Tony,
I agree, with 300+ acres at their disposal, selecting only 117 had to be purpose specific.
Patrick,
Guess what?
It was not only purpose specific, it was site specific.
The northern and southern sections of what we know today as the "L" that makes up the predominant shape of the property and the bulk of the golf course....were the northern and southern sections of the Johnson Farm, along with all of their historic boundaries, except for the northwestern part, where it was determined to build real estate on the other side of an "approximate" boundary delineated by a road.
And Guess what?
They were 117 acres.
And Guess what else?
If we add the 3 acres of Railroad Land that Macdonald and Whigham recommended they buy that were right next to the clubhouse..
Amazingly...
we get to the 120 acre "requirement" that the Merion Site Committee recommended to the Board that would be necessary for the golf course on July 1, 1910.
Now, since you are so unbiased, impartial, and just seeking the true story here.
Why don't you go back to David and ask him what 120 acres he thinks the July 1, 1910 letter was talking about?
Because, what he outlined for us...as it turns out...adds up to 131.5 acres.
Tony,
In 1910, 117 acres was a pretty significant size for a golf course.
Merion's former course occupied 102 acres.
Macdonald thought he'd need 110 acres to build NGLA and thought it should be about 6,000 yards...in fact, when it first opened it was 6,100 yards.
Also, because there was a land deal involved, every acre used for golf course meant one less acre for someone to profit in a real estate deal.
Don't forget...most people couldn't drive further than about 220 yards at the time.