved as a new department, so we’re building that infrastructure,” said Mezquita. “We’ve already expanded eligibility for families who are making up to 110% of area median income, meaning that if you’re making roughly around $120,000 or below, you may be eligible for child care financing through our department.”

How will families benefit from the merging of two separate departments?

Mezquita said the information will soon be in a centralized place, and the department will be able to provide families information in multiple languages, “not only for their child care, but also for their child’s well-being,” she added. “San Francisco has an array of services and supports for families. And one of the most difficult thing has been being able to find them.”

When can San Francisco families access the information?

Mezquita said she’s hoping it will be accessible in the next few months. “We already have a portal, which is where families can find child care: Early Learning San Francisco. You can easily find child care in your area. You can see what you’re eligible for in case you’re eligible for any financial assistance .”

How do I access the California State Preschool Program?

If your family is seeking access to the California State Preschool Program, you’re automatically eligible for the early education program if you’re already enrolled in Medi-Cal, CalFresh, WIC or Head Start.

Once your child is enrolled, the new law guarantees two years of care and education. Previously, families were granted only 12 months of service and had to reapply for an extension.

Where can I find affordable, quality child care elsewhere in California?

A new state-funded website helps match families struggling to find affordable, quality care with providers. Mychildcareplan.org launched on October 11, and lists every licensed provider in California and their safety record, including their history of inspections and any citations they may have received; their vacancies; the type of care they provide; and the language(s) spoken at their center.

The new website consolidates information from each of the state’s 58 local child care resource and referral agencies, connecting families to child care, financial aid and other services. It also aims to better serve parents and caregivers who may work in one county but live in another.

“You can enter your ZIP code, you could enter the city, and then it does radial search depending on … your filters,” said Linda Asato of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. “You’re no longer just bound by the information at that one agency.”

The website is free and does not charge a subscription fee for parents or providers. It can be used in English, Spanish, traditional Chinese and Vietnamese.

The post San Francisco’s New Division of Early Childhood Needs to Make It Simpler for Households to Get Backed Little one Care appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

MILWAUKEE — Garrett Mitchell hit an RBI double and the Milwaukee Brewers withstood Freddy Peralta’s early exit to beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2 and complete a doubleheader sweep Thursday night.

In the opening game, Corbin Burnes struck out 14 and allowed three hits in eight shutout innings in a 2-1 victory.

Peralta left the second game due to fatigue in his right shoulder after walking Tommy La Stella to lead off the third inning. The Brewers led 3-0 at the time.

The Brewers are at home for 20 of their last 26 games, a stretch that started with this double header. They’re hoping that schedule helps them go on a late surge as they attempt to chase down the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres for the NL’s final wild-card spots.

“Having all these home games at the end is definitely going to help us with this playoff push, but it takes some good baseball for us to get in there,” Burnes said.

Burnes entered this doubleheader having allowed 17 earned runs in 21 innings over his last four starts. But he dominated the Giants and showcased the form that enabled him to win the NL Cy Young Award last season.

He struck out 10 or more batters for the ninth time this season to tie the Brewers’ single-season record set by Ben Sheets in 2004. Burnes (10-6) also holds the franchise record for double-digit strikeout games with 21.

The 14 strikeouts were one off Burnes’ career high. He had 15 in a 10-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 11, 2021.

“Nothing new,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “That’s Corbin Burnes. That was as good as we’ve seen him. His stuff was carrying through the zone. He was hitting the top of the zone. His cutter was working well. The ball was moving all over the place. It’s tough to name five better starters in baseball.”

Burnes needed to be at his best to outduel San Francisco’s Jakob Junis (4-5), who struck out four and allowed three hits, two runs and two walks in six innings. Junis entered in the second inning, relieving opener Scott Alexander.

The Giants opened the scoring in the third inning as LaMonte Ward hit a two-out single and came home on Mike Yastrzemski’s double. Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich and Hunter Renfroe hit consecutive RBI doubles in the fourth.

Milwaukee took the lead for good in the second game by scoring three runs in the first inning off Alex Young (0-1). Only one of the runs was earned.

Joc Pederson homered for the Giants in the second game.

Milwaukee’s Peter Strzelecki (2-1) pitched two innings of scoreless relief to get the win in the second game.

Devin Williams got his 11th save in 12 opportunities in the first game. Taylor Rogers finished the second game for his 31st save in 39 opportunities.

The two teams combined for just 16 hits in the double header. The Brewers had nine and the Giants had seven.

SIBLING RIVALRIES

This doubleheader had two sets of brothers facing off.

Taylor Rogers and Giants reliever Tyler Rogers are identical twins. San Francisco’s Scott Alexander is the older brother of Brewers right-hander Jason Alexander.

Jason Alexander is the Brewers’ scheduled starter Friday, so he was unlikely to pitch in Thursday’s doubleheader.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time two sets of brothers played against each other in the same game was Aug. 6, 1977, when St. Louis’ Hector Cruz and Bob Forsch and Houston’s Jose Cruz and Ken Forsch all played in a game the Cardinals won 3-1. Elias’ records only accounted for instances in which all four siblings saw action in the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers IF Luis Urías was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Sean Hjelle in the sixth inning of the second game. Urías remained in the game after a brief delay.

RHP Justin Topa was designated as the Brewers’ 29th man for the doubleheader. Topa hadn’t pitched in the majors since Sept. 3, 2021, as he recovered from a third elbow surgery. … The Brewers also reinstated INF Mike Brosseau (right oblique) from the injured list and optioned OF Esteury Ruiz to Triple-A Nashville.

UP NEXT

Giants: Stay on the road to begin a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs. Scheduled starters Friday are LHP Carlos Rodón (12-7, 2.92 ERA) for the Giants and LHP Drew Smyly (5-8, 3.84) for the Cubs.

Brewers: Stay home to start a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Jason Alexander (2-2, 5.03) starts for the Brewers on Friday with LHP Nick Lodolo (3-5, 3.95) pitching for the Reds.

The post Brewers full doubleheader sweep of Giants; Peralta exits early | Milwaukee Brewers appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The Fascinating Early History
of Coronado Golf & Its Champions

The California Limited, Santa Fe Route. 1900-1901. Hathi Trust Digital Library.

CORONADO GOLF AND ITS CHAMPIONS (1897 – 1905)

by David Alan Mackesey

“The growth of the game is something marvelous in this country. It is as firmly entrenched as the national game itself.  But it has not become fully acclimated, and players still look with awe on the people of merry England and canny Scotland who have the mysterious twist of the wrist that makes success.” – San Diego Union, November 21, 1897

America in 1897 was a country on the rebound. The devastating financial crisis, coined The Panic of 1893, was now a retreating memory. Betting on an economic recovery would seem a fair wager to local captains of industry.

More than a decade earlier, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway boldly laid tracks to San Diego, hoping to bring throngs of visitors and new residents. The progress was painfully slow.  For almost a decade, Hotel del Coronado waited impatiently for Americans to gain a travel lust and discover its wonders.  For E. P. Ripley and D. B. Robinson of the Santa Fe, and E. S. Babcock, Jr., of Hotel del Coronado, it seemed that day may have finally arrived, and they wasted no time getting ready.

Left: E.P. Ripley. c.1915. Library of Congress.
Right: E. S. Babcock. c. 1893. Coronado Historical Association Collection.

Coronado Island’s natural wonders were already beyond compare. Scenery, climate, ocean breezes, and botanical gardens, framed a natural paradise. A long list of activities was created to keep the visitors entertained and enticed, to stay at the hotel for just a few nights more….maybe a week, but then, why not another month? Sun and surf bathing, deep sea fishing, bowling, billiards, bicycling, equestrian sports, a museum, an ostrich farm, and even donkey rides for the little ones.

Those wealthy enough to be in America’s traveling class were fast taking up a game called golf. Private golf clubs with exclusive memberships were spreading like wildfire from New York to Chicago, Boston to Atlanta.  In the winter, these upper-crust members followed the sun to Florida and California, bringing with them a golf infatuation, creating a willingness to open their pocketbooks.

Hotel Del Coronado must have a golf course, but finding a golf expert to the west of the Mississippi River was no easy task. Unlike the past decade, this time, Lady Luck was on their side. Coronado resident Thomas Wilkerson Tetley, “T. W.” to all who knew him, was born in Cheshire, England, and had been raised with the game of golf, Oxford-educated, dabbled in journalism, public works, banking, and recently was made a US citizen. He was already employed by Babcock and had earned his trust.

T.W. Tetley. The San Francisco Examiner.

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May 1897

Tetley and Babcock were men of action, and the prospects of a golf course occupied their minds. The peak winter traveling season would be here before long, there was no time to dither.

A prime location was selected, just south of the line between the Ferry Landing and the hotel, on the mostly unused land occupying the southeast corner of Coronado. Tetley used his playing experience to lay out nine holes covering 2730 yards. It included natural bunkers, road hazards, twice over a fence, through eucalyptus and pepper trees, while beginning and ending at the soon-to-be constructed golf clubhouse.

Original golf course layout by T. W. Tetley. 1897. Accessed through the Hathi Trust Digital Library.Overlay showing the original course location in 1897 (red) over the 1886 lithograph published by the Coronado Beach Company. Coronado Historical Association Collection.

With the golf course planning complete, and construction ongoing, Babcock, a true self-promoter, immediately added to the August advertising placements that the Hotel Del Coronado, the BEST SUMMER RESORT, now included “New Golf Links”. Golf for the summer and fall seasons was now open to visitors, but the turf had had little time to recover from the course creation. No matter, the upcoming winter crowds were the true target, and as Babcock wrote to Tetley, “…the parties who are using the Golf Links seem to be very well satisfied with it as it is”.

By November the course was being readied for the new year and it became obvious, to have a high-quality golf course, you needed someone experienced to care for it. The solution again was T. W. Tetley.  His other duties were relieved, and he now had “charge of the golf links”. Touting his choice to the press, Babcock beamed, “Mr. Tetley played golf on his native heath, and knows the ancient rules of the game, which, like the constitution of England, are not written.”

Coronado Golf Links ad in the Los Angeles Herald. August 13, 1897.

At the start of December, Tetley and Babcock exchanged letters planning the formation a golf club. Every proper golf course had one, and Coronado would be no different. An informal club at first, artistic championship award gold pins were designed featuring the California Poppy. Beautifully fashioned, Babcock was impressed.

Improvements moved quickly. Plans for a proper clubhouse were left to the local, but highly skilled architect R. C. Reamer. His work pleased Babcock, and with quick approvals, for block 43 – lots 13 & 14 were promptly constructed. Babcock’s The 1898 golf season held promise as the best place in the West to enjoy the ancient game.

“It is 40’ square, surrounded by broad verandas, and is a pleasant place at which to spend the forenoon, or view the game in the afternoon.”

Sunset Magazine’s very first-ever edition, May 1898 described the clubhouse as: “…Bungalow style, one-story, with its dark green roof projecting over a wide veranda, extending around the building.”

