How many courses have you ever considered to be the best in the world? Three? Five? I would guess less than ten at any rate with the point being that it is a darn small number. All the courses would certainly be household names.
Wind the clock back seventy plus years and many of those very same courses like Oakmont, Merion, Pine Valley, NGLA, The Old Course would still be on the list. In addition, perhaps a Myopia Hunt and Westward Ho! might sneak in as well. And according to some quotes found by Tom MacWood, Engineers Country Club on Long Island in the 1920s was considered among the world's very best, if not THE best.
Herbert Strong was its architect and his features were bold and pronounced. Yet, this and that often happens to features/courses that are strikingly unique (George Thomas's double fairways that functioned so well or Augusta's lack of bunkers/rough/trees are a thing of the past for instance) and such is the case with Engineers. Still, the course of today remains loaded with personality.
Like William Langford, more attention needs to be paid to Strong's work. Along with the praise that would ensue, clubs fortunate enough to possess a design of his would be all the more appreciative of what they have. Tom MacWood has long trumpeted Strong and his work and Tom was kind enough to provide numerous black and white photos and quotes about Engineers from its heyday - see what you think.
Cheers,