No doubt Francis had nothing to do with strategy. Just trying to figure out how you say he didn't work before constructon and came up with his swap before November 15, 1910 at the same time.
He wasn't on the construction committee when he figured out the space problem. Three of the members of the construction committee reportedly made substantial contributions that previous summer and fall. Lloyd (the deal), Griscom (who reportedly got CBM to come, but I have my doubts,) and Francis with his swap. This may explain why they got put on the committee. Once the committee was formed, I see no evidence that anyone on the construction committee other than Wilson did anything before NGLA, and I have my doubts about who exactly was at NGLA.
As for the rest, invite me to the next seance you have with those old boys, so I can be as sure as you are!
You don't need to be seer to know what is going on here. We have a course with the usual CBM features, holes, and concepts, and an extensive record of his involvement in the design process. You guys are only kidding yourselves at this point.
You are stretching that beyond reasonable bounds. The minutes say Merion took many plans, and they say they did five more after they returned.
Speaking of stretching . . . that is not what the minutes say. It doesn't say they took any plans to NGLA. It says, "After laying out many different courses on the new land, they went down to the National course with Mr. Macdonald and spent the evening looking over
his plans and the various data he had gathered abroad . . . ." The only plans mentioned are CBM's plans. And what an odd way of putting it. They went down to the National course
with Mr. Macdonald? Sort of makes it sound like CBM was with them the whole time.
No one said anything about CBM preparing a plan at NGLA. So, that part of it is speculation anyway.
Do you think Merion prepared
his plans? Funny how you all ignore this. I don't.
Isn't this a strange report still? There isn't just the changes to first person and the lack of description of who did what, there is also the way they just throw in Macdonald. It is as if they had already been discussing what was ongoing, or as if there is something missing. Compare it to the first Lesley report, which sets everything out in detail, including the detail of who was on the Committee. Here, they just throw out Macdonald as if everyone was aware of his involvement. We went with Mr. Macdonald down to the National, as if he was was with him all along. Did the board even know who they were talking about at this point? How? Did they remember from nine months earlier that this Macdonald fellow had come to see their course? Did the board even remember who Mr. Macdonald was? When they are supposed to be designing the course what are they doing going on a weekend getaway with this Mr. Macdonald?
And who went to NGLA? Why doesn't the report say? And why don't we have the rest of the minutes from this meeting? This is just a report. We have a resolution, but surely there was more to the meeting than this?
And why again were they reporting this to the board? I don't understand that. If Macdonald wasn't planning the course then why did Lesley report that they went to the National course with Mr. Macdonald to go over his plans? If it wasn't crucial to the design then why is it being reported to the board? If Merion planned it, why didn't they Lesley just say, Hugh Wilson and his committee planned the course, and here is the plan? Same questions about CBM's next visit?
And at this point why is Wilsonchopped liver. He doesn't even get a mention. Any why couldn't his committee, the vaunted construction committee, planners of the great Merion course, even make the Merion's board minutes?
Yet you guys ask to dismiss all the mentions of CBM and HJW and expect me to believe that they never bother to even mention who designed their course?