Lisa,
If the thread came across as demeaning to woman, I for one apologize.
Marion Hollins was an extraordinary woman who had a profound effect on golf course architecture in an era that was dominated by males, a remarkable achievment.
I was actually trying to make the point that regardless of sex there are damn few Mike Keisers in the world that have the financial capability and vision to bring their golf course dreams to fruition and are willing to take the gamble with their own money.
That said, given the male ego,I still say it is far more likely for a man to spend his money on anything to do with golf,travel,memberships, or course construction and development, than a woman with the same financial capability.The financially independent woman who also happens to be an accomplished golfer is far more likely to join a club that meets her expectations and fulfills her golfing needs than she is to build her own, it is a far more sensible investment with virtually no downside that she can terminate at any time. This opportunity did not exist in Marion Hollins era.
My grandmother grew up learning the game on her own six hole course in Pennsylvannia with sand greens on the family farm! She won the Penn. womans state championship, the Mass. championship 5 times, and various club championships 32 times, being a plus 2 handicap in her prime in the 1920's. She won four club championships after a radical mastectomy in 1949 and lived to be 94 years old! She was one of the founders of the Womans Golf Association of Massachusetts and the WGAM still holds a 36 hole stroke play tournament that bears her name to this day. She had no effect on golf architecture because she spent her time playing and getting womans golf recognized and in her words "legitimized."
She was relentless in getting woman ACCESS to golf courses. I consider her to be a contemporary of Marion Hollins, she certainly had the social and financial contacts to build a golf course if she was so inclined, or certainly to influence the construction of one. The closest she came was being one of the founders of Scituate Golf Club a nine hole semi-private club that still exists today, it was the first semi-private club in the area to have equal access to tee times for woman without restriction and allowing Scituate residents to play for greens fees. She maintained memberships at Marshfield and Oakley as well.
After it was built she entered the club championship and caused quite a furor because she was the only female entrant.The club championship was just assumed to be an all male tournament. She prevailed and said that the tournament was genderless, she played and she won which caused my grandfather to quit golf because she beat him by 16 strokes in 36 holes!
I state all this to accentuate just how remarkable Marion Hollins was. A large part of my grandmothers life was golf and as stated she was no shrinking violet, yet she never had any influence on golf course architecture, I don't think it ever occured to her. She was raised a Quaker and she would squeeze the ears off a buffalo nickel, yet gave feely to charity, but would she ever consider spending any of her own money to build a golf course? Nope. She paid to play that's all, I don't think that dynamic has changed today.