early amateur architects

[Joe Bausch]

Yeah, I'm like Peyton Manning and commercials.  

Here's another interesting snippet from a Verdant Greene Philadelphia Inquirer article.  Unfortunately the left edge of the column is cut off and I can't quite interpret all that is being said.  But the article is basically about amateur classification and what the USGA was doing in 1914.  When I get this in a more clear fashion, I'll post it as it is probably very interesting.  But at the end of the amateur status talk that included writers and other things, is this one about amateur architects.

Citation:

Headline: It Happened in Golfland. By Verdant Greene; Article Type: News/Opinion
Paper: Philadelphia Inquirer, published as The Philadelphia Inquirer; Date: 05-24-1914; Volume: 170; Issue: 144; Page: [8]; Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    "While the amateur links architect is not a numerous specimen, owing to his late development, he is probably the most troublesome violation yet encountered.  His is no idle hour diversion or side employment for pin money.  He goes about the job much as a contractor would.  One thing can be said, however, he cannot keep himself under cover, for his work talks to the world like that of a sign painter.  I know two or three amateurs better fitted to lay out courses than professionals.  They would have turned pros, long ago, but for the certainty that they would lose social caste."

I sure find this stuff fascinating!  To my buds that have this article, can you try to fill in the pieces from the left column of the article where the first five letters of each line is missing?

[Bill Gayne]

Joe,

In the context of the article:

"They would have turned pros, long ago, but for the certainty that they would lose social caste."

Is the loss of "social caste" referring to a loss of standing with competitive golf at the elite USGA and Western Golf Association that Travis and McDonald was competing?

[Kyle Harris]

Joe,

In the context of the article:

"They would have turned pros, long ago, but for the certainty that they would lose social caste."

Is the loss of "social caste" referring to a loss of standing with competitive golf at the elite USGA and Western Golf Association that Travis and McDonald was competing?

Bill,

I believe it's more in regard to the status of golf professionals at the time - you know, pro shop in the back of the clubhouse with a side entrance for the pro to get his meal from the dumbwaiter in the back hallway of the kitchen.

[AndrewB]

The opinion stated in this article is likely one that would help to narrow down who Verdant Greene was, if it was in fact a pen-name.  I don't imagine a lot of the architects of the time shared this view.

Phil Young already eliminated Tillinghast based on the Garden City criticism, but this does as well since Tillinghast was one who was quite vocal against considering writers and architects professionals.

Does anyone know of people from that time who were both in the circle of people that would have access to the information from these artciles and were also in favor of this stance on amateurism?

[TEPaul]

Joe:

I guess I missed that article in the exchange. Is that the opinion of Verdant Greene?

If so, I guess that narrows down somewhat who he may've been if he had an opinion like that, particularly the "social caste" remark.

It also brings up an interesting question such as if he was a writer getting paid for writing on golf for the Philly Inquirer he mustn't have been much of an amateur golfer concerned about his amateur playing status. Or maybe he wasn't paid by the Inquirer, maybe he just wrote for the fun of it which would probably mean he was pretty close to the likes of Crump, Wilson et al.

But that old ultra conservative attitude about amateurism and professionalism in golf that was particularly strong at that time was basically borne out of the old concept of amateur "sportsmen" who played the game simply for the love of it and remuneration from it of any kind and in any way was considered to be completely counter to that and basically unthinkable.

That kind of thing may've been some kind of an offshoot of the old 19th century English aristocractic idea that it was even unfashionable to work at all.

Some of those back then who felt particularly strong about that was Macdonald, perhaps not so much with others but certainly for himself.

Some of the Americans at that time seemed much more conservative than the other side.

Around 1920 the USGA Amateur Status committee passed an "exception" for all professional golf architects allowing them all to maintain their amateur playing status.

But before that most all those so-called "amateur" architects like Hugh Wilson, George Thomas, C.B. Macdonald, W.C. Fownes, perhaps Max Behr et al never took a nickel for anything they ever did in golf and architecture.

The fact that most every one of them had money may've helped!  

[BCrosby]

The story of amateur architects remains an unwritten chapter in the history of gca. Their significance has been largely forgotten. Cornish & Whitten noted that as of 1920, most new US courses were still being built by amateurs.

The great architects during the early part of the GA weren't just practicing their craft. They were also trying to establish the credentials of a profession called "golf architecture". They were trying to convince people that it made sense to pay for a professional designer.

That's also helps explain why so many architects did so much more writing during the GA.  

Bob

[BCrosby]

The story of amateur architects remains an unwritten chapter in the history of gca. Their significance has been largely forgotten. Cornish & Whitten noted that as of 1920, most new US courses were still being built by amateurs.

The great architects during the early part of the GA weren't just practicing their craft. They were also trying to establish the credentials of a profession called "golf architecture". They were trying to convince people that it made sense to pay someone to design their new course.

I think that is part of the reason why so many architects did so much writing during the GA.  

Bob