Before we get off into another lengthy exercise of parsing words, trying to determine the meaning of "laid out" "constructed" "responsible for", "built" and host of other meaningless semantic dances, I thought it best to put together some of the words of the historic timeframe, as they were written.
It should be noted that speculation about the identify of "Joe Bunker" took place here recently, with everyone from Tillinghast to Wiliam Poultney Smith listed as possibilities, but it's clear from his volumnious writings for that paper that he had incredible insight into the dealings of the men of the Philadelphia School of Architecture and was clearly writing from the "inside".
It should also be noted that the writer William Evans was the head of the Green Committee at Country Club of Lansdowne, on the GAP Committee, a friend of Robert Lesley, Clarence Geist, Ellis Gimbel, Hugh Wilson, Tillinghast, and all the other major players of the time. He was another insider's insider.
I'm also thinking that we're being asked to believe that because a ship's manifest for Hugh Wilson's legendary pre-1912 trip cannot be found online 100 years later, that it didn't happen.
Interestingly, neither does George Crump's trip in 1910, although we're told that was due to a mispelling.
We're still waiting to hear why none of the 800+ "H. Wilson"'s who travelled from Britain between 1908 and 1912 are the correct one.
In that light of speculation, let me present the rest in their own words, as they were written back then;
Philly Inquirer – 9/15/12 – “Clubs & Clubmen” column
“Mr. Hugh Wilson went abroad to get ideas for the new course and helped largely in the planning of the holes.”
Philadelphia Public Ledger – 10/12/13 – William Evans
“Hugh I. Wilson, chairman of the Green Committee at the Merion Cricket Club and who is responsible for the wonderful links on the Main Line, has been Mr. Geist’s right hand man and has laid out the Sea View course. Mr. Wilson some years ago before the new course at Merion was constructed visited the most prominent courses here and in Great Britain and has no superior as a golf architect. Those who have visited the new course have commented warmly on its construction.”
Philadelphia Public Ledger – 11/1/14 - William Evans
“Then comes Hugh I. Wilson of Merion, whose word ought to count for a great deal, for he laid out both the Merion courses and the Seaview links. He has this to say.. "
Philly Inquirer 12/06/14 – Joe Bunker
“Hugh I. Wilson, for a number of year’s chairman of the Green Committee at Merion Cricket Club has resigned. He personally constructed the two courses at Merion, and before the first was built he visited every big course in Great Britain and this country. “
Philly Inquirer 1/24/15 – Joe Bunker
“Such experts as Hugh Wilson, who laid out the Merion and Seaview courses…have laid out the golf course in Cobb’s Creek Park.”
Philadelphia Public Ledger – 1/31/15 – William Evans
“A Committee made up of Hugh Wilson, the man responsible for the two Merion and new Seaview courses…will aid the park engineers in laying out the course (at Cobb’s Creek)”.
Philly Inquirer 4/23/16 – Joe Bunker
“Nearly every hole on the course (Merion East) has been stiffened (for the US Am) so that in another month or two it will resemble a really excellent championship course. Hugh Wilson is the course architect and Winthrop Sargent is chairman of the Green Committee. These two men have given a lot of time and attention to the changes and improvements. Before anything was done to the course originally, Mr. Wilson visited every golf course of any note not only in Great Britain, but in this country as well, with the result that Merion’s East Course is the last word in golf course architecture. It has been improved each year until not it is almost perfect from a golf standpoint.
Philly Inquirer 1/14/17 – Billy Bunker
“Hugh Wilson built both the Merion courses and the course at Seaview.”
Philly Inquirer 1/28/17 – Billy Bunker
“Both the Merion Cricket Club courses were built under the direction of Hugh Wilson who also laid out the Seaview course.”
Philly Inquirer 4/22/17 – Billy Bunker
“An expert like Hugh Wilson, who built the two fine courses at Merion believes every club would have better putting greens if not for the craze for lightning-fast greens.
USGA Greens Section report – February 1925 (after Wilson’s death)
“The mature results of his studies in golf architecture are embodied in the East Course at Merion, which was remodeled under his direction in 1923-24. It is safe to say this his course displays in a superb way all the best ideas in recent golf course architecture along the lines of its American development. For a long time to come the East course will be a mecca to all serious students of golf architecture.”
George Thomas – Year unknown (quoted by Geoff Shackelford)
“I always considered Hugh Wilson of Merion, Pennsylvania as one of the best of our golf architects, professional or amateur (note the early need for distinction). He taught me many things at Merion and the Philadelphia Municipal (Cobb’s Creek) and when I was building my first California courses, he kindly advised me by letter when I wrote him concerning them.”
Geoff Shackelford – “The Captain”
“Thomas spent considerable time studying Hugh Wilson’s work during the construction of Merion Cricket Club’s East Course in 1912, its West Course in 1914, and at a municipal course in Philadelphia, now Cobb’s Creek.”
Golf Illustrated – July 20, 1934 – A.W. Tillinghast (a man who had been there since the beginning and witnessed the creation of Merion first-hand)
“There was peculiar pleasure in revisiting Merion after an interval of years for I have known the course since its birth. Yet, with it all, there was keen regret that my old friend Hugh Wilson had not lived to see such scenes as the National Open unfolded over the fine course that he loved so much. It seemed rather tragic to me, for so few seemed to know that the Merion course was planned and developed by Hugh Wilson, a member of the club who possessed a decided flair for golf architecture. Today the great course at Merion, and it must take place along the greatest in America, bears witness to his fine intelligence and rare vision.”
I would assure everyone that the context of each of the quoted articles is wholly consistent with the theme and message being presented here.
If anyone wants to see any of the articles in their entirety, I'm sure Joe Bausch can make that happen.
Thanks, and my apologies to this board for getting upset about being asked to continually question what "is" is, and told that blue is green.
We're once again being asked to believe that men like Evans and Tillinghast and Smith who knew Wilson personally and were there at the inception had no idea what was going on, or that Hugh Wilson personally did nothing to disavow these rumors of both his golf architectural studies, his voyages, his knowledge, or his architectural achievements so as to be an implicit liar by omission.
That's serious stuff, so if that's the charges, and if that's what you claim to have evidence of counselor, then please put them out there.
This cat and mouse game of "I'm not ready yet" doesn't wash at all.