Frankly, as alluded to by Bob Crosby on one of these threads a while ago, I am not aware of a single time in any resource or reference piece or material about Merion, ever, at any time, where the routing of Merion was ever mentioned. I don't believe that word was ever mentioned about Merion at any time by anyone who was around for the creation of Merion.
The most specific thing I've ever seen is when Alan Wilson mentioned in his report on Merion's creation that Hugh Wilson and his committee 'DESIGNED and constructed both courses'. He also said both courses were "Homemade", and later in that report after he gave credit to Macdonald and Whigam for their good and kindly advice he said: ".....and while largely helped by many excellent suggestions and much good advice from the other members of the Committee, they have each told me that he (H.Wilson) is the person in the main responsible for the ARCHITECTURE both of this and of the West course.
I have always found that this fine piece of reporting from a man who was there every step of the way has been so completly ignored by so many and whenever it is mentioned, it's dimissed or ignored by most, including Moriarty to date, as unimportant or some inaccurate glorification. Most clubs never had this kind of fairly comprehensive report attached to their creation. Merion is lucky to have this one.
I think the way Moriarty treated it (or didn't bother to) is one of the most intellectually dishonest things I've ever seen in what's supposed to pass as a comprehensive and well reserched essay as well as discussion on here about it.
I'm just going to keep coming back to this report as I always have. Alan Wilson was a very fine man with a long history in many things to do with golf. His reputation for integrity was excellent. He was a man who many and some significant people and clubs went to for advice, as his younger brother was. His report should NOT EVER be treated this way, as it's been treated on here, by anyone.
Moriarty apparently knows he can't refute it without basically implying that Wilson was also engaging in hyperbole or glorification or just untruths, so he just seems to overlook it in his quest to support his assumptions and conclusion.
Let HIM not even BEGING to offer some alternative assumption and conclusion about who DESIGNED Merion East before he completely REFUTES what Alan Wilson wrote. And, in my opinion, as apparently in most on here that would take the physical production of a routing and design plan that matches the way Merion was first routed and designed!!
In all that has gone on in these threads many seem to forget about this report and what it says, but I never will. For Moriarty to treat Alan Wilson in this way by basically ignoring him and the words and statements in his report is truly intellectually dishonest and I believe more and more people are reacting negatively to his essay for that very reason!
For Christ Sakes, Moriarty plays up Tom MacWood's bullshit research on one H.H. Barker who wasn't even gotten by Merion more than he does Alan Wilson and what he said----again, a man who was there to see it all every step of the way.
With all the other multitudinous details that are flying by most must be overlooking how intellectually dishonest this really is!