Pat:
Here is something for you to really nibble on!
The more I think about this entire Merion first phase creation and then take it forward a couple of things jump out at me I've never considered before. I don't think Wayne has either and probably no one has.
You mention Francis. What was he and why do you suppose he was put on that committee to design and build the course?
Why did Merion even seek Macdonald's advice in 1910?
If you asked me they sought him out, and asked him and Whigam to come to Ardmore to ask him to tell them how they could do almost exactly the same thing themselves at Merion he was doing at NGLA with himself with some of his friends and his friendly or "kindly" collaborators?
Who did Macdonald say he brought in to do NGLA with him? He tells us he asked Whigam and Travis to be his "associates." Does that sound a bit like a little committee with Macdonald as its chairman sort of like the committee of five with Hugh Wilson as its chairman? It does to me! Matter of fact, look on page 178 and Charlie said; "As I stated in my agreement to associate with me two QUALIFIED GOLFERS in AMERICA, making a COMMITTEE of three to carry out the GENERAL SCHEME!"
Who else does Charlie mention with the creation of NGLA? He mentions Joseph Knapp, James Stillman, Charles Sabin and Devereaux Emmet.
Who in the world are Joseph Knapp and James Stillman? I've never heard of them in architecture and I bet no one else on this board has heard of them either with anything at all to do with architecture before or since NGLA.
I do know who Charles Sabin was and I think you do too. He was a really rich big-timer from NYC who owned or would own ALL the land to the west of NGLA which became his magnificent Long Island estate and that is now Sebonak G.C. (do you think Sabin sounds a bit like Merion's Horatio Gates Lloyd?? ; ).
Charlie tells us he dumped Travis and it's no wonder because they had a huge falling out over Travis' Schnectedy Putter issue which seemed international to the extent the President of the United States weighed in on the controversy!
Emmet is obvious as he designed GCGC and Charlie said that was one of the three best courses in America before NGLA. Charlie belonged to GCGC too!
But even twenty years later who did Charlie NOT mention in HIS BOOK in the 3 year long first phase of NGLA's creation? Isn't it obvious? He never mentioned when he wrote about the men who helped conceive of NGLA, the man who would be his ENGINEER/SURVEYOR for the rest of his career in architectur------ SETH RAYNOR, a Princeton educated local Southampton surveyor/engineer.
So who did Merion's committee have?
Rodman Griscom, a really good player who'd won the 1905 Philadelphia Amateur. Henry Toulmin, a prominent doctor and rich guy. Horatio Gates Lloyd---need I say more! AND, Richard Francis, a Philadelphia engineer/surveyor who was the Philadelphia manager for a national construction company.
But let’s not forget Hugh Wilson, another really good golfer who beat Tillinghast in 1903 in a local tournament and we all know Tillie was good enough to play in US Opens!
Doesn't all this seem so spooky similar, that a reasonable mind may say it was almost a carbon copy of the NGLA committee and design structure and modus operandi?
In that I believe Merion was the FIRST to ever ask Macdonald to help them to do with architecture (who else came to him before that?). I think they basically just went to him because the knew him well anyway from the Lesley Cup and asked him to come down (since he refused to ever be paid anyway) and look at some proposed land possibilities and such and explain to them and show them how he organized and conceived of and built his course, and then they'd just go and do what he started to do three years previous.
What did he tell them to do from his letter? For one thing to get a topo map because even he couldn't tell them much without one.
Did Macdonald make any drawings or plans himself for anything he ever did in his entire career in architecture? GeorgeB is aware there may only two individual hole drawings he did at some point on NGLA. Macdonald apparently always depended on his engineer/surveyor, Seth Raynor, to so all his drawings for him in his entire career.
Seth Raynor didn't come to Ardmore during the first phase development of Merion East. So I see no way at all that Macdonald ever would've or even could've drawn any kind of routing or design for Merion East in 1910 and furthermore Cuylers said in a letter to president Evans that there was no definite course at the end of 1910. Board minutes say many course plans were done by Wilson and his committee before the spring of 1911.
He probably just said after looking over the land that it suited a shorter course, rather than a longer one which would be better for the membership, try to use some of these natural features like this one and that one over there, and if you don’t own that strip behind the clubhouse try get it because you should use that creek for a golf hole.
But I'll tell you what, Patrick, even if it was never recorded anywhere that I know about what Macdonald and Whigam talked about out there at Ardmore in June of 1911 with that search committee or whoever else was there, it would shock me if Charlie Macdonald did not say to them:
“Boys, you got me and Whigam here who are doing NGLA together as the committee to tell you what I think of this place so, I’m telling you to get topo maps like we have so you can draw what you conceive of, get yourself a committee of “amateur/sportsmen” like I did and not that guy Barker who’s job is the professional at my club, GCGC, and, Oh, by the way, do something I did that I don’t think anyone has ever done before in golf course architecture, get yourself a engineer/surveyor who’s substantial and reliable like my own Princeton educated Seth Raynor.
And so, enter onto the scene of the creation of Merion East, Richard Francis, Philadelphia engineer/surveyor and MCC member who would spend hours over a drawing board, running instruments in the field, both of which engineers and surveyors are professionally trained to do, just plain talk to them (Wilson and the rest of the committee) about concepts and then DRAW them on their topo contour map. And, after the total “amateur/sportsman committee is in place and after the land acquisition is more in place in early 1911go do many iterations of course plans in the winter and early spring of 1911, and then, go see Charlie and Whigam and get them to show you their data for their course and the copies of holes and architectural principles fro abroard, and their NGLAcourse as yet formally unopened-----and then go back to Philly, hone it down and then they’d come down and look over what you did and maybe give it their approval if that’s what you’re asking for and then---boom, open the starting gate in the spring and get to work and build what you created!
“Oh, and this is semi-compacted inland soil so you’re going to need to do a lot of work on how to grow good golf turf.”
“I took your advice, Mr. Macdonald, and got in touch with those US Department of Agriculture forage grass botanists you recommended and I sent them some soil samples and we’ve corresponded about twenty times already.”
“Good for you, son, you’re are go-getter and you may make a name for yourself someday in golf grass research and if you do come talk to me because I’ve had about a two year delay in getting my golf course to have semi-decent turf.”
“Mr. Oakley said it’s pretty hard to grow good golf turf on straight sand with no nutrimental, I mean nutritional binder.”
“I think its called a nutational bond offering, son, but ask Lloyd about that. What else did you say, Boy, I couldn’t hear you but Henry and I’ve got to go! Good luck to you and your committee,”…… as Macdonald gets into his limousine with Henry Whigam.
“Pretty nice guys, don’t you think Henry?”
“They’re not bad, Dad. By the way, did I tell you I think I can drive the green on the cape hole.”
“You try a stunt like that, Boy, and I’ll disinherit you, expunge your marriage and marry Frances off to Sabin’s boy who at least has some money.”