By the end of 1898, Coronado golf was thriving.  The time was right to transition from an informal golf club to a formal one. Articles of Incorporation for the Coronado Golf Club were filed in the County Clerks Office December 20th, 1898. Babcock’s only son, 25-year-old Graham Babcock was elected President. The club was “established for a term of fifty years, no capital stock, no shares and no subscriptions to stock or shares by any person”. The members now had a formal club, while Hotel del Coronado strategically held the land assets under its control.

Unusual for the times, Mr. and Mrs. Tetley joined the club as charter members, despite T. W. also being employed as the club professional. Four directors joined President Babcock, local community men B. W. McKenzie, U. F. Newlin, J. C. Hizar and W. S. Goodlett.

Even before the building was completed, E. S. Babcock immediately wrote up the contract to lease the clubhouse and grounds to the golf club.  Maybe the simplest contract in the history of Hotel del Coronado. Signed by his very own son, Coronado Golf Club President Graham Babcock, a five-year lease duration, from January 1, 1899 until January 1, 1904.  Lease amount, $1.00 per annum.

The Old Clubhouse from the brochure “Concerning Hotel del Coronado and Coronado Beach”. 1900. Hotel del Coronado Archives.Left: Original Clubhouse location highlighted at block 43, lots 13 & 14. Detail of Coronado Lot Map. 1888. Coronado Historical Association Collection. Right: Original Clubhouse contract. 1899. Coronado Historical Association Collection.

—————————————

Walter Hamlin Dupee

Walter Hamlin Dupee at Coronado. Coronado Historical Association.

Throughout the 1898 Coronado golf season, Walter Hamlin Dupee, the only son of the ultra-wealthy and highly successful businessman, John Dupee, was developing a love of the game. Walter already had many expensive interests to keep him busy. Polo, hunting, deep sea fishing and ranching had topped the list, but the golf bug had bit him hard, and held him firmly under its spell.

When the Dupee family did anything, they did it in grand style. John Dupee and his business partner Gustavus Schwartz operated Chicago’s most powerful brokerage house.  In sport, they founded the Washington Park Club, Chicago’s largest membership club. They spent the summers with fellow millionaires in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and the winters, of course, on Coronado Island. In June, 1898, Washington Park Club’s very own Scottish golf professionals Fred Herd and Alex Smith finished first and second in the US Open. The US Open Trophy now in Washington Park’s possession, it was proudly displayed in the grand clubhouse for all to admire. The next month, Alex Smith joined Walter Dupee’s summer holiday at The Country Club of Oconomowoc, on beautiful Lac La Belle. He offered lessons to members, played exhibitions and improved the two-year-old golf course design.

To Walter, it was painfully clear that golf at Coronado was still in its infancy. As available and helpful as T. W. Tetley was laying out the course and caring for it, in championship golf terms, he was simply little more than a duffer. Walter planned a grand gift to Coronado for the 1899 season, as only he could, and soon, everything would meet lofty expectations.

———————————————

Thursday, January 26, 1899, late in the day

After the two week journey from Carnoustie, Scotland, road-weary Alex Smith checked in to Hotel Del Coronado, Room 589.

Walking through the front doors of Hotel Del Coronado for the first time is impressive to even the most seasoned of travelers. But for this 25-year-old, working-class club maker from the small seaside village of Carnoustie, Scotland, entering as a guest, Walter Dupee’s guest no less, was as far-fetched as taking a stroll on the moon. The Dupee’s had set in motion his whirlwind journey. Alex Smith first set foot in America just ten months earlier, March of 1898.

Then, everyone knew him as a skilled golf club maker and a top-notch player. His wife and young daughter had waved goodbye at the train station in Carnoustie, as he took a temporary eight-month assignment as club maker at the Washington Park Club in Chicago for the 1898 season. His round-trip sailing reserved a return voyage home in November.  Soon after arriving in the States he learned he would be a father again, and chances were good he would be home in time for the birth of his second child.

The most powerful of Chicago’s business leaders quickly took to him. Five feet eight and one half inches tall, pistons for forearms and wrists like tempered steel wire, this decade earlier blacksmith apprentice now found a much different calling. His skills were in great demand in what his countrymen call this land of Brother Jonathon. His style was direct, as he looked you straight in the eye. His words were clear and amplified by his profound Scottish brogue. By June of 1898, he set himself apart from his fellow Scottish golf professionals, leading in his first US Open through 54 holes, eventually finishing second.  Walter Dupee decided then, he wanted Alex by his side whether in Chicago or Oconomowoc for the summer, and now, Coronado for the winter.

In Scotland, Alex’s father was employed as a full-time green keeper earning a commonplace wage of £1/week. Shocking, even to his own father, Washington Park Club offered a Alex £2 per week retainer while absent in the winter months. In exchange, Alex need only to promise to return to Washington Park in April for the 1899 season. To sweeten the deal, Walter offered to sponsor Alex’s globetrotting travels, for the full winter season, as his guest at the grand Hotel Del Coronado.  It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and the start of championship golf on Coronado.

“Our Alex” Smith, US Open Champion 1906 & 1910. Courtesy of David Mackesey.

———————————————————

January 29, Alex Smith’s third day on Coronado 

Babcock was ready to crow about his golf course in advertisements for Hotel Del Coronado.

San Diego Union and Daily Bee

 “The finest golf grounds on the coast, and the only ones in the state having grass greens”

On the Beach and the Coronado Links

On a cool day, with a high temperature of 65 degrees, the largest crowds of the last year gathered on the beach for a concert by the band of the flagship Philadelphia. Golf Club members were hosting a casual handicapped tournament, but the highlight of the day was a golf match between local expert T. W. Tetley and the newly arrived Alex Smith. Tetley invited Smith to a match at his Coronado Links. Twice around the golf course, 18 holes of match play, each hole won scored as one point. The crowd sentimentally favored Tetley, but it was clear from the start, Alex Smith was no part-time golfer. The 1898 US Open runner-up announced his presence to the Coronado Links with a resounding victory, “He won the game by 6 holes up”.

Over the next month, as Walter Dupee’s guest and personal golf tutor, Alex openly shared his knowledge of course design, club making and teaching, all the while showing off his championship playing skills. A true professional, there was no one within a thousand miles able to provide a real challenge on the links.

Alex was away on a hunting trip in Mexico with Dupee and his friends, when T. W. Tetley made a not-so-surprising announcement, he was leaving Coronado. In February he applied for, and secured, the golf professional position at the San Rafael Golf Club, near San Francisco. He simply found it impossible to be considered a golf expert, when arguably the top golf expert in America was a face in the crowd. Tetley harbored no hard feelings, as he and his wife would return often, becoming yet another set of loyal vacationers on Coronado Island.

Before departing in March for the season, Alex Smith left strict instructions on improvements to the links to be completed in his absence. Babcock would see that the work would be completed. Indeed, Alex would be welcome to return the next winter season, but this time, he would need to bring his competition with him.

December 3, 1899 – Alex Smith’s Second Season at Coronado

Alex Smith arrived to the hotel late in the day, and checked into room 217. Soon he transferred to nearby Nadeau House, where Babcock’s key employees made their winter home. His second season at Coronado would be different, as a celebrity golf teacher, and now on the hotel professional staff. Once Babcock confirmed his star golfer had indeed arrived, advertisements were placed in the Los Angeles Times boasting his presence.  Babcock now had his champion golfer to match his championship golf course.

Los Angeles Times. December 13, 1899.

Christmas was fast approaching, and it was the first time in his life Alex would miss the holiday with family in Carnoustie. Being busy was the best distraction. He announced a Christmas Day member golf tournament and interest was pronounced “at white heat”.

Rains came as if on schedule December 17th, and “rendered the links absolutely irresistible, and in prime condition”. The Christmas Day golf tournament, nine holes for ladies at 10:00, and eighteen holes for gentlemen at 2:00.  Golf handicapping to be on an honor system, and Alex Smith would be in charge. “Those wishing to enter are to leave their names and three best scores with Mr. Smith by evening of the 24th. Suitable prizes will be given for the best scores.”

Christmas Day 1899 announced itself with a jolt to those in luxurious slumber at Hotel del Coronado.  At 4:25 AM, every single bed jumped off the floor from a 6.7 magnitude earthquake centered just 60 miles away, near the city of San Jacinto. No injuries or major damage was reported, but the golf tournament and several other planned activities could easily be moved to  the following  day. Those who wished to golf or practice, were encouraged to do so , while the Hotel made sure that the little ones who had a Christmas Day begin with a shaky start, would finish well.  At 7:30 that evening, 300 children entered the grand ballroom and circled the brilliant Christmas tree as the orchestra struck, joining in song. When Santa Claus was introduced, he “hastened to excuse himself for the commotion his coming had caused early in the morning”.

The next day, the Oconomowoc millionaires who flocked together for the winter at Coronado, joined Walter Dupee, Gustavus Schwartz, railroad magnate D. B. Robinson and son-in-law Gale Thompson to watch and play in Alex’s tournament.

Miss Eleanor McCalla was allowed a handicap of 18 strokes, and won a silver loving cup by scoring a 61. In the men’s tournament, Alex’s top student, Walter Dupee, earned the lowest total score at 98, with no handicap allowance. The hotel’s Head Clerk U. F.  Newlin scored 103, with a handicap of 8 strokes, net to 95 in order to take home the men’s silver cup.  As he hosted a clubhouse gathering in the forenoon, Alex’s first tournament at Coronado was hailed as a success.

January 11, 1900 – Travel Day

Many in the Christmas tournament crowd already had the upcoming professional match in January in Oakland, California, on their minds. Three of the top golfers in America, Alex Smith, Willie Anderson and Horace Rawlins committed to a full California winter season, and were situated at their clubs.  Even Coronado sentimental favorite T.W. Tetley confirmed he would join the Oakland tournament field. Coronado’s Oconomowoc contingent wouldn’t miss California’s first ever professional golf tournament. Dupee was interested in the tournament for many reasons, but primarily, as a platform to convince his friends to advocate having their own professional tournament at Coronado, just as he did last summer at Oconomowoc. The Thompson’s, Walter Dupee and Gustavus Schwartz joined as guests of D.B. Robinson, in his private Pullman car, traveling north to San Francisco and the nearby Oakland Golf Club.

January 13 – Day One

California’s first ever professional golf tournament began Saturday afternoon at Oakland Golf Club, Adams Point, downtown Oakland.  The Coronado crowd and other spectators kept their distance as the players completed the first two times around the 9 hole course.  Earlier rains adversely effected golf course conditions, with balls occasionally settling in standing water, making for some of the most entertaining shots. An evening telegram to Hotel del Coronado reported to all interested parties that Alex Smith trailed Horace Rawlins by two strokes on day one, with the remaining field falling in behind.

January 14 – Day Two

The players and spectators arrived early Sunday morning for the 10:30 start. The Coronado crowd watched as photographer Walter Haskell assembled the players, caddies and other children to pose for the camera. Alex Smith seated first, his close friend and fellow Scot Willie Anderson, close beside him. Englishmen Horace Rawlins and T. W. Tetley seated together to the left of center, Tetley’s arms draped around the 1895 US Open winner. Though Alex had yet to win a US Open, he had a natural way of being the center of attention, even for a photo at Rawlins’ own Oakland Golf Club.

