Bill,
You ask about the fairways. One of my favourite stories from the book is about Bruce Matthews I coming to Essex on a consulting visit during the mid 1960s.
The course's first fairway watering system had been installed only a few years earlier, in 1961, and the club felt it was spending too much money on water. (This was before the pond was installed between the 11th and 13th fairways, to remedy the same problem, in 1969.)
Mr. Matthews recommended narrowing the fairways to 145 feet across, as a first step. THAT'S 48 YARDS (!), which clearly indicates some of the fairways at Essex still exceeded 50 yards across during the mid 1960s!
When the 1976 Canadian Open came to Essex, RCGA officials narrowed the fairways and re-contoured them again. Basically, they retain those same (un-Ross-like) shapes today, and average a mere 26.4 yards wide. Keep in mind, the USGA uses 28-32 yard widths during the US Open.
And still, some low handicap Essex members think the fairways are too wide!