Which archival materials related to golf architecture are of the most value?

[wsmorrison]

The Colt routing map of Pine Valley?

Which long lost artifacts are of most value?

Hugh Wilson's scrapbooks and sketches?
CB Macdonald's sketches from the UK?
Raynor's routing map of Cypress Point?

[Phil_the_Author]

Wayne,

In what sense do you meaan "most value?" Monetary? or Importance?

I believe that there are some that the owners of have no idea as to their importance. For example, take Tilly's drawings, prints, sketches, etc... All of Tilly's own work, documents, prints and sketches, correspdondence photographic negatives, etc... were destroyed in a fire that destroyed the barn where they were stored after his death on his son-in-law's property.

As a result, anything of his, especially in his own hand, takes on a greater value both monetarily and historically.

Too many clubhouses have burnt down or documents lost for the single reason of 'cleaning out the closet' and these precious items are lost for all time. That is why it is imperative that clubs cooperate with the USGA's effort to compile course evolution histories...

[wsmorrison]

Phil,

I think it best left up to the individual posting whether the material is of monetary value or historic importance.  The correlation is probably pretty strong, right?

[BCrosby]

Wayne -

Great question.

There are two audiences for historical materials. One is collectors. They value one of a kind things like signed items, some of which might be insignificant historically. Thus, for example, a signed scorecard from George Crump would be highly valuable to a collector but of little historical interest. It wouldn't tell you anything about PVGC you didn't already know.

More interesting to me are things that explicate the history of a golf course. These might or might not have much interest to collectors, but they are invaluable historical documents. They are what ought to be archived and preserved. Old photos, drawings, etc. all fall into this category. But the best of this kind of stuff are notes, instructions, comments etc. made at the time the course was built or modified. That is the rarest stuff of all. Very few clubs or architects kept decent records of the design evolution of their course.

Bob

[Jeff_Brauer]

I would think the long lost notes of Old Tom Morris which he was collecting for a book to be called "How I plan to remodel TOC without any regard to how it was originally envisioned, by replacing heather with turf, removing bunkers, extending greens, reversing the routing and other follies."

You know how long those old book titles were........

[John Foley]

Wayne,

All the myth & legend about Raynor's routing at Cypress has to put that at the top. Given that he was a surveyor, one would think that he would have a number of drawings from his hand, but I don't beleive that is the case.

There are a number of others that would be amazing finds, if they exist.

What if there was a finished drawing of NGLA in Macdonald's hand?

What about Donald Ross' individual hole drawings of #2?

Of the one's that I've seen in person or pictures of:

Mackenzie's original colored rendering of Augusta & The Old Course?

There are a bunch of very interesting / very old routings of The Old Course in both Forrest's book and new one on The Old Course (don't have it in front of me).

Ross's drawing of Seminole

EJ Raisz map of NGLA

Constelation Map at Sand Hills.

BTW - Did Flynn do a rendering of Kittansett (or do I have to wait to buy the book to find out )

[Jeff_Brauer]

I have seen some Ross field notes where he has made notations like "lower green for visibility."  I think those would be valuble to clubs to prove he was on site for their course.

[wsmorrison]

John,

I'm sure Flynn did a course routing map of Kittansett.  It may have been lost forever though.  12 of the 18 individual hole drawings exist.  Facsimile copies were made and are in the possession of the club.

Flynn's drawings of Shinnecock Hills are of significant value in terms of importance to the understanding of what existed before Flynn (many of the Macdonald, Dunn and Davis holes are depicted) and what of the present course is Flynn (all of it, but the 7th tee).

[TEPaul]

Wayne:

If they were really voluminous and detailed and if they were such that one could see how he may've adapted them to the course I'd have to say those sketches and drawings and surveyors maps they say Wilson brought back from abroad with him for Merion East. They sure would be the most valuable thing imaginable to me.

I don't think Crump did anything like that and looking at some of his drawings on that Blue/Red line topo, I can see why. It looks to me he drew about as good as a five year old!