As Remembered By: Jeffrey Singer

TOS Member: 1967-1995, Board President:  1973 & 1974
Men's Club President: 1970,

Greens Committee Member: 1972, 1983-1990
 House Committee Member

Documented by Nancy Hettich July 2011

Carolyn and Jeff moved into Tam O'Shanter in 1967, holding Certificate of Membership #177, as at that time Certificates were numbered by date of purchase (which means they were the 177^th people to purchase a lot in TOS).  In 1970 Certificates were changed to show Park Number and Lot Number; i.e., 2-44 (so the chronological hierarchy was lost).  Jeff's interest, enthusiasm and energy in TOS development soon led him to be a part of or in charge of many early projects.  Project dates provided by Jeff are approximate and based on his participation on the TOS Board and Greens Committee as Chairman or member. 

Jeff recalls that prior to 1965 the original name proposed for the new community was Coral Village, a community of homes without a golf course.  At that time, permits were pulled and construction was started on a few homes.   Things soon changed when the developer discovered the peat bog/clay problems in the area of what are now holes #4, #5, #6 and #7.  To build in this area, home foundations would have needed costly upgrades.  These costs proved too expensive and a second plan was designed by Sherwood Development, which later became Bell and Valdez.  This plan included a golf course instead of additional homes. Articles of Incorporation dated February of 1965 refer to the revised community as Tam o'Shanter.

The original course was built based on the design of architect, Bill Teufel, who worked with the civil engineering firm Ruskin Fisher and Associates.  The Greens committee was very active in early days as the course was a "bare bones" job by the developer and turned over to TOS still in need of much work and TLC.  Work parties were organized at a minimum of two per year.  One of the first work party projects was the planting of trees on the course.  Originally there were only a few widely spaced pines and very few original tall firs left standing on the course, as the area had been planned for homes.  An early member, Art Perry, located (and paid for) inexpensive fir trees; a project which required digging up the trees from a remote location, transporting and then planting them on our course.

From his early golfing days Jeff recalls the #2 tee box moved from behind #1 green to its present location due to the fact that most golfers slice the ball, peppering homes on the right of the fairway with errant drives.  Also #8 hole was changed to make the course more challenging to play as well as safer for play.  The green was originally between the current #18 ladies-tee (forward tee) and the large fir tree at the top of the #9 fairway "dip."  The original #9 tee was just behind the current #8 green (the current “launching pad”).

Jeff remembers well many of the projects worked on in his 12 to 14 years on the Greens Committee and/or Board of Directors.  In 1972 he and Pat Lally added #15 green - again to improve playability of the course.  The base was 5 to 7 feet of rock with a top layer of sand.  Young local golfers, children of residents, were hired to do the 'grunt' work.  This project resulted in moving the #7 tee back to its present location.

The area of the current tennis courts and park had also been planned for homes but sat as a bog for years after the soil was discovered to be too swampy for development.  At that point the area was turned over to TOS.   During a Bellevue growth spurt in the mid-1970s, a deal was made with the contractors of downtown Bellevue building foundations to deliver excess materials to the bog area and fill it with 5 to 6 feet of dirt, providing the base needed for the tennis courts.

In approximately 1982 a Bellevue city storm drain broke on a lot approximately 200 yards from the first tee.  Asbestos pipes had been installed to carry street drain water and water from homes' eaves.  The City of Bellevue gave TOS money to correct the problem and to minimize flooding on holes #5 and #6 during heavy rains.  Since the original design ran all rain/storm drains onto the golf course, a replacement storm drain line and catch basins directed the new storm drain into the #6/15 lake, and fairway drainage was also installed on the high side of holes #3, #4, #5, #7 and #9.  These drains emptied water flowing across and down the course into the #6/15 lake or #4/7 ditch, greatly improving winter play conditions.  All the new drains were installed by in-house labor and managed by Jeff and Jack Hart.  A backhoe was rented, plastic drain pipe was purchased, and a TOS member who worked for Cadman Gravel arranged for the pea gravel to complete the job - at a bargain price.

In 1984 cart paths were constructed on the course, by professional pavers, through the efforts of Barbara and Pete Brueggeman, Larry Collins, and George Richmond.  The project was financed by those who owned carts at the time and was the beginning of the current policy of charging cart owners a one-time fee to maintain the paths.  For many years there were license plates - "WE DID IT" - seen around TOS as a reference to this project. 

Around 1988 Jeff and Jack Hart headed a project to put in an automatic irrigation system to replace the costly manual system, and as part of that project the current lakes on holes #4, #5 and #7 were dug.  The lakes between #4 and #7 fairways were used as the irrigation reservoirs for the new system.  In the area between #5 and #6 the lake was added to ease the storm drain runoff flooding and in addition resulted in the construction of the #13 green.  The lake by the #4 tee was also added as a catch area for high-flow drainage periods.  Also at this time wells were drilled and pumped into the irrigation reservoirs to reduce use of Bellevue City water.  The ponds at holes #5 and #6 are very shallow as the soil was poor.  At a depth of 4 to 5 feet the bulldozer being used began to sink into the mud and was barely retrieved before sinking entirely.  The area between #5 green and #6 tee was the same poor soil and became a dumping ground for all large rocks and boulders encountered.  By the time work was completed, the debris had sunk out of sight due to truck traffic and gravity -- and remains there today.

In the early 1990s many of the original driveways in TOS were in need of replacement.  It was decided to use the broken pieces of concrete from the driveways to shore up the edges of the ponds on the south end of the course as they were beginning to slide into the ponds due to earth movement.  This project was completed by the in-house greens crew at the time, making the ponds safer and more attractive.  The contractor for the driveways agreed to dump the broken concrete in the maintenance yard area, greatly simplifying the transportation issue.

Although described here as a hard-working work-party guy, Jeff was also known to be a party guy of the other sort, always ready for fun and known as a great host.  On one occasion well-remembered by other attendees at a party at Jeff's home, he led a friend into a situation in which the friend's teeth were stolen by a dog.  But that's a story for another time and another article.

Tam O’Shanter members of later days are fortunate to have had early members such as Jeff Singer, who were willing and anxious to give of their time and energy to develop TOS, beginning the sense of community and volunteerism that continues today.  We're also fortunate that Jeff has the energy (also good memory and records) to recall so many tales from so long ago.  We appreciate his efforts to share his experiences while he was such a vital part of early-day Tam o'Shanter.