Smith and Anderson started first, just after 10:30, and finished the 18 holes in a brisk pace, just after 1:00. Alex may have had top billing for the photo, but Rawlins won the two day event by six strokes. He took top prize money of $100 to Alex’s runner-up prize-$50.  The tournament was a success for the Oakland Golf Club, but Walter Dupee had bigger plans. D. B. Robinson’s Pullman car carried the gang back to Coronado the next day, and Dupee shared his Coronado plan in detail.

Seated (R to L) Alex Smith, Willie Anderson (with his arm around Smith), Horace Rawlins, T. W. Tetley (with his arm around Rawlins). The Club at Lac La Belle, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

January 22- The Announcement

“Alex Smith of the Coronado Golf Club has made an arrangement with the crack golf Professionals Horace Rawlins, Willie Anderson and James Melville, for an exhibition tournament to take place on the Coronado links Saturday, February 3, under the auspices of the local club.”

Putting on a top golf tournament requires a team effort. Babcock, Coronado Golf Club, Dupee and Smith possessed all the parts. Babcock’s golf course and hotel provided a perfect venue, while the Club proved a most able host. Dupee’s contributions of experience, leadership, enthusiasm and wealth were unmatched. Alex Smith brought the ability to play championship golf, and more importantly, knew what it took to convince other top golfers to make the time to join in the tournament. No real secret, first and foremost, treat the professionals with respect. Treating them well Coronado style meant allowing the opportunity to stay in the hotel, offering  a prize purse worth the effort of time and travel, and make it a fair fight. Walter Dupee had already earned Alex’s trust.  Babcock was Alex’s employer, and his interest was high.

Alex mailed a formal letter of invitation to Willie Anderson, Horace Rawlins and James Melville describing the details of the event. A professional golf tournament on the Coronado links February 3rd, 1900. Sleeping rooms provided by Hotel del Coronado, a handsome prize purse provided by the members and guests of the Coronado Golf Club, and the tournament run under the guiding hand of Alex Smith, club professional. The players confirmed their intention to travel to Coronado and play. Babcock publicly announced the event in Southern California newspapers on January 23rd.

Professional golf in California was on the rise. Hotel del Coronado took the lead for love of the game, and of course, the potential increase in business. Golf enthusiasts cheered, but the fledgling Southern California Golf Association scowled.

The self-anointed authority for amateur golf in the Southland was not consulted on the date, and voiced a public protest. They had recently announced their own association’s amateur golf tournament on the same February 3rd date, hosted by the Santa Catalina Club, Catalina Island. This protest meant little to nothing to a professional golfer like Alex Smith or businessman E. S. Babcock. But the gentlemen/members leading the sister golf clubs in Northern California, where Anderson, Rawlins and Melville were employed, preferred the date be changed to avoid conflict. Babcock reluctantly changed the date by a week, to February 10th. Not surprisingly, this did little to ease the growing tension between the high society golf clubs and the profit seeking hotels with golf courses. The professional golfers made a living in many ways, and taking time away from work to attend hotel golf tournaments naturally took  time away from their private club employers. So if a club desired a top shelf golfer as a professional, these tournaments are fast becoming a necessary evil, and the clubs gave their permission for their employees to take the week away and travel south to Coronado.

Los Angeles Times. February 4, 1900.

February 8 – Noon

Walking through the front door in many of America’s highbrow private country clubs could get a golf professional fired on the spot. In stark contrast, Alex Smith promised his fellow professionals the red carpet treatment, and the Coronado Country Club members delivered. Golf professionals Willie Anderson, Horace Rawlins and James Melville were welcomed through the front doors of the Hotel del Coronado. Checking into the combination guest room #250 for a three night stay, announced the arrival of championship golf tournaments to Coronado Island.

After a grand hosted luncheon in the main dining room, Alex Smith and Walter Dupee escorted the professionals, and the Coronado golf devotees, to the links. This was to be a friendly contest, and an introduction to the course layout for two days of practice.

February 10 – 10:00 am  

“…the Great day of days at the Coronado golf links for the long-awaited professional tournament…”  – San Diego Union

If Coronado was going to host a professional golf tournament, it was going to be in full pageantry and uniquely in Coronado style. Private carriages and faster-paced tally-ho’s filled with patrons, paraded to the links to follow the players for those desiring “to enjoy the day in that comfortable sort of way”. The walking throng of red-jacketed followers getting even closer to the action.  A short ferry ride away, the San Diego Golf Club members were invited to join in as spectators. In all, hundreds crowded the nine-hole golf course, and witnessed championship golf as never before seen on the island.

Traditional Coronado parade of private carriages and faster-paced tally-ho’s. Huntington Library.

Famous gentleman golf expert John Duncan Dunn arrived in time to officiate the contest and report on it for the Los Angeles Herald’s next-day edition. This despite big news of his own, his engagement to the daughter of Los Angeles High Society’s Henry Wilshire. It was the talk of the town.

By 10:30 in the morning, Duncan formally announced the golf experts and the stakes. One hundred dollars in gold to the winner, $75 to the runner-up, and $50 to 3rd and 4th place.

Golf in 1900 required its functional rituals. Alex Smith’s caddie used a thimble full of sand to slightly elevate the hand-made gutta-percha rubber golf ball slightly above ground level.  Using a self-made hickory shafted golf club, his powerful frame turned and launched the sphere over 200 yards down the first fairway. Anderson, Rawlins and Melville followed suit, and Coronado’s first championship was finally underway.

The gallery held in quiet anticipation before each of Alex Smith’s shots, erupting in applause when the sharp crack of club-hitting-ball filled the air. An obvious Coronado favorite, he was a source of pride for many, and affectionately referred to as “Our Alex”.  The first two times around the nine-hole layout, Alex led the field taking 91 strokes, to 95 each for Anderson and Rawlins. Things seemed to be going well for the local favorite.

In the afternoon, twenty-year-old Willie Anderson made a charge, and played several drives over 250 yards. Anderson not just closed the gap on Alex, but shooting a score of 85, took the lead. One hole remaining for Alex, his tee shot landed squarely on the roadbed. He had only two more shots to tie Anderson. Unfazed, he took his mashie and laid his approach almost dead to the hole amid great applause from the gallery. With hundreds surrounding the green, Alex’s next approach rimmed the cup, but stayed out. Anderson was crowned the first Coronado professional tournament champion, and the two close friends exchanged smiles and firm handshakes.  It wouldn’t be the last time by a long shot. Over the next decade, this ritual quickly became an annual event in the US Open for Anderson and Smith, with these two winning six times between them.

John Duncan Dunn reported in the LA Herald, “The players were unanimous in their praise of the orderly gallery. Messrs. Dupee, Schwartz, Thompson, et al made excellent stewards.”

8:30 pm that same evening

Coronado’s legendary hospitality wouldn’t be complete without a grand evening finale. A ball was given in honor of the players by the guests of Coronado Hotel.

“The marine band of the flagship Iowa is to play for this evening’s dance…but this dance is to differ from others.  In place of evening gowns and dress suits, the popular golf or outing skirts and suits are to be worn. It is safe to say that few seats will be vacant when the dancing begins at 8:30, while the floor, it is expected, will contain several hundred dancers.”

The players departed the next morning, but not without a plan. Perhaps “Our Alex” could arrange a rematch, and perhaps Walter Dupee, the Oconomowoc crowd and friends, would be favorable to offering another handsome purse. If there is a next time, “Our Alex” would certainly win!

With the exchange of telegrams, the next tournament was formally arranged, and the Anderson/Rawlins duo agreed to even more generous terms. The winner’s share increased to $125, second place, $75 and third, $60. Travel expenses to be paid by the Coronado golf enthusiasts. To give those in the gallery an added interest, the passionate supporters of Alex offered a $250 wager, and those supportive of Anderson took the other side of the bet.

March 5 – Hotel Del Coronado, Room 250

Late in the afternoon, Anderson and Rawlins arrived at Hotel Del Coronado after an overnight journey on The Owl Limited, Southern Pacific’s new luxury train service between San Francisco and Southern California. Alex Smith, suffering from a bout of influenza, canceled his lesson appointments the day before, but dutifully rose out of his sick bed to properly greet Anderson and Rawlins. He was the host after all, and his friends arrival warranted his best efforts.

March 7, and the rematch

Rawlins took the lead in the first 18 holes, but in the afternoon, Anderson was simply too much for Smith and Rawlins and took top money. He bettered his last performance by four strokes, proving to all his first win was no fluke.

• Anderson – 90 and 86 and $125 top prize
• Rawlins – 87 and 95 and the $75 second prize
• Smith – 93 and 93 and a $50 prize

“Alex Smith, the idol of Coronado golf devotees, was evidently not in form, much to the regret of numerous admirers. While he played a fair game, neither in driving or mashie work was he seen to advantage, while he was not well, he maintains that was no excuse for his poor playing, but says he hopes for another chance.”

March 21, 1900

Wait ‘till next year!

With the season winding down, Babcock had less than one week before Alex Smith journeyed back to Chicago for the summer season, and he made the most of it. By all measures, the Coronado golf season of 1900 was a success, and Babcock believed 1901 could be even better.

After three full seasons, the current nine-hole course was simply not going to do.  When it was first opened, you could count the number of golf courses in Southern California on one hand. Now, dozens of golf courses populated the Southland. Many were newer than Coronado, and some were even considered better. Babcock demanded his course be the best, and the time was now to make needed improvements.  He instructed Alex Smith to clear his calendar for the day.

NEW GOLF LINKS

San Diego Union and Daily Bee, Thursday, March 22 1900

“Prof. Alex Smith, golf instructor of the Coronado club, announces that he will be unable to give lessons today, having most urgent and important business on hand—the laying out of a new 18-hole golf links. Think of it, dream of it, golfers, great and small!! This season has proven that the present Coronado links are not equal to the number of players. The crowded condition during the past few months has settled it—the location and size of the links must be changed. The coming links, 18 holes, that are to be without equal for beauty of location and excellence of course, are to occupy the space of ground from K Street to Spanish bight, and from the ocean to the bay, with perhaps a little trespassing on the race track grounds. The present links have needed “fixing” for some time, and they are to be taken care of in the way Coronado folks do things generally.

A lovely turf covers the new site, and according to golf experts, terms it will be just ““the sportiest of links.”” Today Alex Smith is laying out the course, assisted by the following authorities on the Scotch game: Messrs. Schwartz, Mathewson, Newlin, Thompson, Anderson and McKenzie, and the labor is one of love.”

The Coronado clan now had a new title for “Our Alex”, it was “Professor”, and why not.  His scholarly knowledge of golf appeared limitless. He could play, teach, make golf clubs, make golf balls, expound on the rules of golf, care for the links, and now, a golf course architect. Professor Alex Smith was far more than an honorary title.

Saturday, March 24 1900

No surprise, Babcock was well impressed with Alex’s design. His written instruction to his civil engineer Andrew Ervast “As soon as you have any time to spare I want you to survey and locate on the map the new golf grounds west of the race track beginning near the corner of block 26.  I will go over and show you their location; they are all staked out.”

