Brian,
I mean no disrespect and I actually applaud what you are doing/trying to do but I have to laugh as Mike Young has given many of us so much crap over the years for trying to do the same thing. Read his rely #8
For what they are worth, here a few quick suggestions, for one, I agree with Tom Doak about finding out what Tillie did on that golf course and do that. Second, just because you have (or eventually find) the original plans does not mean you are all set to go to do a “restoration”. It helps to have them but a very early aerial along with actual course photos are just as if not more valuable as that shows you what was actually built (or at least was on the ground at the date of the photo). You want to find out what Tillie built, not just what he was thinking of building. Third, what is the main goal of the club? Do they even care about Tillinghast or do they just want a better golf course? Part of your job is to help educate them to what they had and how it evolved and go from there. You need to figure out what is it that they want to promote when all is said and done. Best to be on the same page with them. Good luck!
Zero disrespect taken.
Mike is still correct in the above as any attempt other than a "pure restoration" is sympathetic at best in my opinion. This what we are trying to do at my club. It's a balance of....
Take the best of what Tilly may have laid out(we don't have the plans)
combine with some images from a "snapped line in time" that represents a feeling of a high point for the course
Use some "what might have been" imagination
Consider current and future entire membership needs and wants
Update to modern play as much as needed or possible
Throw in some imagination and fun on holes that we know Tilly nor McCarthy(?) supervised.
What works for us is that some holes, especially the first 9, are pretty documented in aerials. For example, we had a true punchbowl green which should lean toward restoration, IMO.
That green sits on a double dog leg par 5.Now the question is should there be a great hazard? A GH was never originally built although Mike and I agree that we can see where it would have been placed initially, maybe even started and abandoned. Doesn't mean we
will build one, that would not be a restoration of the original construction.
Plus, the membership has never seen a GH on that hole, ever. So, building it would be NEW to the club.
This is where original plans come in handy. Was it designed to be there by Tilly and the membership just said, nah....?
Or, do we put it in and be sympathetic to Tilly's style and would be an amazing addition?
The questions at hand are nuanced depending on location, date, construction supervisor/team, membership, etc..
As for membership caring? That was the point of another post I made. Truthfully, no. At least not to the extent that I do. They LOVE this place but many can't pinpoint why. So, we only want to enhance that feeling with the work.
I also agree with Mike's last sentence vociferously. It's his job to educate the membership and market the work he does - if he so desires. It's the clubs job to decide what we want to promote, internally and externally and how.