Hugh Alison's favorite course at Merion (A pictorial essay)

[James Bennett]

Flags?  How come no wicker baskets?

Chuck

I think the flags have pictures of wicker baskets on them!

James B

[TEPaul]

It's amazing to me what old photos of holes can show juxtaposed to new hole photos. This time it's about the difference with trees.

I did occur to me about 5-6 years ago when I saw some old photos of the holes at Merion West I call "Quirky Corner" (#6-#8) on the West Course. I don't think I saw the one of the approach to #7 (below) but I did see the one of #8 with the treeless hillside on the right.

I realize it could be problematic today going back to that look in those old photos of #7 and #8 with less trees on that prominent hillside (which is invisible today because of trees) but what a cool look it would be if they could reestablish that look today.

Look at interesing sightline in the old photo of the approah to #7. You can see right up through that extraordinary looking topography behind #7 green and right up the cut to maybe #17 green or even #18 fairway.

And the look of #8 with that bare prominent hillside on the right is gorgeous.

Too bad also that those cartpaths today break up the unusual natural topographical feeling and aura down in that unusual three hole stretch (I doubt there would be any way golf holes would be allowed to be built in there today) but I realize the cart paths are necessary today on the West with all its increased play (many more of the older players and others were encouraged to switch off the East (which now closes down in the off-season) onto the West.

[Mike Sweeney]

Tom,

Those old pictures are a bit of yin yang. In the old photos, it is much too claustrophobic in #6 for me compared to today's picture, and now that I think of it, 35 years ago it was probably somewhere in between.

On #7, the big difference is the drainage pond that was built somewhere along the way, and to answer Pat's other post, I don't think we should go back to the old look here because I am sure it would be a soupy mess down there without drainage.

[TEPaul]

"On #7, the big difference is the drainage pond that was built somewhere along the way, and to answer Pat's other post, I don't think we should go back to the old look here because I am sure it would be a soupy mess down there without drainage."


MikeS:

Of course they should never consider removing the pond (and drainage fixes down there) unless they want to turn that area back into the big elongated bathtub it once was. 
 

[Mike Cirba]

Thought given the recent discussion about the "architecture" of Merion West that this old thread might be helpful in the definition.

[Ronald Montesano]

What is the card yardage for the 6th? Very cool looking little drop shot, just wondering if it calls for a full shot of any kind.  I'm thinking with a drop of that magnitude, it needs to be at least 125 on the card to require a full shot for a player who hits a sand wedge +/- 95-100 yards


119 from the back, 115 from the middle.  I think it is a full lob wedge for many players.
[/quote]

And that is the problem with the thought process of most people...there should NEVER be a full lob wedge...too inconsistent a shot to pull off.