Neil:
To me this Melrose project seems completely typical of the way those well known English architects who were over here at that time, particularly Alison and Mackenzie tried to team up or partner up (with a corporate structure dedicated to individual courses) with an American or local architect. Part of the reason seems fairly obvious to me----eg they needed and could take advantage of the local or American architect's crew or support staff. In this case it was Dean Woods who apparently went everywhere with Maxwell. I believe he was Maxwell's brother-in-law and he often brought his brother along. I think it's interesting that that article above mentioned Dean Woods because his reputation certainly did become pretty well known eventually around here. Dean Woods and the Woods Brothers were apparently really incredible green builders.
Maxwell did two greens at Pine Valley that are just so wonderful and there has always been that story around Pine Valley that when they were doing those greens that Maxwell could rarely be found. Apparently he would set things up early in the morning with the Woods brothers and then take off for the rest of the day to Philadelphia to take advantage of the opera and such!
I recall spending about 15 to 20 minutes on the left green on #9 PV with the Doak Co's Jim Urbina, in his own right an excellent green designer/builder, and how blown away he was with the remarkable surface contours on that green and how they appeared to work together to drain off that green. I remember that he allowed as he felt Maxwell's Woods brothers may've just free-floated that thing BY EYE!