[Bill_McBride]

GCA.com's newest member is Melvyn Morrow of Suffolk, England.  He is an expert on Old Tom Morris and his golf courses, and has the advantage of being a family member - he's Old Tom's great-great-grandson!  What an important (and incredible) connection to the developmental era of golf architecture Melvyn is, and I hope he shares all the passion and knowledge I saw from him in a handful of emails.

Welcome, Melvyn, I hope we do have a chance to get together in Dornoch in June.

[Sam Morrow]

I like him already, he has a great last name!

[Jason Connor]

Welcome Melvyn.

May we call you Young Young Young Young Tom?  Just kidding.

I'm trying to remember the family from having read Tommy's Honor a while back.  Is Old Tom's daughter Elizabeth your great-grandmother?

Regardless, welcome to the board.  I'm sure you'll make this grand place even grander.

[Dean Paolucci]

You will most certainly add texture to the fabric of GCA.com!  

Welcome Melvyn.

[RJ_Daley]

I join in the welcome to Melvyn, and his friend and collaborator in the centenary celebrations, Andrew Rusack.  These fine gentlemen have been working hard to research and gather very interesting information about their ancestors and are lending their findings in upcoming books (one by a Mr.s Crabtree and Malcolm) which we will no doubt discuss as they are published.

[Marty Bonnar]

Melvyn,
please let me apologise for the suggestion!
Welcome indeed. I'm very much looking forward to some of that family 'insider info'.

cheers,
Martin.

[TEPaul]

Melvyn sent some of us an email expressing his dismay by a thread last summer criticizing the architecture of Old Tom Morris.

I emailed him back giving him my take on that kind of thing.

I'd be glad to post my response to him on this thread but I think I'd prefer to wait on whether he wants me to or not.

[Bill_McBride]

Melvyn sent some of us an email expressing his dismay by a thread last summer criticizing the architecture of Old Tom Morris.

I emailed him back giving him my take on that kind of thing.

I'd be glad to post my response to him on this thread but I think I'd prefer to wait on whether he wants me to or not.

That's how I got acquainted with him too, Tom.  I suggested to him that he post that email on GCA.com -- if he could stand the ensuing endless discussions!

[George Pazin]

Welcome, don't be shy, sounds like you've already interacted with some of the best.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Many thanks to all. An expert on Old Tom, no, sorry Bill but I just believe that the 1880-1900 era was the real Golden Age.

I am a keen supporter of Alfie Ward and his thoughts on technoligy. Also on understanding history and against long courses. If they get any longer, forget buggies, designers will be asked to install rails beside the fairways.

Love the old 9 hole course - can more fun and can't wait for the re-opening of Askernish Golf Course, Outer Hebrides 22/08/08 (www.askernishgolfclub.com). Check out the new web page is you love real raw golf at its very best, oh yes, its original designer was Old Tom.

Again many thanks for the kind welcome

I enjoy GCA.com.    

[Mike Mosely]

Welcome aboard, Melvyn.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Welcome Melvyn - great to have a direct descendant of Old Tom Morris on the site!

You sent me a detailed email recently. Apologies for not responding yet.  A combination of work demands and a family bereavement have kept me away from golf matters over the last few days.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Bill, TE & Andrew

I hope to submit a full article on The Early Designers in the near future, particularly Old Tom. Friends have sent me copies of statements (regretably authors not named) on the internet which paints a rather unfair reflection of Old Tom.

Of course I have read may comments over the years, but I believe I am right in saying that a list of the clubs/courses connected with Old Tom has never been printed. Bob Kroeger in his book The Golf Courses of Old Tom Morris mentioned approx. two thirds of his courses. Until his critics actually study his complete works (which looks to be over 100), I find it hard to take them seriously.

I certainly do not have all the answers, but I always try to examine all the evidence!  

[wsmorrison]

Thank you for joining the gang, Melvyn.  I had no idea that a list of Tom Morris courses has not been compiled.  I wish you well in seeing a list completed.

