In Search of the First Golf Course Architect

[Melvyn Morrow]

David

So I am seeing the real David Moriarty, who can’t put up but will not shut up.

Calls it ‘silly to cherry-pick a date range corresponding with a period where CBM was inactive in golf’ Thank you that was my very point.

In the early 1870’s his interest was just playing golf and listening to golfing stories,  While he was making his mind up what to do about golf that is, if anything, others got on with the job of developing the game in the first and only real Golden Age the game has ever had. CBM did nothing, did sweet FA while others of his age introduced the game around the world assisting in it spreading.  Whether it lasted or not or slowly survived is neither here nor there, the point is at the prime time in the history of the game CBM was not there, he did nothing.  What is more surprising with his own relatives association with the R&A he still did sweet zero.

I have learnt about CBM and at the most fascinating time in the history and development of the game at home and overseas your brilliant Mr CBM is quiet, dormant, inactive within the game, yet you want others to see this man as a hero. Well it might be a late hero to you over the pond, but he was not there when it counted. Yet in Canada & the USA the Hunters where, slowly they helped promote golf but did not write books saying how good they were, they just got on with the job.

I gave you the  details re Father of golf in Mobile and I proved it was not a figment of my imagination by  attaching a link to an article that made the claim. More evidence than you have produced .

I have justified my comments about  CBM , and with your assistance you have confirmed them by saying  “corresponding with a period where CBM was inactive in golf”.  I do not dispute what he did late in his life re golf.

Melvyn

PS on a list of courses designed by Old Tom and then laid out after his death, you should have made another comment as you could find yourself eating your own words. Granted it’s not a long list but what constitutes a list?

[DMoriarty]

Melvyn,

Of course it was your point.  My point is that relying on such empty rhetoric does nothing to improve your case.

No doubt those golfing around Mobile were very appreciative of your distant relatives, but the history of golf had not yet been completed as of 1890.  There was more to come.

You really ought to learn that you need not tear down others to try and uplift your family heroes.  It is unseemly and you do your already shaky credibility favors.

[Melvyn Morrow]

David

1890 ah yes a year that CBM was still inactive in Golf.

[Melvyn Morrow]

The term of Architect certainly goes back into the 1890's as can be seen from the article from the mid 1890's 'The Golfing Greens of the UK with plans'

 

The point being that the author describes Old Tom as the architect.

[Sean_A]

David

Some links were definitely established by 1875, but far more were to come and tons of the pre 1875 courses were seriously altered.  It would be interesting to see CBM's drawings of holes and to know the evolution of those holes. 


Tommy Mac

Overly harsh in the same many on this site are about some archies in the past 70 years.  Doesn't mean one can't be level headed, but there is no question there are favourites and not so favourites.  Looked at another way, most of what was built in the Dark Ages was poor to average.  Its no so different today.

Ciao

[TEPaul]

Melyvn:

That is very good that you just produced that 1890 article that mentions OTM the architect. I think that is the earliest I've seen so far that actually mentions the term or word re; golf "architect." I think that's the kind of thing Anthony Pioppi was looking for.

[Tom MacWood]

Melvyn
Whose was the author of that publication, and what year was it published?