Settle down, any objective observer would appreciate the fact that we are all dealing mostly in speculation. The fact is no one knows for certain who laid out the golf course. IMO the most logical and plausable candidates are Barker and CBM, and it occured in 1910 prior to Wilson's involvement.
Tom, on what basis are you saying that Wilson wasn't involved until 1911? All he ever said was that the Committee was formed in early 1911. How can you know he wasn't involved prior to then? Why would they have put a guy in charge of the Committee if he hadn't been involved prior? Francis first person account does not mention anyone laying out the course.
That is not true, Tom. Please read below. Francis clearly separates the two tasks the Committee was responsible for..."laying out AND constructing" the new golf course. Who knows if even recalls CBM's involvement forty years later, and there is no debating CBM was involved. Francis does mention the committee members, but also mentions their main focus was construction, and in particular getting grass to grow. I don't believe Francis said Wilson created the Redan. Their focus was on construction.
Again Tom, completely untrue. I guess I need to repost the article so you can read what it says again. Why are you trying to make Francis out to be a ninny, simply because you don't like what he wrote? The first known involvement of Wilson is 2/1/1911. IMO it is illogical to think he routed the golf course in December 1910, especially when you have arguably the two top golf architects in the country at your disposal. Why the hell would you have an untested ineperience insurance salesmen layout your golf course...a golf course that was tied to the success of a real estate venture?
Tom, your contempt for Wilson is clear and I understand it's a class warfare thing for you, but you're not making sense here. The first documented letter we have from Wilson to Piper and Oakley was 2/1/1911. From that you are inferring he wasn't involved prior, and that's completely absurd and wishful thinking. My theory is based on a few known facts
* CBM and Barker were engaged by Lloyd & Co. in 1910
Connell of his own accord brought Barker while he was in town for a tournament in June 1910. Griscom brought in Macdonald subsequently for a day, also in town for the tournament. Barker was never heard from again, and Macdonald was not back on the property until another single day visit 10 months later.* Barker is the only person known to produce a routing plan
* Barker was actively staking out golf courses during a three week period in December 1910 (from NYC heading south)
* CBM guided the construction process
I've heard of hands-off management before but this one is hysterical.* The golf course as built contained a number of CBM's features and holes
Did CBM invent the Redan and Alps holes? Did CBM invent the redan hole that Francis tells us Wilson designed or the Alps hole Findlay told us Wilson made?* Verdant Green claimed Barker designed/redesigned 3 courses in Philadlephia
Nobody ever wrote that Barker designed Merion, did they? Why in heaven's name would you think they would have excluded him, Tom?* Wilson indicated in his letters (starting in 2/1911) the golf course existed
Tom, that's a completely absurd reading of Wilson. Why would you begin ploughing up an existing golf course in late March 1911?Tom,
I'm thinking we need to revisit this article...
After introducing the committee, and telling us about his role on it, WHO do you think Francis is referring to as "WE", as in "we thought Ardmore Avenue would make a fine hazard" on holes 10, 11, & 12, as part of getting the first 13 holes fairly easily routed, or as in "we had some property west of the present course which did not fit in at all with any golf layout"?
If Francis was out early with Lloyd working on CBM's (or Barker's) hypothetical golf course routing, before WIlson's committee was formed, then why do you think he doesn't mention Macdonald or Barker at all in his accounting of events, and why do you think he seems to assign to the Committee tasks that are design-oriented?
After all, this was for a national publication in the 1950 US Open Program, not some internal Merion memo.
Why would he give Wilson clear credit for the creation of the redan 3rd hole, and not CBM?
Do you think it's possible that Francis was "added" to the Committee sometime after it was formed, and not at inception?