Now Babcock was urgent. His new golf course needed to be announced, and soon. After personally showing Ervast Alex Smith’s golf course layout, Babcock immediately sent a second written note lighting a fire under him: “A. Ervast, Dear Sir, I am exceedingly anxious to have the plat of the golf grounds for Monday morning and would like for you to work Sunday if necessary to give it to me.”

Alex Smith’s golf course design, drawn up and delivered by Andrew Ervast. March 26, 1900. New York Public Library.

Monday, March 25, 1900

Babcock would not be denied, and had to act fast as Alex was boarding an eastbound train in three days. Babcock handed Ervast’s golf course survey blueprint to Alex Smith for approval. Babcock also commandeered between 30 and 40 men to immediately start the work at Alex’s direction. The partnership of Babcock and Smith was flourishing, and with that, a new championship golf course on Coronado was born.

The golf course measured over 5300 yards and crossed the race course four times. Around the oval track were both 4’ and 8’ fences, and Alex used them as unique hazards, forcing the golfer to hit the ball in the air to get to the green on five of the holes. An auxiliary nine-hole course was incorporated into the design for beginners and those with less time, but still wanting a game. The course was designed to be the best in California, and Mother Nature would soon have her turn at making it so.

Part one of Babcock’s plan for the next season was now in motion, a new golf course. Part two, the return of Alex Smith for the winter of 1900/1901 was announced to the press before Alex boarding his train. Part three, was still in the early planning stages. Everyone was impressed at how golf was filling Pullman cars and hotel rooms for the winter seasons, including E. P. Ripley, golf enthusiast, and President of the Santa Fe Rail. He was currently visiting Coronado, and witnessing the grip golf held over the wealthy traveling class first hand. Ripley and Babcock agreed, golf is becoming big business, and big ideas were dancing in their heads. Still, the grand announcement for the 1901 winter season would have to wait.

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Babcock and Ripley’s Part Three for the upcoming winter season of 1901

November 1, 1900

“U.S. Champions who will play in California during the Winter of 1900-1901” David Bell and Willie Smith will ride the rails of the Santa Fe to California in January, and make Coronado their headquarters for a fully scheduled winter season.”

Original Clubhouse, from “Golf in California”. December 1900. From the Sante Fe Route Passenger Department.

GOLF IN CALIFORNIA

Published by the Passenger Department, Santa Fe Route, Chicago, Ill

“FORE”

“Once a golfer, always a golfer; for the true devotee is a slave to the game. Golf in California is no longer in its infancy. The trip to the California links can be made in three days from Chicago, or four days from Atlantic coast cities. The Santa Fe takes pleasure in announcing that the noted champions, David Bell and Willie Smith, of the Midlothian Club, Chicago, will give exhibition games in California. Both were born at Carnoustie, Scotland—also, by the way, the birth-place of Alexander Smith, of the Washington Park Club, Chicago, who will be at Coronado for the winter months. David Bell is the present United States open champion, and the longest driver in the world. Willie Smith has competed in twelve tournaments, winning eight prizes; also winning the United States open championship at Baltimore in 1899. These two men are at the head of golf in America, there can be no doubt. The difference in skill between the world’s champions, Vardon and Taylor, and the United States champions, Bell and Smith is so slight that no one can say what year the American players might attain the highest place.”

November 22, 1900

San Diego Union: Good News For Golfers.  Alex Smith to Arrive Tomorrow

No one wanted to see Alex more than E. S. Babcock. To the naked eye, the golf course turf and layout were impressive.  But the planned grass greens were not cooperating. Soft soil, with a thin covering of patchy grass, a grand experiment, but unworkable. Time for plan B, and the standard Southern California clay greens. Babcock immediately pressed forward to procure the material and labor.

A week later, Alex Smith was joined by Babcock and Newlin to inspect the newly arrived clay to be used in making the greens. “The clay is of a very fine quality and mixed with sand, by far the best material that can be used to the purpose. The work of building the greens on the new course is rapidly progressing and golfers are accordingly hopeful and happy.”

Beginning in January, the throngs of golfers kept the original nine holes as busy as in the past. Bell and Smith arrived to grand fanfare, and as Babcock’s celebrity guests, occupied prime veranda rooms 102 and 103. These desirable oversized first floor rooms presented views eastward over the island, and even a luxurious private bath. Normally reserved for society’s upper crust, the honored guests, golf professionals no less, were cared for well by Babcock.

Advertisement in USGA Bulletin. January 1901. Courtesy of David Mackesey.

January 10, 1901

San Diego Union and Daily Bee
DAYS OF FINE SPORT AT CORONADO
Eastern Golf Champions Make A Fine Showing.

“It was a splendid exhibition that was given by the trio of players. The steadiness of Will Smith was very remarkable considering that he has not played on clay greens since last winter in Florida. David Bell did some remarkable driving, but Alex Smith, the local professional, proved himself to the superior of both the champions in driving, one of his drives measuring 281 yards. David Bell made 41, the best score for 9 holes, which is almost perfect golf. Smith and Bell leave on today’s noon train for Los Angeles. They will return to Coronado in March when a fine tournament will be given…”

The golf celebrities’ return was only 8 weeks away, and left Babcock a short window of time for his promised new 18-hole course..  Alex needed help on all fronts, teaching, club making, and care for the course, to name a few. That help was well known to Alex, and close by. Younger brother George Smith was in San Francisco and had replaced T. W. Tetley last year at San Rafael.  Alex offered George the position at Coronado. It would mean leaving San Rafael, but telling his older brother “no” wasn’t in his vocabulary.

With Babcock’s help from all corners, the new course would be ready, and soon.

February 22, 1901, San Diego Union and Daily Bee
GOLF LINKS TO BE OPENED
18-Hole Course at Coronado
S. Babcock Will Provide Free Bus and Free Luncheon

“Mr. Babcock announces the running of a free bus to the links from the hotel, beginning at 10 o’clock this morning, with a luncheon (at his expense) at what was formerly known as the Taylor cottage, which has been fitted up for a temporary clubhouse. Certainly, golfers and the many others who go over the links today will have another day to remember.”

In typical Coronado style, the day was rousing success. Tally-ho’s ran every twenty minutes between the hotel and the links, unable to keep up with demand. The hundreds of golf enthusiasts who planned to attend were joined by hundreds more, who were curious about all the commotion, and joined in the festivities. The temporary clubhouse was decorated with Japanese bamboo and smilax, with the fragrant low acacia blossoms banked up the mantles and tables. Refreshments were bountiful, and included various kinds of sandwiches, salads and a claret punch to all visiting the clubhouse. Between six and seven hundred patrons in total enjoyed Babcock’s hospitality, while marveling at the new golf links. The links may have taken a bit longer than planned, but well worth the wait, and just as grand as hoped for.

March 21, 1901

HOTEL DEL CORONADO

David Bell and Willie Smith’s last leg of their journey began on March 21st, as they checked into rooms 560 and 561 of the Hotel Del Coronado. The promise of the best golf ever witnessed on Coronado was about to be fulfilled. The combination of completed 18-hole links and the appearance of the two top American finishers in the last two US Opens was captivating the imaginations of San Diego’s golf devotees.

It didn’t take much to imagine the rapid ascent of these four young men from the small Scottish village of Carnoustie. Half a decade ago, as teenagers, Willie Smith, Alex Smith, George Smith and David Bell were club mates competing for the local championship of Carnoustie Golf Club. They were grateful for all the attention, but couldn’t be blamed for wondering just how it was they became celebrities.

Saturday, March 23, 1901

March 24, 1901 PROFESSIONAL GOLF PLAY – INDULGED IN AT CORONADO

Alex Smith Seemed to Prove Himself The Champion of the Day

Alex Smith’s day to shine in front of his local admirers had finally arrived, and on his new links no less.  In 1897, he and David Bell battled in the final match for the Carnoustie Club Championship, today they played as partners against his brothers Willie and George.

“Alex did himself proud, and the enthusiastic cheering crowd that followed were please and to him proud also.”  They won the 18 hole match by 2 holes up.

At the conclusion of the foursome, the interested gallery demanded a match game between the brothers Alex and Will Smith. A shorter nine hole match, Alex and Willie played the best golf ever seen on the new links. Alex played five of the holes in three strokes, Willie earned a 2 on the 324-yard #6.  In the end Alex scored 35 to Willie’s 37. “When the game was won by Coronado’s professional golfer, his may admirers cheered to the echo”.

The last days on Coronado were filled with golf, fishing, cycling and even an exhibition across the bay on the San Diego Country Club links.

It was said that David Bell hit a golf ball with reckless abandon. On March 28th, he rode one of the bicycles that way, and from the fall, broke his ankle. That weekend, Willie and Alex Smith nursed David Bell onto the Los Angeles bound train, and soon, eastbound.  George Smith received and accepted an offer from Babcock to stay on as the interim golf professional. Interim, because next winter, “Our Alex” would certainly return for the 1902 season. A season that again promised to be the best ever, if Babcock had anything to do with it.

BABCOCK’S NEW TO-DO-LIST 

The success of the 1901 season was lost on no one. Babcock and Ripley took both a reputation and business risk on Bell and Smith, and it paid off handsomely. For Babcock, using the image of the champion golfers in his correspondence was just more good business.

Now with a true championship golf course established, the question of what to do with the original nine-hole course was upon him. The land was valuable for other purposes, and the clubhouse structure, like so many others on the island, could be picked up and moved.

The choice was easy for Babcock. Move the clubhouse, improve it, and utilize the land from the original golf course for its originally intended purpose. After all, when the original Coronado community layout was designed 20 years ago, golf wasn’t even an American thought, let alone a dream. His new course was a masterpiece, and anything else simply would not compare.

Left: Letter from E.S. Babcock promoting golf at Coronado. April 16, 1901. Hotel del Coronado Archives.
Right: U. S. Champions featured in “Golf in California” published by Passenger Department Santa Fe Rail. 1900-1901. California State Library.

California State Library.
March 25, 1901 San Diego Union and Daily Bee
HOTEL DEL CORONADO
OLD GOLF LINKS TO BE ABANDONED
Club Will Soon Move to the New Eighteen-Hole Course

“This will be the closing week in the history of the original 9-hole course.  It is with a mingling of sorrow and joy that the change comes to many of the players, for the course stretching beside Glorietta Bay has been the golfers’ daily stamping ground too only to be abandoned without a pang of regret.

But the new links! Certainly, they are full of promise of greatness and pleasure. For adventure of location they could not be better, and when the newness has worn away, those who know, predict that nothing finer in the golf line will exist on the Pacific coast.

The pretty clubhouse will be removed from the old to the new links, and be placed directly opposite the artistic and interesting tea garden. Another story and fine observatory are among improvements to be made in the clubhouse, which, when remodeled and enlarged, will be an object of pride, not alone to the golfing brother and sisterhood but to all Coronado-ans alike.”

All that was now left for Babcock was gathering together the usual suspects, the trusted tradesmen and architect. The original clubhouse architect R. C. Reamer was in the ready, and began his work. He didn’t have much time. Soon he will be off to far away Wyoming, to design a new structure in the middle of the wilderness, The Old Faithful Lodge.

