Was Tom Doak the architect that tipped off George Bahto? I have the Confidential Guide that has a copyright date of 1996 and Tom Doak says he thinks that Charles Banks designed the course. Not sure why he cited Banks, but interesting that he did not say Tillie.
Keith:
I never spoke to George about it back then. But, I did know enough of the Macdonald style to recognize that some of the holes at North Shore [especially the 9th and 10th] looked a lot like the Macdonald/Raynor/Banks style. I just guessed Banks ("maybe") because I thought if it was Macdonald or Raynor it would already have been documented, and because nothing there reminded me of Tillinghast's work.
I would not have the patience (as Steve does) to go through records at the NY Historical Society, even if I had the time. But I was pretty good at guessing the correct answers on tests, even as a kid.