"TEP & Mike
The powers that be at Merion - Lloyd, Lesley, Griscom, et. al. - were not dumb asses, as you contend. They knew the importance of a true expert and hired the best of the best."
Tom:
I really don't think there is any reason to discuss that particular point with you further. I, for one, firmly believe you just don't get both how and why MCC looked at men like Wilson and his committee (that included Lloyd and Griscom) when it came to tapping them to design and build Merion East and West.
You just seem completely stuck in some believe that men like that back then looked at people like Barker and Campbell as the experts and the only ones to turn to to design and create great courses and architecture for them. Frankly, I think it was pretty much the opposite back then and their opinions can probably be best reflected in the remarks of the man they turned to in the beginning for a little help and advice on how THEY (the men of MCC) should go about it. Of course that famous remark of the man they turned to was; "It makes the very soul of golf shriek."
Do you really think he was referring to the likes in golf architecture of Leeds, Emmet, Travis, Whigam, The Fownses, Wilson, Griscom, Francis, Toulmin, Lloyd, Crump and even Knapp, Stillman etc, considered to be "expert" golfers all of their times?
I'm sorry, Tom, you may be a good newspaper, magazine and book researcher but I'm afraid you have a whole lot to learn about that time, how to analyze it in a larger sense and what it was all about in a larger sense than just golf architecture.
If you would like, I would be glad to help you understand it better. I really mean that Tom---I think the time has come for us to get over our past differences and try to work together more. This is definitely not a two for one offer, though, with your cohort Moriarty. In my opinion, that guy with me or us here has completely burned his bridges. It's too bad because I did make the same offer to him at least three times, and on the subject of really getting to understand Macdonald with more than just his golf archtitecture. But he refused each time and so I guess it's sort of that old baseball thing---eg three strikes and your out!