Ok...so what have we learned here after three zillion pages?
We know that Wilson visited Macdonald prior to visiting GB (already known)
We know that Wilson was very grateful for Macdonald's tutelage and counsel, as well as telling him what courses he should see during his eight month trip (already known)
We know that Wilson did in fact go to spend a full EIGHT MONTHS visiting GB and according to accounts, sketched all sort of features of great holes and holes he admired, which sadly have never been found (already known)
We know that CB stopped by the Merion property. (already known)
We know that despite scores of articles written about the original Merion courses, and how well received they were by their contemporaries, there is not a single sentence anywhere that even implies Macdonald had a hand in designing any hole there (already known)
We know that two of the holes on the east course, of 36 holes built during a two year stretch by Wilson, were named by some important golf folks of the time, including Macdonald, as famed template holes. We also have determined that it unlikely either was anything near to the type of near replicas Macdonald built at NGLA for those two hole concepts. In addition, it appears a single green (the 15th) may have been modeled after the "Eden", but even that seems a stretch because it's not a par three hole, the approach shot is significantly uphill, and the bunkering in front is hardly a "pot" type bunker.
We also know that two greens have "valley of sin" features which exist today. Interestingly, there are no Macdonald "valley of sin" features anywhere that I'm aware of.
Finally, there was a principals' nose bunker feature on what is the 4th hole today. There were also some dolomite type things off to the side of the 9th, and some other unnatural landscape features mentioned that seemed to be quickly removed in the early years.
There are 36 holes at Merion.
Does anyone really see some type of linkage between Merion and copying great holes from overseas, except in some very scant instances?
Or, more importantly, did what Wilson learn in GB is that every course and piece of land is unique, and instead of copying "features", it was more important to apply broad strategic concepts while building unique holes on each unique property?
Personally, I think that was a HUGE architectural leap in understanding for US architecture. It wasn't really feasible to just "copy" great holes that occurred overseas (mostly on linksland) ad nauseam, on each course, but instead get to the fundamental understanding of what made those holes work in terms of strategic interest and concepts, and then apply them in a wholly individual fashion on these shores.
That's what makes Merion so special, and so distinctive, and so historically important.