"I would classify it as "Unique" along with Friars Head. You can't call the above parkland. How do you classify Merion? By the way since you grew up there I disqualify all your views of PR. You don't appreciate it enough!"
MikeS:
Funny you should ask about what to classify Merion. I had that very conversation just yesterday with Merion's ultra good superintendent. I said its style was "unique" and he said it was "one of a kind". I think both describe it pretty well. Luckily he tends toward the position of less trees which is appropriate for the way that land was before the course.
The important thing for some of these golf courses is to not try to make them fit into some particular "style" if they aren't that and never were. Some of the definitions of these various styles in golf architecture are probably too inexact or misunderstood anyway.
One of my real favorites in the "style" category is The Creek because it has three separate areas that are just so distinct from one another and the best part is their look and style was that way before the golf course. Their inclination may've been to homogenize those three areas into a more similar look and style but I believe we've now convinced them to actually enhance those areas to be as distinct from one another in look and style as they were before the course. I believe now they've really gotten into that idea.
Matter of fact, in their "seaside" section that once had a lot of rough sandy area they realize to return it to that to a decent degree does take some dedicated management and it seems like the one they've turned to for advice and counsel is none other than Friars Head who, in my opinion, may be at the cutting edge of that kind of thing today. Bill Jones, Friars excellent super's former club was The Creek.
As for Piping Rock I think I do appreciate it. They've done some wonderful things with that course since I left there decades ago but Piping also has a really good long time super. Back then, like most of those courses in those days things got pretty benign and neglected. Nobody back then thought about any of this stuff although back then Piping and Garden City had Mel Lucas and/or his father, and for a time at the same time and certainly Mel Lucas is really into this stuff.
Matter of fact, a pretty solid core of the superintendents on and around Long Island may be some of the best and most interesting in America.