I think you are correct, Pat. But is Travis truly one of the great American architects? If so, why? What parts of his resume build the foundation for that bold claim?
My only exposure to Travis is at Sea Island and Garden City. Would you consider Garden City more Emmet or Travis?
Here is a cut and paste from the GCA.com review of Garden City. It has a good bit on Travis and some of his design ideals.
Garden City is a true original. Perhaps the closest course in the United States would be the Myopia Hunt Club, and with good reason: the original nine holes of each course wereopened within one year of each other.
Similar to H.C. Leeds, Devereux Emmet was a man of leisure who enjoyed his annual trips to Europe where he studied many of the famous holes and courses. When given the chance to design a course for Garden City, he madefine useof the opportunity and his general routingaccounts for much of Garden City’s appeal to this day.
Garden City quickly hosted the 1902 U.S. Open, where it met with praise fromits participants, including one Donald Ross. No more than two holes went in the same direction, many of the greens were open in front, andgiven the firm turf thanks to the sandy soil, the participants from both sides of the Ocean enjoyed keeping the balllow out of the wind by playing low running shots onto the greens.
Like Leeds, Emmetutilized cross bunkers to present a direct challenge to the golfer. However, unlike Leeds, Emmet didn’tinstillthe greens with much contour nor did he make his bunkers particularly penal – escape was easy.
Enter the Grand Old Man – Walter Travis. Already amember of Garden City, and the runner-up in the 1902 U.S. Open, he was also a student of golf course architecture and later founded The American Golfer magazine, which he used to freely criticize the general direction of architecture in the United States.
In particular, Travis despised the blandness of American golf and wrote, ‘Golf, with us, is mostly of a kindergarten order. The holes are too easy and there is too much of a family resemblance all through.’ He went on to say that American courses were dumbed down to suit the average player and did little to encourage first class play.
In 1906, Travis penned anarticle detailing how the Garden City course could be improved. In particular, he advocated deeper bunkers and more interior movement within the greens.
Travis believed that bunkers were hazards to be avoided. Good luck trying to reach the 6th green from here - it is still 200 yards away.
In part because of his impressive playing credentials, the Club Board decided to act upon his suggestions. Travis spent the next two years adding 50 bunkers, deepening others and re-doing all 18 greens. He also increased the length of the course and once again by 1908, this famous Long Island club was hosting another important event – the U.S. Amateur Championship. Max Behr lost in the finals, and but went on to become the Editor of Golf Illustrated and wrote extensively on the subject of golf architecture.
Do you think this captures the essence of Travis' style? Is there something missing?