When I was a 13 year old kid just starting the game in 1971, we played at a ramshackle old farm in northeastern PA that had been converted by the owner into a pretty cool, if shortish golf course. I've told the story here prior how my dad would drop us off before work and how we'd go round and round all day long, til he joined us afterwards, often ending up playing dawn til dusk. The cost of a membership for the year was a whopping $35.
Sometimes as we'd need a break between rounds, we'd pop into the converted shed that served as the clubhouse for Stewart Sandwiches, (if you don't know what they were, it's the culinary equivalent loss of going through the 60s and somehow missing The Beatles and Muhammed Ali) served with requisite chips, pickle spear, and a Coke on the side.
There was a pile of magazines in the corner, and one day I picked up what I believe was a "Sports Illustrated" magazine, that had an article in preview of the US Open of that year titled, "The Ghosts of Merion". The article chronicled various holes at Merion, with overlays of faded pictures of famous golfers who had met either glory or tragedy on each hole, and as a kid of 13 just learning the game, and just becoming aware of what a golf course could be, I was instantly fascinated, and fell deeply in love.
Some here might think I'm a bit daft and overly sentimental for my passion regarding the history of Merion and from a distance, they're likely right. However, it is what it is and as the dust settles from the past few weeks, I feel pretty good about the fact that Hugh Wilson's role in the creation of Merion still stands tall, and has even probably been elevated. With the amount of research a number of us have done over the past 10 months related to the early history of Philadelphia golf, which includes much more than just Merion, it's clear to all of us that his reputation is well-earned and justified.
That being said, that is not the purpose of this thread.
Yesterday, it occurred to me how much I'd love to find that old article. In my fading memory, I thought it had appeared in Sports Illustrated, but during an EBay search yesterday I didn't find anything seemingly related. That got me thinking that it could possibly have been a different publication...possibly Golf World, or something like that.
If anyone knows anything about the article in question, I'd love to hear from you. I'd also be willing to pay a reasonable collector's fee for a copy.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide in locating this article....
Mike