Actually...
Before I go to bed, I'd just like to say this, and I can't imagine anyone in Philadelphia or elsewhere who wouldn't have just cause to feel the same way.
If we find that Charley Macdonald had more to do with the origins of Merion, what a wonderful thing that would be!
He was clearly the father of American Golf, much more so than John Reid at St. Andrews, and even if he was a cantankerous son of a bitch, he was also a visionary, a leader, and a great architect, even to those of us who might prefer a more natural looking style.
I'm a HUGE fan of NGLA, of Mid Ocean, of Fisher's Island (ok, that's Raynor
), and Yale (ok, that's probably mostly Raynor too
), and even though we split hairs here about the good, the better, and the best, there is no question that the man was a GIANT.
If he was involved in a greater capacity at Merion than previously believed in the earliest stages of the new course, that is cause for rejoicing.
In no way would this information diminish the course in any way, or Hugh Wilson's work in any way, or William Flynn's....in fact, it would actually have the opposite effect, because of the incredible evolution that the course underwent in the first 20 or so years of its history.
It could fairly be said that what happened during that time at Merion became the standard for every single inland course built in the United States during the next 50 years.
So if David, or anyone else, has information that proves a greater role for Macdonald, or Whigham, or Barker, or Travis, than anyone has previously learned, or discovered, isn't that a net add?
I think the truth is that the truth is probably larger than any of us every realized.
My gut feeling is that exactly like the Cobb's Creek thread that's been recently unearthed, the truth is that the addition of Ab Smith, and George Crump, and George Klauder, and J. Franklin Meehan, and Walter Travis to the story of Cobb's Creek has in NO way diminished the wonderful work and contributions of Hugh Wilson to that course in the least.
In fact, what we found out is that Hugh Wilson's involvement in Cobb's Creek was much greater than any of us really believed initially, but that there was also plenty of additional credit to go around.
If that's the case with Merion, as I suspect that it is, then let's get on with the story, because if GCA has any real-world worth, and much like the examples of Cobb's Creek, and Pine Valley prove, we're all a hell of a lot better off collaborating than competing.
Peace,
Mike