Having been around the fringes of GCA for many years, I have noticed trends in golf course thinking.
There used to be the perennial ranking questions of Ganton, Sunningdale Old and Woodhall Spa. R Dornoch used to do battle with St Andrews Old and Muirfield. In Ireland, Portmarnock, Ballybunion Old and Lahinch took precedence. There was nowhere in Wales.
Now we acknowledge the Welshpools, Kingtons, Delamere Forests and Broras. Who has done most to make us aware of the geuine merits of these places. I'm going to say two people, Ran Morrissett and Sean Arble.
Ran's reviews tend to be of really top courses, but he's been to Reddish Vale and found it stunning. Sean hasn't been everywhere, but pretty well everywhere, and he has found great pleasure in a lot of what we might consider secondary courses. Between them they haven't left much territory uncovered. I find the detail of coverage very good.
Obviously there a lot of other reviewers, not just American, whose opinion I am interested to learn. I'm not going to mention names, but they are all very worthy for many reasons, including those who contradict each other.
Here I come to the awkward question, who else should we include in our list of powerful advocates?
Then, who should we consider to review the best courses of Europe to put them on an equal footing with those of GB and I? Are they better (Hamburger, Morfontaine, El Saler) or not quite what they are cracked up to be (Bremen Garstedt, Hilversum, San Lorenzo).