Dan, that is a wonderful contrast of aerials. Thanks for the study of just how far askew GCAs of the 60s-90s revised courses with their prevailing ideas of design, which in this case seems to have ruined a perfectly great golf course. The 1939 aerial indeed shows all the classic Langford bunker placements on diagonals, (I like to call them gull wings) with the mound and sand portions sculpted somewhat concave and sweeping from high mound to tapering off.
I wonder if Langford got material for his earthworks platforms from river dredging that may have gone on way back then, before a more strict regulatory environment. It is clear that K&N or Packard got material from pond digging in the new quadrant of holes in the NE.
Thankfully, we can still see those gull wings tomorrow at Lawsonia. Particularly off tee on 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 16, 17 and 18. I love the look of 17 off the tee there.
Lawsonia still has a couple of original wrap around bunkers that had been segmented over the years. But, that is a trifle and the segmenting did offer egress off the big platform greens. So, there was need not to restore all of them where players would have to take sweeping walks rather than cross the sand, coming down off the platforms.
From the aerial, the K&N and Packard influenced by RB Harris school is so completely obvious. Moon faced bunkers, probably easier green surrounds for equipment, and probably knocked down many of the platforms that I suspect that Langford built up in what I assume was and is relatively flat riverside ground.
The new course doesn't look like it is any mundane test, however. It looks like a plenty tough course in its modern form. I haven't seen it, but wouldn't turn down a chance to play it.
Great stuff Dan.
