Chip,
You are touching on a subject that I find very interesting to think about: the competition between architects from 1910 to 1930. I tend to throw out Macdonald because he did not "need the work" and simply built courses for ridiculously wealthy guys like the Vanderbilts, Harriman, Grace etc.
But there was a whole second tier of successful businessmen, doctors, lawyers, etc. who also wanted great golf courses but were not so wealthy that they could just open their checkbooks. Cost would matter to them, and many ODG's had to deal with that. In the northeast U.S. (where I live) these clubs would interview Tillinghaust, Ross, Raynor, Stiles and Van Kleek, etc. and I am certain they butted heads on MANY potential jobs. I envision these ODG's going from committee to committee not only selling their routing plan, but also justifying their fee, accurately predciting the costs of construction AND how well the turf would grow in (a really new science back then.) I would LOVE to get my hands on the written propositions (they did not call them proposals or bids) that these guys put together!
And I wonder what Tilly would say to get a job that Ross was bidding? Perhaps something like this: "Ah, old Donald just looks at the topo maps and mails in his plans...while I walk the site!" Did Raynor tell his clients that his engineering background would assure that the project would be built on time, on budget, and include proven GREAT holes? How many times did they sit in the lobby together waiting to be interviewed?