For some time now, there has been some questioning of whether Hugh Wilson was actually a detailed, heavily involved, "in the dirt" golf course architect or whether he was more of the patrician, high-level, big-idea guy who came back from a trip to the best courses overseas with a head full of concepts and was able through keen oversight and talented staff to get them implemented on the ground.
I think this distinction is important to how he is remembered in terms of his architectural prowess, because even as recently as last year, a lengthy and unfortunately quarrelsome discussion (argument) ensued here that seemingly sought to minimize his overall role in the design of Merion, and that ultimately and sadly resulted in the loss of two valuable contributors here, much to our collective dismay and regret.
In that light, I wish that some of the recently unearthed findings that have been uncovered from our researching the design history of Cobbs Creek had been discovered prior, as I can't help but feel that the whole largely speculative matter would have been dropped much sooner based on a plethora of written, contemporaneous evidence.
Until recently, I would have been very much in the camp that believed that Hugh Wilson originally laid out the East course at Merion, probably had less to do with the West course, probably had little to do with the early East course changes, did a quick "paper job" for Cobbs Creek, and then did nothing much else but agronomic research until pressed into service at Pine Valley after the death of George Crump, when he and his brother Alan finished the last four holes (to the original recollected design that Crump wanted) before dying himself in 1925 at the early age of 45.
However, the historical record from contemporaneous account now seems to indicate a much different type of man and golf course designer, whose style seems more like Pete Dye than say, Jack Nicklaus, no disrespect intended.
From what we have learned, I now feel very certain of the following;
1) He designed Merion East.
2) He designed Merion West. (a 1915 article calls him (paraphrasing), "the genius responsible for the layout of both Merion courses."
3) He designed Seaview for Clarence Geist in 1914. At the time, this was a hugely prominent course. An article at the time of the opening shows that the routing today is exactly as Wilson built it and the hole-by-hole descriptions indicate that Wilson did much more bunkering (that still exists today) than other accounts would suggest. Donald Ross was brought in 2 years later to "toughen" the largely open course, and added bunkering that was then built by Wilfred Reid (the first pro) and Willam Connellan.
4) He designed Cobbs Creek as the head of the GAP appointed committee of Golf experts who included George Crump, Ab Smith, George Klauner, and had input from others like Walter Travis. Hugh Wilson
spent SIX months of his life on the design of Cobbs Creek and Ab Smith spent considerable personal time helping with the construction. Both Wilson and Crump were on the 1913 committee who actually picked the current golf course site out of the 4500 acres in Fairmount Park.
5) Wilson and Ab Smith were also credited with doing major design renovation at North Hills Country Club (another well-regarded suburban Philly club) in 1916, a course originally laid out by local Philly gentry/course architect J. Franklyn Meehan. North Hills was actually built on Meehan's property, so I'm sure he had to swallow his pride a bit to bring Wilson and Smith in just a few years after opening.
6) Wilson did so much renovation work to the original course at Philmont around 1915-17 that he is credited along with Green Committee chairman Henry Strouse with the design in a 1917 Phildelphia Inquirer article. At minimum, Wilson added two completely new holes to the design, the 8th and 12th (which unfortunately has lost all of its center line bunkering).
From that article;
"Many of the golf courses here were built in the old days when the architect was practically unknown. In recent years, many of these courses have been remodeled. The Philadelphia Country Club was changed and greatly improved by Walter Travis, one of the many amateurs who have been affected by the new ruling which bars as amateurs men who "construct" (my emphasis for a term of the time indicating and including "design) golf course. A.W. Tillinghast, a Philadelphian, who intends to keep on with his golf course construction work, remodeled both the St. Davids and the Old York Road Country Clubs."
"Both of the Merion Cricket Club courses were built under the direction of Hugh Wilson who also laid out the Seaview course. Philmont is largely the work of Henry Strouse and Hugh Wilson. Aronimink has had many architects including George Klauner..."
7) Anecdotally, from Bill Kittleman (per Tom Doak), Wilson designed the 9 holes at Phoenixville CC around 1915. We're still looking for documentation on that one.
WWII Intervened
9) After the war, Wilson gets involved as mentioned earlier in the completion of Pine Valley and becomes the architect of record (along with brother Alan) for completing the final four holes circa 1919. There is little doubt this was a lengthy, onsite, detailed process of high visibility and close scrutiny.
10) Working with Willam Flynn, they layout the Kittansett Club in 1922.
11) In failing health, he works with WIlliam Flynn to come up with a complete re-bunkering scheme for Merion East, which Flynn implements after Wilson's death in 1925.
During all of these years, Wilson was hugely responsible for the evolution of the agronomic side of the game, working with Piper and Oakley and others, which Tom Paul and Wayne can document much better than I can.
However, I've come to understand that Wilson was not a one-trick pony, or even a short-lived shooting star across the golfing landscape. Instead, it seems clear that he put in close to 15 solid years of detailed architectural, agronomic, and civic-minded work before exiting center stage much too early like his friend George Crump.