Wasting no time, Babcock approved the plans, and on April 22, the clubhouse was relocated. Reamer’s design added a second story, broad verandas on three sides, above and below. The improved chimney was two and a half feet deep and constructed by the same mason as the original structure. From the upper rooms or piazzas, views are had of the ocean, bay, city, mountains, and the hotel with its towers and gables, forming part of the picture. From here, also, the players may be seen for the entire round of the nine-hole course.

By August the clubhouse was completed, and open to members and visitors as well. The newly planned structure adjacent to the clubhouse was simply referred to as the caddy house and painted red to correspond with the color of the club building. The pool of youngsters for the upcoming season was conspicuous by their absence, negotiated as a group for better wages. Caddy master Jack Anderton, and his caddies, eventually agreed to 15¢ per nine holes rate, with an additional fee for Sundays.

The New Two-Story Clubhouse. Coronado Historical Association Collection.

The course preparation for the winter season was underway, and 30 barrels of oil were used to recondition the greens, some as large as 120 feet in diameter.

October 30, 1901 Los Angeles Herald

BEST AMERICAN GOLFERS COMING TO THE COAST

“The best professional golfers in the United States will spend the coming winter season in Southern California. With this array of talent, local devotees of the game may count on seeing some fine exhibitions of golf this winter. They have not forgotten the brilliant matches afforded by the Smith brothers last season. Within a few weeks at most, the eastern links will be closed by Jack Frost and the professionals will start for the western links.  In the meantime, the rains have come and the local links are receiving a mantle of green and are becoming much improved for play.”

America’s best indeed. Months earlier, Alex Smith and Willie Anderson played the 1901 U.S. Open to a tie, with Anderson winning the playoff by one stroke. David Bell was the top American finisher in the 1900 U.S. Open, and Willie Smith was the 1899 US Open Champion.

Babcock immediately began planning for Coronado’s red carpet welcome. The professionals had trouble at the most recent U.S. Open when the host club informed the players they would only be able to take lunch in the kitchen, as the clubhouse was reserved for members and amateurs only. That would not be the case at Babcock’s Hotel Del Coronado, or his clubhouse.

December 10, 1901

HOTEL DEL CORONADO

Alex Smith arrived in the evening, and promptly made his way to his annual winter home, nearby Nadeau House. His friends and top students, Walter Dupee and Gustavus Schwartz arrived just days before, and the 1902 season would officially begin.

The newspaper headlined Dupee’s arrival, “Mr. and Mrs. Walter H. Dupee, a popular young couple of Chicago, arrived with the usual daily influx last evening. No one is better known at the hotel than Mr. Dupee, having spent many successive winters at the hotel, whereas a thorough sportsman of position and dignity, he is highly respected.”

A friendly match was arranged between Alex and Green Keeper/Caddy Master Jack Anderton. This allowed them to review course conditions, debate the ongoing caddie controversy, and plan for the biggest golf season yet.

With the upcoming bustling tournament season, avoiding trouble with the caddies was important. Alex, who as a youngster came from the caddy ranks himself on the links of far away Carnoustie, was naturally sympathetic. The wage question was important, and so was keeping an ample supply of talented young bag carriers. Once school was called back in session in January, local caddies would be harder to find. Everyone agreed, offering free ferry service from San Diego to Coronado for the pre-approved list of 25 young caddies made good sense.

Christmas Afternoon was the grand opening for the season, and the Coronado golfer’s traditional red coats predominated the landscape. The talk of member tournaments, and professional ones as well, filled the air.

The professional schedule for 1902 included all the best courses in the southland. Willie Anderson and Willie Smith signed golf club engagements in Pasadena, Arthur Rigby at Los Angeles Country Club, David Bell on Catalina Island, and of course, “Our Alex” in Coronado. Several of the clubs agreed to host professional tournaments, and Coronado’s hit the schedule on February 8th. Babcock’s hotel would be ready to roll out the red carpet, and so would his golf course.

The first professional tournament was held in Pasadena in early January, bringing the entire field together. From the start, the gallery could see something was different. Alex Smith’s already formidable golf talent now simply appeared unbeatable.  Over 36 holes, prevailed by 4 strokes, and the Coronado clan held firmly to the belief that this may finally be “Our Alex’s” year.

January 24, 1902 San Diego Union and Daily Bee

CORONADO CADDIES REPORTED ON A STRIKE

“The Coronado caddies did not want wages cut, and therefore refused to work unless ‘the union scale’ was adopted by the managers of the links. The management refused to have anything to do with the schedule, and the older boys walked away from the links declining to work longer.”

Upon Alex’s triumphant return, the local caddie question reached the boiling point. The local Coronado caddies now had competition, and “the city boys”, those taking the ferry from San Diego, were willing to work for less.

The faraway San Francisco Chronicle covered the story and reported “The Coronado boys demanded that the city lads adopt the 25-cent rate, which was refused.  The result is daily battles in which caddy sticks are vigorously used.  The city boys are waylaid on the road and are belabored on the golf links.  A number of the youngsters have been incapacitated from service and hostilities are yet in progress.”

Just when things seemed to be boiling over, Mother Nature came to the rescue, with several days of heavy rain that closed the golf course. The upcoming professional tournament just a week away and passions cooled. With demand on the golf course at an all-time high, the Coronado caddies who held out for 25¢ per round had plenty of work, as did the “City boys” at 15¢. The members and visitors held their caddies in high regard, and the marketplace set the price.

The same week, Alex Smith, and all of San Diego, beamed with pride as local girl, Miss Ada N. Smith, won the title, Champion Woman Golfer of Southern California. One of Alex’s top students, “She plays from scratch at her club and is counted the best player around San Diego”.

His days already filled from dawn ‘till dusk, Alex’s schedule now added the biggest event in Coronado golf history.

Left: Southern California Open 1901. Los Angeles Country Club Archive.
Right: Golf professionals in “Golf in California”. 1902. New York Public Library.The Golf Course, with Hotel del Coronado in the background. c. 1902. Hotel Del Coronado Archive.

Thursday, February 6, 1902

CORONADO

Professional golfers in Southern California for the winter season traveled from Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Catalina Island to Hotel Del Coronado. Babcock’s staff arranged the accommodations. Alex’s brother, Willie Smith, winner of the 1899 U.S. Open, checked into room 86, a fourth-story corner room with a view looking north and east. David Bell, 1900 U.S. Open Resident Champion occupied room 84. Fellow Carnoustie Golf Club member Art Rigby between them in room 85. Willie Anderson, reigning U.S. Open champion after winning in a playoff battle with Alex Smith, occupied room 412, a second-story corner room looking south and east. Nothing but the best for E. S. Babcock’s guests, the best golfers in America.

All gathered on the links Friday for practice and an exhibition before a large gallery of hotel guests and local golf members. The next day, the Championship.

Leading Golf Professionals of California who battled at Coronado. Artist rendering.

Saturday, February 8, 1902

A light cloud cover and 60-degree temperatures greeted the golfers. The San Diego Union and Daily Bee clearly took a side, “Previous to the 10:00 start, many side bets were made by the sporting element in favor of “Our Alex” as Alex Smith is referred to by his many friends at Coronado, where he is considered a peer, both as a player and instructor.  Notwithstanding the almost perfect game that Willie Smith puts up, Alex was by all odds the favorite. This was made manifest by the large crowd with followed the latter, although many followed Willie around the 18-holes.”

Over the first round of 18 holes, “Our Alex”, played the most perfect golf ever seen on the Coronado links, scoring 71, breaking by one stroke his own course record of 72.  His brother Willie Smith kept pace, one stroke back.

“In the afternoon, high winds interfered somewhat with the play and Alex Smith bade fair to disappoint his supporters, however, from the ninth hole he swung again into his easy, perfect form, and was a delight to the galleries.”

Alex Smith finally prevailed in front of his most ardent supporters, winning over Willie by two strokes.  David Bell earning third money, and Willie Anderson off his game, and seeming out of sorts.

“A large crowd composed of hotel guests and San Diegans witnessed the match, and the unanimous opinion of the best golfers is that the tournament was the best and most brilliant one ever held on any links west of the Rockies.”

Weeks later, Alex Smith, Dupee, and the Coronado continent rode the rails four hours north to Los Angeles. The professionals gathered for a sizable prize purse, this time at Los Angeles Country Club, for the Southern California Open. Alex again led from the start, finishing eight strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, younger brother Willie Smith.  Gold medal in hand, “Our Alex” returned to Coronado triumphant, with a clean sweep of the winter professional season.

Beginning in early April, Alex and his fellow professionals answered the call from their Eastern clubs, where there are lessons to give, greens to dress up, and golf clubs to make. Babcock would not let him leave before making his commitment to the 1903 winter season, to bellowing cheers from the Coronado crowd.

Dec 1, 1902, Walter Dupee arrives, rooms 169 & 170

HOTEL DEL CORONADO

Walter Hamlin Dupee of Coronado (left) with an unidentified person. c.1902. Coronado Historical Association Collection.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Dupee arrived early for the start of the 1903 season, taking their customary corner suite on the first floor, overlooking the ocean to the south. Alex Smith wasn’t far behind. His first assistant this year, was another fellow Carnoustie Golf Club member and childhood friend, Dick Clarkson. “Coronado has attracted a large number of golfers for several years, and the demands have been so great that a course of eighteen holes had been opened. Alexander Smith, who twice finished second in the open national championship has been the professional there for several seasons.”1903/2/18, Los Angeles Herald

Alex Smith had not yet won a U. S. Open championship, but he did win the hearts of the Coronado faithful. His five-season partnership with Babcock served them both well. They attracted well-heeled golf enthusiasts to stay at Babcock’s hotel for weeks on end. The professional tournaments attracted large galleries, and the course Alex designed, delighted all levels of golfers, from beginners to the best in the West.

The 1903 season brought change to all corners of the American golf scene. Alex and Willie Smith came to California as usual. Willie Anderson spent the winter at home in Scotland, and David Bell took an assignment in New Orleans. Babcock would make the most of what he had.

The highlight of the Coronado season was the February golf match between Alex and Willie Smith.  Willie checked in the night before as usual, room 580 this season. Little did he know, he was checking in for the last time. As for Babcock, while he may have had hidden retirement thoughts on his mind, the 1903 season promised to be his best.

Friday’s practice round followed the standard routine. For maximum viewing, and minimum of logistics, Alex’s shorter auxiliary course design was played.

The gallery following the brothers was treated to a Friday exhibition of golf skill that both tempted and tortured the avid golfer’s mind. For the first time around this nine-hole layout, Willie Smith set the all-time short course record of 31 strokes. Nearly perfect golf, and a three-stroke lead. For the second nine, each golfer used but two strokes to complete the 180-yard first hole. Not to be outdone by his younger brother, Alex then continued around the remaining 8 holes in 28 strokes, for a new course record total of 30. Not bad for practice, and Saturday promised even better.

A tournament purse fully subscribed by the members of Coronado Golf Club, the Saturday 36-hole match began with the first 18 holes at 10:00 and the second 18 at 2:00. A large gallery followed as the two battled over eight hours.

