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David,
Again, what tasks specifically do you think Wilson did to "lay out the course on the ground"?
I answered this above.
I'm asking because I think you know for certain that no one would have given him contemporaneous credit, much yet state that he "deserves the congratulations of all golfers" as Tillinghast said after the course opened if it was simply constructing the course to someone else's plans. Why would he be called "the genius behind the course at Merion" if he was simply following instructions?
I think he was given credit for laying the course out on the ground. Just like Lesley wrote. At the time, Mike, laying out and building these courses was much more celebrated than coming up with the plan. The whole notion of golf architecture as we think of it was just getting going. The examples are plentiful. If you don't believe me then do your own research or have Joe Bausch do it for you.
Besides, we know Fred Pickering was the construction foreman.
Not in January 1911 he wasn't.
What do you think Hugh Wilson did specifically between January 1911 and September 1912 that . . .
We've gone through this. I don't get what you don't get. I'll go slowly . . .
- I don't know what if anything he did in January 1911 except for communicate with Charles Macdonald and then follow his good advice.
- Then on February 1, 1911, he sent a letter to Piper mentioning he had been communicating with CBM, and realized the value of his advice and was following it. He also had a contour map of the course sent as well.
- Then for the rest of the month he waited for the weather improve so he could start preparing the course to grow grass, and he also wrote a bunch of letters seeking agronomy advice.
- Then in early to mid-March he and his committee traveled to NGLA for two days, went over CBM's plans and learned how to lay out Merion East. He also continued to seek agronomy advice and continued to prepare to grow grass.
- Then they came back and in the second part of March or very early April and rearranged their course and came up with five variations, according to M&W's directions. They also began preparing the course for growing grass.
- Then in early April they had M&W come down again to make sure they got it right and to help them sort out the five variations, so that M&W could determine the final routing plan.
- Then starting later in April, after the Board approved the final routing plan as determined by M&W, they got busy building the course.
- They spent the summer building the course and preparing the soil.
- Then in September the seeded the Fairways and Greens.
- Then in the spring of 1912 Wilson went abroad to study the great courses.
- In May of 1912 he returned from his trip and continued tinkering with the course, adding some mounding, and planting (transplanting?) some imported bents, and building some bunkers.
- Then in September of 1912 the course opened, but there were plenty of bunkers yet to be added.
- Then in December of 1912 they started again with the West Course.
- Then in April of 1913 he went sport-fishing in Florida, for a much needed break.
Actually Mike, if you want to know more about it I suggest you read:
1. The agronomy letters.
2. The 1916 Article in its entirety. (It still shocks me that a supposed Wilson expert such as yourself never even bothered to read this!)
These two sources lay it all out, in great detail. And
not a word about any design ideas, or hole placement or design concept, or any such thing. Except of course for the discussion of what CBM and HJW contributed.
. . . he garnered such laurels and sterling reputation that Robert Lesley, Clarence Geist, Ellis Gimbel and Franklin Meehan immediately sought his expertise for design and construction purposes immediately after the opening of Merion East?
What he did (see above) was very important and he did a great job. He deserved the laurels. And by the time he was done he had completed an apprenticeship with the top designer in the country, he had picked the brain of the top agronomists on an almost daily basis (looking at the Ag letters, who knows how many letters he sent to CBM), he had supervised the top course builder in the country, and he ended up laying out and building a very good course.
So by this point he surely was ready for Merion West and Seaview. And Mike, I know you don't like hearing this, but but as sporty as Merion West is, it pales in comparison to Merion East. And Seaview did not exactly set the world on fire. So if Wilson was the second coming of Old Tom, then what happened after Merion East?
So Mike. That is what I think he did.
NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT HE DID DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD? NOT WHAT YOU INFER HE DID, OR WHAT YOU HOPE HE DID, OR WHAT HE MIGHT HAVE DONE, BUT WHAT HE DID? AND PROVIDE ME YOUR SOURCES FOR EVERYTHING YOU THINK HE DID? THANKS.