I'd like to put a thread on here thanking some of this website's primary and best researchers. For me personally what they find and put on here is pretty much the oil that makes this website and DG work and stay interesting. It's all history based and the time they've spent finding and producing all this info is impressive to say the least:
I'll probably add to the list but for now:
1. Joe Bausch and his remarkable old newspaper research. This is tons of hours of real "in the library" type grunt-work fellas.
2. Bradley Anderson and his on-going research on the beginnings of what might be termed "golf agronomy" or "early golf agronomic maintenance practices" and how they may tie in to the development of architecture itself.
3. Neil Crafter on his good and in-depth research on the career and life and times on the likes of Mackenzie.
4. Mike Cirba and his general interest and research on public golf architecture, particularly in the Philadelphia region and the seemingly remarkable (as a course and public project) Cobbs Creek.
5. Certainly Tom MacWood and the potpourri of old architectural information he put on here. Too bad he's gone now; I hope he comes back.
6. Wayne Morrison and all the heretofore unknown information on Flynn and Merion. I hope he comes back.
7. Philip Young and all things Tillinghast.
8. Melvyn Morrow and his input on the site and to some of us off the site on Old Tom Morris et al and early golf abroad. Melvyn tells me he's left too. Let's try to get him back.
9. Apparently Peter Pallota for finding treasure troves of info digitally and leading people to them or putting them on here himself.
10. Craig Disher for his reliable aerial research and aerial explanations.
11. George Bahto for his Macdonald contributions.
12. George Holland, a golf architecture history buff from New York and The Creek Club who's actually registered on here but who seems to rarely if ever post. Some of the stuff and/or potential sources of information he's found, that's just a diverse representation of old architectural material is impressive. I think GeorgeH is just one of those "needle-in-a-haystack" kind of guys and it wouldn't surprise me if we come up with one of the all time "needles" one of these days soon!
Maybe, Goodale, Tully, Nacarrato, Crosby, Neil Regan etc too.
When I think of others I'll add them to the list or you all do it (I'm sure I've embarassed myself by already forgetting someone really important
), but thanks to all of them for some wonderful and thoughtful information over the years. That's basically the reason I came on here and remain.