SAN DIEGO UNION, FEB 22, 1903

“As was expected, the match game between the brothers Willie and Aleck Smith, played yesterday over the Hotel del Coronado links, furnished some rare sport.  A large crowd followed the contestants around the course, to get a line on their play, and to catch a few pointers on the game in general.  Naturally, the preponderance of sympathy lay with the local expert, and he justified the hopes of his host of friends by making a very handsome win.”

Smiles and applause around, Coronado’s “Our Alex” prevailed by two strokes over his brother Willie.

Two short weeks later, Willie repaid the favor, by beating Alex for the Southern California Open Championship, winning by four strokes over his brother, and many more over the remainder of the field. Alex’s telegram to Hotel del Coronado announced the tournament result to his loyal fans, but another telegram brought sad news. David Bell, the Coronado favorite in both 1901 and 1902, had a devastating fall and was on death’s door.

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THE AFTERMATH

28-year-old David Bell, still sporting a noticeable limp from his 1902 Coronado bike accident, stumbled and fell from the outdoor stairway of his New Orleans hotel, and lost his life. The March 19, 1903 edition of San Diego Union reported on his time at Coronado “While there, he made name friends, and was admired for abilities as a golfer by all”. The Bell family brought his body back and reunited him at the family grave site in Carnoustie.

After five seasons together, Babcock and Alex Smith partnered to bring championship golf to Coronado. As with all good things, this chapter was coming to an end. Alex departed in April without a contract for next season.

By the summer of 1903, Babcock had reached his exhaustion point. After a decade and a half, it was time to move on. In late August the papers reported that concerns for his health were the primary reason.

After a year hiatus, Alex came back to Coronado for the 1905 season and brought the Southern California Open event from Los Angeles Country Club to Coronado. In typical Alex Smith style, he won the event in front of his many admirers. It was indeed his final season at Coronado, but his many friends continued to follow and cheer his efforts. In 1906 he finally broke through and won the US Open for the first time. His brother Willie finished second, and his brother-in-law James Maiden finished third. In 1910 he won his second US Open and joined his dear friend Willie Anderson as the only two multiple-time winners of America’s top championship.

Gold Medal won by Alex Smith in the Southern California Open at Coronado Country Club. March 7, 1905. Carnoustie Golf Club.

Willie Anderson eventually won a total of four US Opens. He lost his life in 1910, at the young age of 31, with Epilepsy, combined with alcoholism, as the cause.

Willie Smith tied for the US Open championship in 1908, losing by a stroke to Fred McLeod in a playoff. In 1910, he set the course record for The Old Course at St. Andrews, in the second round of that year’s Open Championship. He held that course record until the day he died. His life ended in Mexico City, during the crossfire of the Mexican Revolution in 1916.

Fellow Carnoustie Golf Club member and childhood friend, Robert S. Simpson, took the reins at Coronado after the Great War. This two-time Western Open Champion carried on the tradition of excellence in golf at Coronado, hosting the grand 1929 Coronado Open.

In 1941, Alex Smith joined Willie Anderson in the inaugural class of the PGA Hall of Fame.

Walter Dupee continued as a sportsman and landowner. He owned Edgemoor in Santee, Crown Manor on Coronado, and a Wisconsin home, Edgemoor Estate, in Oconomowoc.

The original Alex Smith golf design was partially rerouted before the Great War, to accommodate relocating the clubhouse, and to expand the course to over 5800 yards. Just after the war, it was lengthened again, to over 6200 yards. In 1944, the course was again rerouted, and shortened to nine holes, to make way for military expansion. In the early 1950s, the course and golf club ceased operation, only to be reborn in 1957, with the opening of the new Coronado Golf Course.

As they look down from above, I’d like to think even the hard-nosed E. S. Babcock and “Our” Alex Smith would be impressed, as the 125-year tradition of golf on Coronado continues.

“Our Alex” Smith Posing for the Camera at Coronado. 1903. San Diego History Center.

About the Author: 

David Mackesey is the author of the book FROM COUNTRY ESTATE TO COUNTRY CLUB, THE HISTORY OF DIABLO COUNTRY CLUB, is the Club Historian for Carnoustie (Scotland) Golf Club, Historian for Diablo (California) Country Club, and Co-Chair, The Smith Society.

The Coronado Historical Association invites you to the next lecture in the Wine & Lecture series: Coronado Golf & Its Champions (1897-1905). Speaker David Mackesey will share the story of Coronado’s earliest two golf links and the Coronado connection to Carnoustie’s Alex Smith, who went on to win the U.S. Open in 1906 and 1910.

Reception at 5:30 pm, followed by the 6:00 pm lecture. Doors open at 5:20 pm.

Tickets are available now by clicking the register link above!
Member ($15.00 each)
Non-Member ($18.00 each)

Important Registration Information: Attendance is restricted to fully vaccinated persons with a booster shot. Capacity is limited and reservations are required. No walk-ins will be admitted. If you have any questions please email [email protected] or call (619) 435-7242. This lecture’s Wine Sponsor is Fallbrook Winery.  Click here to learn more about the Fallbrook Winery and its wines.

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Voters Face Big Choices in November

San Francisco voters have a lot on their plate in November. Two contested supervisor races, three School Board seats and competing slates for Community College Board are joined by many high profile ballot measures. And if that’s not enough, November could also have a DA’s race between Brooke Jenkins and Chesa Boudin.

Here’s our early forecast.

D4 and D6 Supervisors

D4

Earlier this year I noted that despite belief in Gordon Mar’s D4 vulnerability that no strong challengers had emerged. Two now have, Leanna Louie and Joel Engardio.

If this remains the field of major candidates Mar faces a very tough race. Every debate will have two candidates challenging him while avoiding criticizing each other.

Louie is a relative newcomer to San Francisco politics but is said to be a tireless campaigner. Engardio ran a strong race in D7 in 2020 only to have his home redistricted to D4. He is a very strategic activist. He will do his best to ensure that his supporters and Louie’s make each other their second choice vote. A well coordinated ranked choice vote could overtake Mar’s likely lead in first place votes.

A Louie or Engardio victory would replace a solid progressive with the Board’s most moderate member.

D6

I earlier saw the Matt Dorsey-Honey Mahogany race as a tossup. Nothing has changed. The politics of the substantially changed D6 electorate remain unclear. There’s new district lines and so many incoming residents since 2018 that it’s a heavily changed electorate.

Mahogany backs policies similar to those promoted by Matt Haney. Dorsey has been aligned with Mayor Breed’s positions. Which do D6 voters prefer? We’ll know more as the campaigns unfold.

Local Ballot Measures

Returning Cars to JFK Drive

It’s been years since San Francisco has had so many high-profile ballot measures. Pre-vaccination COVID prevented signature gathering for initiatives but those days are gone.

Some measures are already easy to predict. This list starts with the measure to reopen JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to cars—it will lose big.

It will lose big because Walk SF, the SF Bike Coalition, and thousands of activists have fought too long and too hard to allow a ballot measure to open JFK Drive to cars. No local campaign will have more volunteers than the “No” campaign against reopening JFK to cars.

Ending off-year elections

Another easy prediction is passage of the charter amendment to shift all local elections to even-numbered years. While opponents claim it connects labor contracts to mayoral elections and eliminates an election cycle for bonds, voters in many cities have backed this move. I urge this shift in Generation Priced Out because odd year elections inflate the voting clout of older white anti-housing homeowners while reducing the tenant vote.

This charter amendment must still be approved by six supervisors but it seems Mayor Breed is the only public opponent. If successful, the shift adds a year to her term.

Homeless Commission

I can also predict passage of the charter amendment creating a commission to oversee the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). Sponsored by Supervisor Ahsha Safai, the measure is long overdue.

HSH was created without a commission despite its programs being previously under the Human Services Commission or the Health Commission. The lack of a commission has restricted public input into city homeless policies. It has also empowered unaccountable city staffers over those with far more knowledge and experience in the field.

Thanks to Safai’s leadership, voters will install a commission over homeless programs.

Vacancy Tax

Initiated by Dean Preston and the city’s DSA chapter, the vacancy tax should easily win. While some criticize its exclusion of vacant single family homes, potential supporters will not vote against it because of this omission.

While the vacancy tax marginally increases affordable housing funding, it’s been overhyped as a meaningful strategy for addressing San Francisco’s affordability crisis. It’s politically easier to pass a homeowner-protected vacancy tax than to try legalizing new apartment buildings in their neighborhoods.

Housing Wars

A coalition of pro-housing groups got tired of waiting for the city to expedite its housing approval process and qualified the Affordable Homes Now (AHN) measure for the November ballot. Mayor Breed and state housing champion Scott Wiener have endorsed it. The measure reduces San Francisco’s slowest in the state approval times from four years to six to twelve months. This is critical for improving the city’s affordability.

Projects using the AHN must add 15% more affordable units than otherwise required. But Supervisor Connie Chan and four additional supervisors are not satisfied with this increase; they are backing a rival charter amendment requiring 8% more affordable units than the AHN. AHN backers argue the rival plan—which still needs one more supervisor to qualify for the ballot—makes projects financially infeasible.

Will either win?

If sound housing policy were the test the AHN wins in a landslide. But in the real world of an overflowing November 2022 ballot its passage depends on how much money and endorsements the AHN draws in support and opposition. If the San Francisco Democratic Party opposes it—which is quite possible—passage will require an extremely well funded and effectively messaged campaign.

Chan’s proposal faces an uphill fight even with the local Democratic Party endorsement. Backers of AHN will oppose it and will be joined by NIMBY’s opposed to both measures.

Generation Priced Out argued that San Francisco’s glacial housing approval process promotes unaffordability. I hope the AHN wins. But nobody ever got rich betting on San Francisco voters backing new housing. The AHN measure is currently a tossup.

School board (3 seats)

The three School Board members Mayor Breed appointed to the Board following the recall are all running for full terms. The SF Guardians group that led the recall campaign strongly back all three. I see all three winning.

Community College Board (4 seats)

A rare San Francisco occurrence could happen in November: incumbent Community College Board members could be defeated. For decades those with name recognition and the SF Democratic Party endorsement coasted to re-election despite some paying little attention to their job. But the politics of CCSF have changed since the Board’s funding failures caused teachers and staff layoffs.

Susan Solomon, former president of the United Educators of San Francisco, Anabel Ibáñez, also formerly a UESF official, and Anita Martinez, once head of the college faculty union, are challenging CCSF incumbents. Also on the ballot is a parcel tax to bring CCSF to an estimated $45 million annually. The grassroots campaign for the parcel tax will boost the three candidates challenging incumbents’ mishandling of finances.

Incumbents John Rizzo, Thea Selby, and Brigitte Davila are also running as a slate. They are in deep political trouble.

Upzoning and Rent Control

I wrote about this proposed charter amendment on July 5 (“Upzoning and Rent Control: The Perfect Match”). The necessary six votes are still being secured.

