Ronald,
I would say approach play is fairly well-varied at Shaughnessy. There are still a few Macan greens that pitch toward the back of the putting surface, which is perhaps where they're talking about balls releasing 50-75 feet.
The fairway approach areas running into the greens at a number of holes are quite narrow; and, I wonder if these areas are appropriately firm relative to pitching the ball short of the green from where it would release onto the putting surface. I don't know the answer. But, this is a shot Macan often wanted golfers to learn, and play at his courses. He wrote about this a lot over his career, saying many of his fallaway greens at Shaughnessy, and elsewhere, were criticized because golfers were too stubborn to figure out that such greens were purposely designed to favour a terrestrial approach.
On this note, I think another problem is the climate and grass types common to the Pacific Northwest. It's not easy to keep the fairway approach areas firm and consistent with the greens because it's so often damp (rain and irrigating Poa). This was the case when Macan's 12th green at Victoria Golf Club - which tilted front to back - was rebuilt during the 1980s. The approach was too often damp, I hear. Land the ball short, it stops. Land it on the firmer green surface, the ball's over the back. A plethora of Poa in the fairways doesn't provide for the same reaction you'd get from a bentgrass approach, either.
Bill,
Shaughnessy is indeed scheduled to become NLE. A native band owns the property and is currently leasing it to the club. This band has made it clear that they will take the land back in about 20 years or so, I think it is. So, there will likely be at least a few more Canadian Opens played at Shaughnessy before this happens.
I agree that Mr. Macan would likely find Columbia-Edgewater - along with a majority of his original golf course designs, unfortunately - as unrecognizable as Shaughnessy these days.
Bob,
I agree, too, that Shaughnessy has a great routing and a good mix of holes. This is attributable to the framework Macan laid down there.
I can't recall specific numbers right now, but there are indeed more than a few greens at Shaughnessy that have been redesigned since Macan's days. As for their size, I wonder if there's been some notable shrinkage of the putting surfaces (specifically at the oldest Macan greens) over the years? I don't recall. My last visit was awhile ago now. But, like at Pebble Beach, for example, perhaps the greens weren't always as small as they are today at Shaughnessy? Likely.
Shaughnessy is indeed a good course. But there are so many details missing that could quite easily be restored/enhanced to once again make the place something special rather than just another tournament course with 20-yard wide fairways bordered by thick rough and ornamental plantings featuring at too many holes. Mr. Macan's work was so much more sophisticated than that. Shaughnessy could be one of Canada's most distinctive golf courses.
As you say, perhaps with the USGA (under the direction of Mike Davis) taking a more sophistcated look at courses in the US Open rota, we might follow suit up here.