There seems to be a prevailing attitude that by denigrating one man (or two men in this case) you can elevate another.
You are a fool, Tom MacWood. You initiated this prevailing attitude, so please don't condemn it in others, even though that is not really what they are doing. You simply perceive it that way.
The denigration of one man or committee in order to elevate another is precisely the method used to promote the missing faces of Macdonald and Whigham in the Merion essay by your protege with your assistance. By trying to use the probable but not proven fact that Wilson did not go overseas until after course construction and other "evidence" you conducted a process to portray Wilson and his Committee as rank amateurs incapable of doing what they did, completely dismissing their talents, the prior experience of other gentleman architects (Fownes, Leeds and Macdonald). You both ignored, despite my protestations, the considerable help of Fred Pickering, one of the most experienced golf course construction men in the world at that time. All this to prove that only the great and powerful Macdonald and Whigham routed, designed and were the driving forces behind the new Ardmore course for Merion Cricket Club. This isn't to say that Macdonald and Whigham didn't provide valuable assistance. They did and were credited with exactly that by the participants. That wasn't good enough for you, you thought the club minimized their contributions. Well, they got it right and you got it wrong. Where are your endorsers now? Is Ran still standing behind that "excellent" essay? Is Pat Mucci? You and your protege are left standing unprotected against a very strong wind.
Wayne,
Not sure what posts like this accomplish, other than to heighten tensions.
I did not try to slight Wilson, nor do I think I did. I quoted Findlay's comments on Pickering's work at Merion. My essay was based on the information available at the time of the essay. I would be glad to incorporate any new information into my essay, but I would prefer to see it first. No one ever claimed that club minimized their contributions at the time they made those contributions. But over time the early reports were misinterpreted and confused until everyone who wrote about about Merion's history minimized their contributions, and this include the club. No big deal, but let's not pretend that the story has not substantially changed.
I don't understand why you insist on maligning me while still hiding historical record. Why not let the facts speak for themselves? Isn't that what you assured everyone you would do when my essay came out? I doubt Merion has anything to hide, so I cannot figure out who you think you are protecting by creating this huge cloud of doubt around Merion's early history.
Anyway, unless you are now ready to have a an open, frank, and discussion and examination of the source material, I see no point in posts like yours above. Are you now ready for such a conversation? If you are not, then is Merion?
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Mike Cirba,
Are you really writing about Barker again? Why? It has been covered and recovered? He had designed a bunch of important courses by 1910, whether or not they opened.
Why do you go on and on about what courses had opened before 1910? Surely you can look up that info if you really want to know. I have a feeling your point is again just part of your Merion agenda . . . but I don't understand the point you are trying to make even in this light.
Let's pretend he never had a course open before 1911 (he did, but let's pretend.) The evidence of his reputation is the fact that he got all these jobs in the first place! Are you saying that while he was good enough for Columbia, Mayfied, Arcola, Druid Hills, Raritan Valley Grove Park Inn, Westhamption, Rumson and GCGC (with Travis) but not good enough for MCC? Why not?
Are you saying that Merion never would have used a routing from someone without a proven track record of opened courses? That would be an odd argument given that the person who you think designed Merion described himself as having no experience beyond that of any other member.
But this is not a thread about Barker. I have an idea, let's move all this Barker business to the Cobb's Creek thread. Since you are the one that keeps hijacking threads with this Barker nonsense, I think that would be fitting.
What do you think? Good idea?