In hearing from a few of you I have some updates on the "afterlife" of Desmond. First, thanks to Brian Ewen for his kind archive of this writing. Please send Brian whatever he wants whenever he asks.
Ella, Desmond's longtime secretary passed away in July of this year. I had met Ella when I was just 13, bugging Muirhead to guide me on how to pursue a career in golf architecture. She was an amazing assistant and organizer of the crazy man's life for more than 30 years. She will be missed. She continued, even well after Desmond passed away, to answer the phone, update the website and try and assist people looking for records, etc.
Desmond's most famous book, St. Andrews — How to Play the Old Course is now selling for well over $300. This is amazing when one considers that Desmond's daughter, Romy, had thousands left in boxes up until a few years ago. She apparently sold them for a few dollars each to a promoter who was supposedly shipping them to the UK for sale over there. Anyone who knows whether they made it over there should be alert. One on-line store has copies up to $500 each.
Romy continues to warehouse thousands of sketches and plans. I have held on a list of projects the idea to compile a book on Desmond. Maybe it will materialize one day — or maybe not.