Supervisors should not delay giving voters a chance to approve this charter amendment. Delaying adding tenant protections to upzoning plans will cause neighborhood by neighborhood fights over the issue and/or deny thousands of future residents basic tenant protections. Better to allow voters in November to decide the question.

A Jenkins-Boudin Race?

I think Chesa Boudin will run against newly appointed District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. This November is his best if not only chance to return as District Attorney. Assuming the charter amendment moving city races from 2023 to 2024 wins (see above), Boudin’s next chance to run would be November 2024. By that time Jenkins and her team will have earned enough public support to make a Boudin challenge unwinnable.

Adding to the likelihood of his running is that Boudin has a campaign team in place from opposing the recall. He’s got a team of people who have been fired by Jenkins; they don’t want to wait until 2024 for a chance to return to their jobs.

Further, San Francisco’s print media has continued its blatantly biased reportage on Jenkins. The publications that strongly opposed the recall want Boudin restored. They will help build a sense of “momentum” for him to run.

I’ve been incredibly impressed with Jenkins’ first week on the job. She has appointed a woman of color leadership team that contrasts with the former DA, a white male from Yale. I see public officials expressing alarm about the termination of many attorneys (which also occurred when Boudin took office). But many of these officials have never expressed concern about the Tenderloin families impacted by drug dealers. Dealers Boudin refused to prosecute.

I see Jenkins as very well positioned to win in November. But that could depend on the San Francisco Police Department more effectively doing its job. A DA who promises to close open drug markets won’t have success if the SFPD isn’t providing a visible presence to deter dealers.

When I toured the tenderloin with Jenkins last week no police officers were in sight. Few were visible even after the massive media coverage of the DA’s decision to spend her second day in office meeting with Tenderloin families (I did see photos of a closed drug market at 7th and Mission, so some progress outside the Tenderloin has already been made) .

As I wrote last week (“DA Brooke Jenkins Offers Hope to the Tenderloin”), reporters are readying stories on Jenkins’ failure to stop open drug dealing. The SFPD said the DA was the reason they weren’t moving to stop open drug markets in the tenderloin; now the police have to deliver.

Meanwhile, these San Francisco races will occur in a larger national political landscape. Many San Francisco activists will forego local contests to volunteer instead in the Central Valley and other parts of the state. Their goal will be helping Democrats keep control of the House. Swing California seats could play a critical role in deciding this.

So activists need to prepare for an all out fall blitz. We have a wild next few months ahead.

Randy Shaw

Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw’s latest book is Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. He is the author of four prior books on activism, including The Activist’s Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century. He is also the author of The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco

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Megan Potente and Laurance Lem Lee

Special to The Examiner

The initial findings of a much anticipated San Francisco Unified School District curriculum audit were released Tuesday, adding to pressure from parents and educators to change how kids are taught to read. The audit findings point to major deficiencies in the district’s K-5 English language arts curriculum as it is written and observed inside classrooms. Those who have been pushing for change are not surprised by the findings, and are now hopeful that the district will finally acknowledge the deep problems and commit to change.

At public comment during the Monday meeting, parent Havah Kelley said, “Nothing about what I heard today surprises me. … I’ve been trying to help my son for about five years.”

Literacy is the foundation of an equitable education and far too many SFUSD students leave elementary school without achieving their basic right to read. The most recent SFUSD performance data indicate 55% of students do not meet standards in English Language Arts and there are huge gaps in performance between subgroups. Only 20% of Black students, 15% of English learners and 16% of students with disabilities met standards in English Language Arts.

When asked if he was concerned about the state of literacy, SFUSD grandparent Rex Ridgeway responded, “Concerned is an understatement. A better word is ‘distressed.’ Just look at the Reading Test Scores at Bret Harte: 8%, Charles Drew: 19%, El Dorado ES: 11%, Carver ES: 16% and MalcolmX: 23%. It is so obvious that the district has failed those schools and their students.”

The California Reading Report Card ranks districts by 3rd grade reading performance of socioeconomically disadvantaged Latinx students, an “apples to apples” comparison that gives a good picture of how well districts teach reading. SFUSD falls in the bottom 10% of the 287 ranked districts. There are districts with lower funding and higher levels of poverty that have better reading outcomes than SFUSD.

The truth is we know how to teach kids to read, but SFUSD ignores the science and has done so for many years. A vast body of research from many related disciplines, conducted in the US and around the world over five decades, has resulted in an emerging consensus about how learning to read happens and what is going on in the brains of those who struggle. This body of research is commonly referred to as the science of reading and documents what has worked for the largest number of children.

Asked about updates to early reading instruction curricula, Nicole Priestly, SFUSD’s chief academic officer, indicated at that Monday meeting that nothing will change soon, since “some of the curriculums have high marks in some of the areas but not in others. And so that will beg the question of how we might want to make that come together in some form of action. But that’s a question that remains to be seen and we won’t be able to answer that until we actually engage with the materials and perhaps go through the pilot.”

Districts serious about improving literacy implement systems and teaching practices grounded in the research. Recent California success stories, including Lodi Unified and Nystrom Elementary, show how following the evidence scientific improves reading outcomes. In a recent EdSource roundtable on early literacy, Attorney Mark Rosenbaum made the point, “We don’t need a task force. We don’t need more studies. We just need a commitment.”

Indeed, what we need from SFUSD is a commitment to the changes recommended in the curriculum audit. The district maintains a firm grip on a controversial approach widely recognized for failing to meet the needs of many children. SFUSD names its approach the “Comprehensive Approach to Literacy”, which is more commonly referred to in other districts as balanced literacy.

This approach is based on a discredited “whole language” theory debunked decades ago. Balanced literacy teaches kids to guess words using an assortment of cues, like pictures and context, instead of sounding words out. It treats foundational skills haphazardly, without the practice many kids must have in order to learn. Balanced literacy also fails to build the vocabulary and background knowledge necessary for reading comprehension and access to grade-level content.

The most popular balanced literacy curricula used in K-2 SFUSD classrooms, Lucy Calkins Units of Study and Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, are also the most poorly rated on the market. In addition, one expensive intervention program, Reading Recovery, intended to close reading gaps for the lowest performing first grade students, which recently found to actually have a negative impact on reading performance over the long term. This comes as no surprise to those who understand the science of reading and the design of Reading Recovery. Yet instead of moving away from the program, SFUSD is actively hiring new Reading Recovery teachers for the 2022-23 school year.

When we talk to concerned parents about this issue, they usually are dumbfounded. Why doesn’t the district change its ways? Why are they using methods and materials known to fail so many kids? Many parents ask us how they can teach their children to read, because they are not getting what they need at school. And business is booming for private tutoring, which can cost between $100 and $200 per hour session, with three to five sessions per week recommended. Literacy should not be a luxury afforded to those with financial resources or parents who can take on the job of teaching their kids to read.

Many SFUSD teachers, who have faced no shortage of challenges in recent years, are fed up with the district’s early literacy plan. Douglas Rich, a long-time SFUSD literacy specialist, believes the district is dangerously change averse.

“The SFUSD administration is too focused on an outdated and harmful philosophy of teaching and learning,” he said. “They like to talk a lot about their philosophy, but none of that has translated into useful guidance for teachers. I read somewhere that you don’t have to operate out of great malice to do great harm. The absence of understanding is sufficient.”

Megan Potente, M.Ed. is a 20-year elementary school teacher, who worked for many years in SFUSD, is a parent of an SFUSD graduate and serves as co-state director of Decoding Dyslexia CA. Laurance Lem Lee is a second-generation Chinese American, SFUSD graduate, general contractor and good government advocate. You can follow him on Twitter @eyessfboe

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April 24, 2022 – SAN FRANCISCO – Say the words “Alzheimer’s disease” and the next word that most readily comes to mind is likely “memory.” Indeed, one of the most devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease is the toll that it takes on a person’s memory. Long before declines in memory capabilities, however, brain changes happen as early as midlife, in some cases decades earlier than a diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimer’s. The work of cognitive neuroscientists to identify these midlife changes points on the way to new diagnostics and interventions, as presented today at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) in San Francisco.

“The pathological process in Alzheimer’s begins decades before the onset of dementia,” says William Kremen of the University of California, San Diego. “The earlier we can identify people at risk, the better chance we will have of intervening to slow the disease process.”

Kremen’s work showing how a decline in executive function in midlife is predictive of Alzheimer’s disease later in life is just one finding that is being presented at the CNS meeting today in a symposium on cognitive and brain aging. Anja Soldan and Corinne Pettigrew, both of Johns Hopkins University, organized the symposium to showcase research to better understand how to differentiate “normal” cognitive aging from disease-related cognitive aging.

“We now know that many age-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease, have a so-called preclinical phase that precedes the emergence of clinical symptoms by many years,” Soldan says. “This makes it really difficult to say whether age-related cognitive changes reflect ‘normal’ age-related changes, or early disease-related changes. Understanding cognitive aging really requires a lifecourse approach, but that’s very difficult to accomplish.”

New digital health technologies and biomarker work, coupled with large-scale longitudinal studies, however, are shedding more light on the brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases earlier in life.

An Eye Towards Executive Function

Kremen first became interested in understanding the aging brain when conducting studies of cognition in twins. “One afternoon, a couple of colleagues and I were brainstorming about next steps in our research,” he recalls. “We realized that if we studied this twin sample over time, we could have a really interesting and valuable study of cognitive and brain aging. I am now very interested in the tremendous growth of genetics research so that we can better understand what genetic and environmental factors influence normal and pathological cognitive and brain aging.”

In his latest work with Rongxiang Tang and Daniel Gustavson, Kremen sought to link cognition, brain, and genetics. Looking at genetic data from 1168 individuals and MRI data from 267 individuals ranging in age from 51 to 73 across 12 years, they found that executive function is an important area of ​​study in understanding age-related brain change in those with Alzheimer’s

“In Alzheimer’s disease, the focus is predominantly on memory, but we wanted to highlight the fact that executive function is also important,” he explains. “Executive function is important for many aspects of daily living since it involves planning and anticipation, organization, being able to shift appropriately from one task or topic to another, and inhibiting irrelevant thoughts or stimuli so that a person can focus on the task at hand .

In as-yet unpublished work, Tang and colleagues identified a “modal controllability network” that underlies both executive function in midlife as well as changes in executive function later in life. “Modal controllability refers to the ability of brain regions to facilitate distant and effortful transitions to difficult-to-reach states, which is kind of what executive function is about,” Kremen explains. “Changes in network controllability may be a key mechanism underlying aging-related decline in executive function.”

They also found that poorer executive function was associated with higher genetic risk scores of Alzheimer’ disease, which built on prior work showing that poorer executive function was associated with increased risk of progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s. Altogether, this and prior work suggest, Kremen says, that “executive function in midlife is predictive of progression” to Alzheimer’s disease.

Kremen and his team want to continue to study the brain and genetic factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease with the same cohort of participants as they continue to age. The goal, he says, is early identification, and he believes the combination of genetics and cognition research shows a promising path forward.

Identifying biomarkers for early detection

Corinne Pettigrew became interested in the aging brain when working with stroke patients in graduate school. She now works to understand cognitive changes and biomarkers in older adults who are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders.

