Early in this thread some mentioned that the work that Ross (and Travis) were doing at Pinehurst likely influenced Fownes and Son given their annual pilgrimage(s) to that mecca. It seems likely that would have indeed influenced them as they were also very close to the Philadelphians who at the time were themselves evolving in their thinking about golf courses through their exposure to Pinehurst; in fact Fownes was a charter member of Pine Valley. Given that Oakmont was routed prior to Pinehurst #2, and the fact that Pinehurst had flat, sand greens at the time, the architectural influence was most likely found in some of the ideas of "scientific bunkering" being implemented at Pinehurst.
Indeed it seems that the influence was felt at the same time in the Philadelphia region as well, as I posted some time back as follows. I should mention that a number of us believe that "Far and Sure" was A.W. Tillinghast;
Jim Kennedy turned me onto this awesome 1920 article by Walter Travis that speaks to his role in the 1906 "scientific bunkering" of Pinehurst #2.
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1920/ag2333f.pdfAlso,
A March 11th, 1911
Philadelphia Press article titled "30 Quakers Tramp Pinehurst Links - Philadelphians Help Swell Army of Golf Enthusiasts at Southern Resort to 800" was but a sample of the type of ongoing enthusiasm and consistent support for Pinehurst among golfers in Philadelphia, as well as nationwide.
From the article;
"The number of Philadelphians who come here yearly is increasing steadily as there is no place in the South which compares to Pinehurst when it comes to golf. At one of the hotels there are more than 400 golfers quartered and it is safe to say that oever the three courses more than 800 golfers may be found any bright day."
"The Spring tournament, which ended today, was responsible for the second largest entry list in the history of golf. The entries numbered 241 and this was beaten in only one tournament - the Transmississippi at Denver a few years ago. Here, 228 actually played, which is a new record. This is remarkable in view of the fact that the weather was down to freezing and a stiff gale blew across the course."
"There are three distinct, great eighteen-hole courses here, which is true of no other place in the world except the R&A Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. A fourth has been staked out and will be in readiness next Spring.
The most famous of these courses is the No. 2 course, laid out by Donald Ross and Walter J. Travis. They did not plan it together, but each coincided with the other's suggestions. The only change suggested by Travis and which was adopted was the omissions of cross bunkers. The ground is rolling and the grass on the fairway is Bermuda grass, the only kind that is possible in most golf resorts in the South."
"The putting greens are of clay foundation and covered with sand. The greens are flat and as there are no worm casts, perfect putting is always possible. The greens are watered for a radius of a few feet from the hole and men are employed to do nothing else but water the greens and drag a roll of carpet over them to remove all traces of heel marks."
While this article and architectural attributions are noteworthy to point out the popularity of Pinehurst during these early years, it doesn’t speak necessarily to the architectural sophistication that was found there.
However, the following article from the May 1912
American Golfer does;
"After one of the most unprofitable—from a golfer's point of view—winter, Philadelphia extended a warm greeting to spring. It has been years since the links of the Quaker City have been so unplayable as the period from Christmas until the latter part of March. An occasional day was the only respite from weeks of the worst possible sort of weather."
"One thing will be noted by visitors from other cities whether they play over such excellent eighteen hole courses as Huntingdon Valley and the Philadelphia Cricket Clubs as representing the larger organizations or the two dozen or more courses of nine holes and that is the growing tendency to improve
in a more scientific manner the courses around Philadelphia. "
"Time was when changes were made in a sort of a hit or miss manner. Today every trap or pit that is constructed means something definite and with it all has come the scientific construction of bunkers and hazards. Time was when the green committee built courses on a broad principle of the greatest good to the greatest number and as the greatest number in every golfing organization is the dub or indifferent player, the really good player suffered. As the chairman of the green committee of one of the largest courses recently expressed himself: "A few years ago we used to post the changes proposed. This met with so much opposition that we were forced to take a couple of days in the week when we were sure that the bulk of the players would not be on the course and then we started to construct a course that would help the good player and do no great injury to the poor player. Nowadays, fortunately, we are able to make changes without feeling that we would be subjected to the severest sort of criticism.""
"There is no doubt that the Southern courses have done wonders for golfing conditions around Philadelphia. It is not so many years ago that very few players took two weeks off in mid winter to play golf in the south. Where one player went South five years ago, twenty go now. Pinehurst, in particular has worked wonders. Hundreds of men who have always played a rather indifferent game have gone to Pinehurst and have been confronted with golf courses constructed on scientific principles where traps and pits have been placed in spots because good golf demanded their presence there." "The result has been that the indifferent, careless player found that every shot he made demanded study and care and the golf there brought out the best in him. When he got back to the home heath he began to realize that one of the reasons he had not been playing better golf was because his own course was constructed on rather slip shod lines, on the one hand, or built on lines to suit him and scores of other players who insisted that the course should not be made any harder than it was. He realized for the first time that his wild shots were not penalized, that many of his approaches should have been punished but were not. The realizing sense finally came to him that he had not been playing golf but had simply used the paraphernalia of the game in a very bungling fashion."
"As a direct result scores of the indifferent players who have received their real golf education in the south have gone to the green committees and frankly and freely confessed that their theories were all wrong and asked them to stiffen the course. They now realize that it is impossible to play good golf over an inferior course and that a good course does not hamper their game but actually helps it."
"At any event, the golfing renaissance in Philadelphia has actually begun and before many years we shall have courses which are a credit to us and not a mark of good natured chaffing of others who know what constitutes a good course." - "Far and Sure" - May 1912