Tom:
Do you know the occasion upon which Vardon spoke so highly of Mayfield?
I ask because in fairness, Vardon was an exceedingly courteous man who tended to lavish praise upon whatever venue he was playing. For example, as Dr. Quirin points out in Golf Clubs of the MGA, he told the locals that Staten Island's old Fox Hills CC - a decent but by no means special track - that it would eventually become “the classic course in the United States.” To me, Vardon praising a course that he visited is sort of like the way Jack Nicklaus used to predict that every good young player would end up wearing a green jacket someday: great sportsmanship.
That said, there are a number of Mayfield photos in Golf Illustrated and The American Golfer (all of which I'm certain you've seen) which, I must confess, always made me wonder why it isn't somewhat better known today.
DW