While Cornish and Whitten (and Labbance I understand) did a marvelous job in writing The Architects of Golf, perhaps we can publish lists of courses by architect in that section on GCA.com  It is such an incomplete list and would be useful if it contained up to date knowledge.

[Dave_Miller]

GCA.com's newest member is Melvyn Morrow of Suffolk, England.  He is an expert on Old Tom Morris and his golf courses, and has the advantage of being a family member - he's Old Tom's great-great-grandson!  What an important (and incredible) connection to the developmental era of golf architecture Melvyn is, and I hope he shares all the passion and knowledge I saw from him in a handful of emails.

Welcome, Melvyn, I hope we do have a chance to get together in Dornoch in June.

Melvyn:
Welcome.  Hope to see you post early and often.  It will be great to get your take on the various issues.
Fairways and Greens
Dave

[Ian Andrew]

Melvyn,

I look forward to your essays. I found Old Tom was by far the most complicated architect to research and/or get a handle on the body of his work. The biggest issue was the complications from contradictory information. I have enjoyed your emails regarding Old Tom and you on going discussions with Tom MacWood. I think it will be far better to get your opinions out here for others to enjoy and debate.

Welcome,

Ian

[Sean_A]

Melvyn

Welcome!  I have long awaited a chap willing continue the work of Kroeger which I think is a vastly under-rated book.  There may be many holes and mistakes, but it is a grand start none the less.

Ciao

[Melvyn Morrow]

Thanks Dave, Wayne & Ian

Ian, good to hear from you, as you know I enjoy your Caddy Shack and the couple of discussions I had with Tom MacWood. Following that I received an influx of internet quotes, statements and comments about Old Tom; one or two rather arrogant views and a few not very complimentary, but regrettably no mention of authors or source from which they were copied, as I would have liked to respond directly; never one to miss an honest debate.

Thanks to Tom MacWoods interesting approach, comments and interpretations of records, I have re-checked some of the details I had received from the R&A as they originally conflicted with information passed on to me by my father (relating to the courses at St Andrews).

I feel that some modern architects and designers certainly do not give Old Tom full credit for his design input. Let’s not forget that he was a man of the Victorian era and we must view him upon the standards of that age.

Hopefully, my own input will lead to an interesting debate on the Early Designers.

Ian, many thanks for the help you gave last summer.  

[Alfie]

Melvyn,

Welcome to the best the golf web there is !

I'm sure you'll have many valuable contributions to make on here - especially since you're  "golfing Royalty" !

And as George said earlier ; don't be shy in posting.

Alfie.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Alfie what can I say, you are responsible for forcing me to read your interview on GCA.com, but the money did come in useful. Well, what was left after our game, as I did not realise till afterwards that you had switched my ball with one of your Haskell’s. It might have been the height of technology way back in 1905, but you won unfairly. But then what does one expect from a southern Scot (Fife for ever).

Having said all that, you still look like Brett Maverick when playing with the Hickory

Alfie, many thanks for all your help and info plus the introduction to GCA.com. Glad to see you finally got something right. Catch up with you soon  

[Alfie]

Melvyn,

Listen mate. If only....if only I did look like Bret (James Garner) in his hey day, then I probably wouldn't be talking with the likes of you on here  

Having said that, there might only be one Bret lookalike on here....but I can assure you that you'll find plenty of Maverick's ? Seriously, a great bunch of guys (and a few gals) to get aquainted with.

As fellow golfers, and Scots (?), let's try to keep Mr Morris Snr to the forefront of our yattering on golfing issue's. As you and I know fully well, Tom Morris dedicated so much of his life to the promotion of golf when others might have been happier to put their feet up and relax !


Alfie.

[Melvyn Morrow]

With what you have just said and on the subject of golf, I never realised it but you are right. There is a continuous record of each generation of my family, from Old Tom Morris, James Hunter & TG & James Morrow playing golf right back to the early 1840’s. Making us one of the oldest Golfing Dynasties.  

Now I understand why it’s in my blood and why I'm so keen on history and controlling technoligy before it control the game. What am I saying, it already controls the game thanks to the total lack of foresight and planning (basic Common sence) by our ruling bodies. But that's another subject for another day.  

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