Mike,
You put forth those blurbs above as some sort of conclusive, conversation ending proof of Cobbs' nationwide superiority? Really? This says more about your analytical skill and interest-driven reasoning than I ever could.
-- You might want to do some actual research on how much the term "famed" is thrown around. You might be surprised with the result.
-- You might also want to consider how a blurb like this generally gets in a paper like those you listed. You don't actually think they sent a reporter, do you?
You and TEPaul try to mock MacWood for posting the description of Cobbs from the Chicago paper above. What in the article was grossly inaccurate?
-- The course originally relied mostly on natural hazards, did it not?
-- My understanding is that Cobbs Creek was always on the short side, was it not? , listed at the opening at around 6070 yards. The way they measured in the Philly area at the time, it was likely significantly shorter than that.
-- The course did contain a number of drive and pitch par fours, did it not? (And by the way, early in the thread weren't you dissing courses you hadn't played for containing too many short par fours on the scorecard? Cobbs was not much longer than these courses, was it?)
-- About the only thing I can take issue with was the articles apparent reliance on the hole distances to judge the difficulty of the par 5s, but that is about it.
-- You say they increased the distance of the holes for the tournament. Did the listed yardage reflect that, or had it been lengthened multiple times? If it had, why would such a great course have to be lengthened twice in its first dozen years of existence?
In short, your mockery aside, it sounds like the article had it about right, didn't it?
As for your comments to me about Griffith Park, you are all wet. I cite California Courses because that is what I know. Call me a homer all you like, but I have made no outrageous proclamations about the superiority of any California public over all others. I understand why you are confused; even without making such claim, I've made a better case than you have for Cobbs. Still, though, I make no such claim because I don't believe it, and couldn't back it up. We certainly have different understandings of what constitutes proof. What is unfair about bringing up Wexler? He is more an expert than you, is he not?
Your continued reliance on who hosted the Publinks isn't genuine and is hypocritical. You cannot trash the quality of the other hosting courses then hold out hosting as some sort of prerequisite for quality. Were all those courses better than the California courses that never hosted? If not, then how come you assume that hosting means that Cobbs was better?
As TEPaul said somewhere, hosting was at least in part a function of a course coming to the USGA and wanting to host. I've no reason to believe Los Angeles Griffith Park would have bothered, their municipal championship drew a much higher quality golfer, as did the Los Angeles Open. That some of California's public courses were considered along with California's best privates ought to tell you something about their quality.
As for my reminders that I've played Cobbs and am familiar with its history it is because I know first-hand the outrageous nature your claim. I have no interest in knocking Cobbs, but you've overstepped reason, and in fine Philly fashion have done so in a way that puts down everything else. Had it been enough for you to say Cobbs was one of the best, or even one of the very best before 1920, there would be little room to argue and a more reasonable discussion, but by putting it above every other course in the country? Too much.
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Tom MacWood,
I'll have to do some checking, but I think Griffith Park Harding (originally but briefly called Riverside) was not a redo of a previous Bendelow course. I think that the Wilson course may have been built over the old Bendelow Course, but will confirm when I get the chance.
Have you considered Long Beach Recreation Park or San Diego Balboa Park? I don't know too much about either one, but I believe that at least Rec Park still contains some pretty cool stuff. I think these courses are a bit older than some of the other California publics, and might be more in line with where I was thinking Cobbs might fit.