How many of the berms behind CBM Alps holes--NGLA and maybe St. Louis since it opened about the time of the article (it makes no sense to discuss later CBM courses or any by SR and CB since they were not architects when Lesley wrote his article) served the purpose to protect players on a hole directly behind the green? This was THE reason for the berm behind the 10th green at Merion. The principle of that large unnatural berm is for safety at Merion and not for any strategic purpose. Look how far off the green the berm is and the obvious rough in between the green and the berm.
You state authoritatively that safety was "THE reason" for the semicircular berm behind the green on No. 10, and that the berm was not there for any strategic purpose.
You may be right. But aside from your interpretation of the aerial, are there an facts to back up this assertion? For example, did Wilson or Pickering or anyone else ever write that it was for safety? Was it ever labeled a "safety berm" on any sketch or drawing. Do the "history books" indicate that it was solely for safety? Did Wilson create other similar safety berms in similar situations? Is it documented that safety was a strong concern for this particular hole or for for the course in general?
Surely you must have some support for your conclusion, because there seems to be support for the other side of the argument-- that the green complex was modeled after NGLA No.3's, or Prestwick's, or both.
If you guys are trying to say that a green with a bunker in front and a berm behind is an Alps hole because of the similarity in their green complexes, I'd say that is a stretch.
I dont know what anyone else is saying, but I am not trying to define an "alps hole." All I am saying is that the green complex at Merion No. 10 appears to resemble that of the green complexes at MacDonald's Alp's holes in that they share two significant features: A backing semi-circular bank and a deep fronting bunker.
Combining these two similarities with other facts . . .
-- The Lesley reference to the hole as similar to the Alps "in principle"
-- Repeated reports by respected golf writers (and designers) that MacDonald advised and consulted on the course
-- Wilson's visit to NGLA prior to traveling overseas, and his tour of NGLA
. . . provides a strong basis for suspecting that MacDonald had a significant influence (direct or indirect) on the design at Merion, or at least the design of this particular green site.
Firstly, it fails to consider the primary feature, a hill or ridge obscuring the green.
This point goes to the question of how one ought to define an "Alps" hole, and perhaps whether Lesley should have called No. 10 an Alps hole, but it is by no means dispositive on the issue of whether the
greensite was influenced by MacDonald.
How do you know the Merion green is similar to Prestwick, NGLA and perhaps including SLCC (although it is likely in 1914 Lesley had not seen the course)? Is there the substantial internal contouring on the right side which is so pronounced at Prestwick? Is there as much back to front slope? I don't think any of us really knows but it looks doubtful from the photographs.
First, Wilson could have borrowed some aspects of MacDonald's interpretation of the Alps, but not others. Second, as you say, we don't really know. Maybe there were similarities in the putting surfaces and maybe there weren't. At best it is ambiguous.
Does the artificial berm behind the green look anything like the one at Prestwick? No. Prestwick has a natural slope that is more on the left and does not resemble the berms behind the Merion green nor the NGLA green. I don't know which Alps Lesley could be referring to.
This makes me wonder if Wilson wasnt more influenced by the copy (NGLA) than the original.
Does the Merion green resemble the NGLA green? It looks unlikely. The NGLA green is far bigger and not square with rounded corners.
Even if it does not have the same shape, there are similarities of the green complex, as mentioned above.
What was the defining characteristic of an Alps hole? It isn't the berm behind or even the sand in front although this added a lot to the difficulty. To me it is a hill or high ridge that obscures the green from the approach. I do not believe at all that the low level ridge in front of Merion's green would do that. I therefore think there is only some principles that correspond to the Alps hole at Prestwick or NGLA.
This may be true, but there are still the similarities. Also, Lesley tells us how No. 10 was similar to the Alps. He never says there was large hill that one needed to carry. He says the similarites are the hill behind the green, the deep bunkers in front, the need for two well-struck shots. He particularly mentions the possibility of a long approach lodging on the side of the hill. You can quibble with his definition of Alps, but all the similarities he points to seem to be there.