George,
You've asked some tough questions here...
1- I have to give this one some serious thought and get back to you on it. There are courses of his that have had nothing done to them yet that really wasn't a case of preservation, but rather one of lack of maintenance funds. Then there are courses that have had a good deal of work done on them throughout the years, but always with the specific idea of preserving what is there...
2- I am thrilled to be able to answer this as Tom Doak recently announced that he would be doing it at Shawnee. His specific goal and charge is to return it to 18 holes and as Tilly wanted it. Now that is both the catch and the challenge. It was originally designed at just over 6,000 yards and then Tilly redesigned, including a rerouting of the course, to one of more than 6,500 yards. He also tweaked it further through the years making changes as needed to deal with technology changes. I am personally hoping that they'll allow Tom to restore the huge singular mound that stood like a sentinel by the 15th green.
3- We've been contacted by a number of architects, clubs and even individual members for research help and answer to questions. Many times this involves planning restorations while other times it is to aid in settling debates within a green committee. For example, recently we were asked by a member of a green committee at a club I won't name how Tilly used mounds in his designs. The reason was because another member wanted to get rid of some mounds that he didn't like on some holes and he claimed that Tilly didn't use mounds from the late teens onward. We were able to give a good explanation of his use of mounds throughout his career including photographs of a number of locations. We also were able to supply a sketch for one of the holes in question that Tilly had used in an article... It had mounds as part of the design... As far as I know, Gil researched Fenway on his own... and he did a FABULOUS job of both research and restoration!
4- We are very active in doing anything we can to promote Tilly's work. Now with the last of it that he actually did being nearly 70 years ago, most would think that would be merely a moot point. That isn't the case, and for a number of reasons, and so let me give an example. Almost a year ago now a simple question about Tilly's visit to the Blackhawk Country Club in Wisconsin led to a series of three newspaper articles about Tilly's visits to more than 20 courses in the state during his PGA Tour. No one at any of the clubs knew of these and now we've had the privilege of helping a number of them discover what was and wasn't done as all want to preserve it.
We also support a club's right to make changes where they believe it is in the best interests of the club. This is a principle that Tilly himself believed in, for if he didn't, why would he make changes to his own designs, in some cases within a very short time of the original work? What we are very concerned with is preserving his intent in design and how it applies to the work he did.
We are deeply interested in providing the tools for clubs, architects and individuals who are interested in Tilly's work and who desire to learn more about it. That is why we have placed so much of his original writings on the Tillinghast Association website and will be putting more up in the future.
I would strongly encourage anyone with questions about the Association to write us and ask away. I would especially any and all who love golf course architecture to consider joining the Association. Just go to the website and follow the instructions. The three books of Tilly compiled writings alone that come with it are worth more than the ONE-TIME fee to join. There are NO DUES and NO ONE is paid any money by the Association. We all work for free...
5- This last one is the toughest of all to answer. I have the best of intentions to play much more often than I do and yet there is always something that gets in my way. As a result, in the last three years, even though I live just north of Atlanta, I have played more rounds on Bethpage Black than anywhere else. In fact, in three weeks it will be one year since I've been able to get out and play! That is terrible and embarrassing. Fortunately I've been to a number of clubs to simply see the course(s) there and dig into their archives... Its hard to decide at times which is more fun and the greater privilege... Still, I am really looking forward to playing Idle Hour in Macon with Ken Banks in a few weeks!