"Layout/Route Blazers" What do we call them?

[John Burnes]

Curious as to what folks think of a person or persons who layout or route a course and it is later credited to another person or persons (ie architect).  Specifically, I came across a photo that shows Vardon/Ray and some others at Aronimink, with a caption written that they laid out the course.  We know it is a Donald so what happened and what do we call of these preceeding efforts?

pic.twitter.com/b3flNdqQve
 

[Dan Herrmann]

John - you sure it's Aronimink?  I think Vardon/Ray predated the current course (late '20's, I think)

[John Burnes]

yes-look at the caption on the bottom of the photo.  Also, Aronimink had four locations and Vardon was alive even at the fourth.

[Matthew Rose]

Pete Dye's routing at Harbour Town was based on an earlier one by George Cobb.

[Tom_Doak]

John:

The question is whether the earlier routing was used or not.

If it wasn't, then we call the "route blazer" irrelevant.

If it was, then we should call him the "architect".  However, as Harbour Town shows, sometimes the routing is more important than other times.  When the land is as flat as Hilton Head, the routing is not the most important part of the job.