At the CNS meeting, Pettigrew will be presenting results from the BIOCARD Study, a longitudinal study that began in 1995, enrolling some 350 primarily middle-aged adults. “Because the study is still ongoing, many of these generous volunteers have now been followed for more than 20 years,” Pettigrew says. “Thanks to your dedication, we are in a relatively unique position to examine how midlife risk and protective factors and brain changes impact later life cognitive outcomes, including cognitive impairment and dementia.”

One of the core findings from Pettigrew’s research so far is that some of the brain changes underlying Alzheimer’s disease begin in midlife. “Midlife may therefore be a very important time to intervene, for delaying or preventing the future cognitive decline or symptoms of dementia,” she says.

In a 2020 study published in Neurology, for example, Pettigrew, Soldan, and colleagues reported on the how vascular risk scores (looking at factors such as hypertension, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and smoking, for example) and amyloid-β and tau protein Biomarkers (associated with Alzheimer’s disease) from midlife correlated with cognitive change. They found that the vascular risks and Alzheimer’s biomarkers were each independently associated with cognitive decline over approximately 14 years.

“Our biomarker findings suggest that Azheimer’s disease-related brain changes are evident in midlife or earlier, particularly among individuals at greatest risk of progressing to mild cognitive impairment or dementia,” Pettigrew says. Although effective treatments do not yet exist for dementia, it is becoming increasingly clear, Pettigrew says, that protecting brain and vascular health throughout and lifespan, including by staying cognitively and physically active, are critical for reducing the risk of cognitive decline, even among those at increased genetic risk for dementia.

Indeed, says Soldan: “I think this symposium very nicely illustrates the fact that cognitive aging trajectories are influenced by a large number of factors and that there might be things we can do – such as physical activity and managing vascular risks, like blood pressure and cholesterol – to stay on a more positive trajectory.”

Soldan sees an exciting future for the integration of digital technology into the study of brain and cognitive aging. “This includes various smart devices that people can wear at home while they go about their normal life that allows researchers to learn about their sleep-wake cycles, physical activity levels, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., which are related to brain and cognitive health,” she says. “This may allow us to reach a wider and more diverse population.”

She is also excited by the progress being made in developing blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. “In the not so far future, this might allow us to detect early Alzheimer’s disease during routine clinical care, which could help with developing more effective interventions for cognitive decline.

–

The symposium “Cognitive and Brain Aging: New Insights from Biomarkers, Lifestyle Factors, and Genetics” is taking place at 1:30pm PT on Sunday, April 24, as part of the CNS 2022 annual meeting from April 23-26, 2022.

CNS is committed to the development of mind and brain research aimed at investigating the psychological, computational, and neuroscientific bases of cognition. Since its founding in 1994, the Society has been dedicated to bringing its 2,000 members worldwide the latest research to facilitate public, professional, and scientific discourse.

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There were eight anti-AAPI hate crimes reported to the San Francisco police in 2019 and nine in 2020. In 2021, there were 60. These numbers are considered preliminary until the California Department of Justice makes its final determination on hate-crime statistics throughout the state, police said.

San Francisco’s police chief, Bill Scott, said at a Tuesday news conference that one man was believed to be responsible for half of the incidents reported last year. Scott said the man who was not named, was arrested in August and could face enhanced hate-crime charges.

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“We will do everything we can to make those arrests, to hold perpetrators accountable,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) said Tuesday. “I’m angry about the violence that has continued to impact many of the people who are part of our Asian community but especially our seniors,” she added.

The United States is no stranger to anti-Asian racism. As early as 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration for 10 years. (Monica Rodman, Sarah Hashemi/The Washington Post)

Reports of anti-Asian hate crimes increased more than any other category of hate crime last year, according to the preliminary police report. The city recorded a slight decrease in reports of hate crimes against Arabs or Muslims and Latinos. Anti-Jewish hate crimes were up, from five to eight reports in 2021.

At the news conference, Scott said law enforcement would be present at public celebrations of Lunar New Year, which officially begin next week and will include the yearly parade the city is known for. “If anybody thinks that San Francisco is an easy place to come in and terrorize our Asian communities, you are sadly mistaken — and you will be held accountable,” Scott said.

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2021 saw an alarming rise in hate crimes against the API community — an increase of 567% since 2020. Over the last year, we’ve invested in senior escort programs, community patrols, and foot beats to protect all of our API residents. We need to do more.https://t.co/02oGRdcYNd

— London Breed (@LondonBreed) January 25, 2022

The jump in hate-crime reports comes against the backdrop of a rise in anti-Asian hate across the United States that some experts say is fueled in part by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a survey conducted in April 2021 by the Pew Research Center, 81 percent of Asian American adults said violence against them is increasing. Nearly half said they experienced at least one of five types of situations — ranging from feeling like someone was about to attack them to being blamed for the pandemic or being the subject of a racial slur — since the start of the pandemic. Only 32 percent reported that someone expressed support for them in that same period.

California is home to four of the five cities with the largest share of Asian Americans in the United States. In San Francisco, a spate of attacks against the elderly in the streets of Chinatown, many caught on camera, fueled fear and put pressure on city officials to do more to prevent them.

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A clearer picture of post-pandemic life, one that Bay Area health officials increasingly have hinted at since the omicron wave began slowing a couple of weeks ago, is starting to take shape.

Formal public health restrictions like indoor mask requirements and vaccine verification to get into certain indoor spaces will likely ease. Universal contact tracing will be pared back to focus on the highest-risk settings only.

In public remarks Tuesday, local health officials started to spell out some details on what to expect in the coming weeks once omicron infections subside. Omicron now is on the descent, though still at high case levels that are falling more slowly than they rose. Across the Bay Area and state, case rates and test positivity are steadily dropping, and hospitalizations are starting to follow. As of Monday, new daily cases in the nine Bay Area counties fell to a seven-day average of 132 per 100,000 people — half of what it was two weeks ago. It’s too soon to tell what death rates will do because of the lag between new cases and deaths.

“It’s more like getting closer and closer to the new normal, versus closing the book on COVID,” Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Nicholas Moss told the county’s supervisors on Tuesday. “In terms of the things that have been most disruptive to people’s daily lives, those will continue to fall away, hopefully not to return.”

If the omicron downward trajectory holds — and the latest figures Tuesday showed the trend continuing — the region can expect emergency pandemic measures to transition to an endemic response. That means a cautious loosening of official restrictions such as easing vaccination requirements in some settings and — much like San Francisco did Tuesday in dropping indoor mask mandates for vaccinated and boosted stable groups in gyms and offices — beginning to pull back rules on face coverings.

Contra Costa County, for instance, is looking into its health order that requires people to be fully vaccinated to enter restaurants, acting health officer Dr. Ori Tzvieli said Tuesday at a Board of Supervisors meeting.

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If Contra Costa ends up easing that requirement, it could be similar to what San Francisco is doing. As of Tuesday, the city is allowing unvaccinated people who have a medical or religious exemption to dine indoors as long as they show a negative antigen test result from within the last day or PCR test from the previous two days. Previously, San Francisco required all indoor diners to be fully vaccinated with no option to “test out” of the requirement.

Bay Area counties soon will probably have to decide whether, and under what circumstances, to lift local indoor mask mandates. California officials are expected to drop the statewide indoor mask mandate Feb. 15, Tzvieli said, and Bay Area counties will likely take a county-by-county approach on whether to follow suit locally.

Prior to the omicron wave, Bay Area counties weighed specific criteria for such mask action — if eight weeks or more had passed after vaccines became available to kids 5 to 11, or if a county had reached and remained in the CDC’s “moderate” tier for Transmission and had low and stable hospitalizations. Going forward, the focus will be more on hospital capacity, Tzvieli said.

“Over the next two weeks we’re going to be looking at numbers closely; we’re going to figure out the best way to align our own masking order with the state,” he said. “The most important driver for us right now is less the case numbers and more how the health care systems are doing. We want to make sure everyone in the community, when they go to the hospital, is able to seek high-quality care.”

Counties that have more hospital capacity to withstand a potential bump in cases that might follow lifting of restrictions may be more comfortable easing masking than those with less hospital capacity, he said.

“I expect there to be some diversity,” he said. “I suspect most will lift within a month of the state but I’m not sure exactly when. I think it’ll be very county by county.”

Tuesday’s discussions followed Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody’s statements a day earlier that Santa Clara County’s public health department plans to scale back its role in vaccination and testing, ceding those services to people’s regular health care providers. This would mark a return to pre-pandemic expectations, since providers have traditionally handled those services for most residents

Moss, of Alameda County, emphasized that with case rates and hospitalizations still high, it’s too soon to start paring back many restrictions. But with talk of the post-omicron state “in the air,” he wanted to open the discussion.

Despite prospects for dropping mask requirements, residents should still consider ways to protect themselves and the community, he said, echoing recent emphasis from other health officials on the need to rely on people’s individual choices to stay safe, and less on government restrictions.

“Individuals, families and institutions will all need to manage ongoing COVID risk and make the choices that are best for them,” Moss said. “Even if (masks are) not required, they’re going to be a good thing for people to use, particularly if they’re really sick, for the foreseeable future.”

Chronicle staff writer Erin Allday contributed to this report.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho

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San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch (left) with Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers have limited NFL draft capital in 2022, but postponing those four players at the start of the off-season can help correct this in good part.

Since head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch took on their respective roles in 2017, the San Francisco 49ers have been no stranger to notable professions.

There have been some blockbusters like EDGE Dee Ford’s 2019 pickup truck from the Kansas City Chiefs and perhaps the most notable ones, acquiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots just before the 2017 NFL trading deadline. Other offers were also mixed in.

With the close of trading in 2021 in the rearview mirror, the next time that Lynch and Co. can conclude such a deal could take place at the beginning of the League New Year in spring 2022.

And there are certainly some steps Lynch should take, especially after handing out multiple NFL first-round draft picks and a third-round selection last April to snag quarterback Trey Lance.

While many of these proposed trade ideas wouldn’t bring in anything of the kind in return, this could help top up overall design capital for Lynch and the Niners over the next year.

Of course, like any other team-to-team transaction, San Francisco can’t just trade “bad” players for something nice in return. Good luck trying to make this happen if you are a general manager.

Here are four, however, Lynch should explore moving.

49ers Trade Candidate No. 4: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Let’s get that out of the way first as it’s the most obvious.

Right or wrong, the 49ers have stayed with Garoppolo as an established starter this year despite investing in Lance.

Signed the next year, however, according to Over the Cap, the Niners can redeem $ 25.6 million of Garoppolo’s $ 27 million via a trade to another team.

Granted, this team would either have to have enough cap space to absorb that hit and / or Garoppolo would have to forego his no-trade clause and possibly accept a pay cut as he would admit he was going to have that kind of money on open market would not get if released directly.

That said, there are still teams Garoppolo might prefer anyway, and the off-season quarterbacks market in 2022 will be terribly provocative, especially with limited options in the NFL draft.

Meanwhile, San Francisco is hoping Garoppolo will close the year out as well as possible, in return adding net worth, thereby opening the door for Lance in 2022.

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