Merion's minimal bunkering in 1915 and NOW: Seaview Origins

[TEPaul]

"Shouldn't Robinson be given primary credit and Wilson, the Nichols, Bispham, and whoever be given only minor mention, if any mention at all?"


If Robinson should be given primary credit then one really does wonder why so many newspaper accounts back at the time gave Wilson primary credit as the designer.




"How much credibility should we give Fred Kortebien's letter?"

Why should Kortebien's letter to Piper be considered less than credible? He was H. Wilson's secretary and all he was doing was answering for Wilson himself because he was sick at the time and confined to his house. Oh, and by the way, you should probably refrain from using the word "we" in your questions, as on these subjects concerning Hugh Wilson there seems to be your opinion on the one hand and everyone else's on the other hand. Matter of fact, I really don't know why I'm still answering your questions or why Mike Cirba is still reponding to your opinions and questions.

How about it Mike Cirba? Can we agree to stop responding to this nonsense? Are you aware that with Tom MacWood and Wilson it has been going on now for exactly seven years?   That's right, it began on a thread he started in Feb. 2003 entitled "Re: Merion and Macdonald?" On that thread he asked who exactly designed what at Merion East and we told him that was never recorded although Wilson has always had the course attributed primarily to him. When Wayne Morrison responded to him he seemed to become insulted and that right there seems to have begun this seven year thing against Wilson and some Philadelphians and some of the other so-called "amateur/sportsman" architects like Leeds or even Crump. If we stop responding, hopefully it will just end, so how about it?

[Tom MacWood]

There was an article written by Evans...what other articles?

[Mike Cirba]

Tom,

Everything you need to figure it out has already been posted.

Go back through the chronology; all the articles are there.

None of the work of building the course had to do with "locals".  The course was already built at that time so maybe that's the source of your confusion.

[Tom MacWood]

I'm sorry if the question about Kortebein offended...not too long ago Mike posted an article that claimed Pickering built the East & West courses at Merion (along with Seaview). I'm trying to reconcile the two accounts. Do you think maybe Pickering was fired late in the West course project?

Was Pickering employed as the greenkeeper at Merion when he was fired?

[Tom MacWood]

The early contemporaneous Atlantic City newspaper article said Robinson was the lead designer, it also said he sought the advice of experts and it named three men - the Nichols brothers and Bispham (no mention of Wilson). For the sake of argument lets assume Wilson was one of those experts who advised Robinson. Shouldn't Robinson be given primary credit and Wilson, the Nichols, Bispham, and whoever be given only minor mention, if any mention at all?

[Mike Cirba]

More to come about Seaview, but to get back to the original article in this thread, and Wilson's inspirations for his bunkering, the following snippet is from April, 1917;

[Tom MacWood]

Here is an interesting article I found in the Philadelphia Inquirer 12/21/1912. I wonder if Pickering was involved. For a guy who Wayne and TEP portrait as a drunken degenerate, he sure got a lot of work.

[Mike Cirba]

The following articles provide a chronology that speaks to design attribution as well as outlines the early evolution of the course, including the probable reason Geist quickly abandoned his early idea of a fun, yet challenging resort course, only to quickly attempt to “stiffen” the challenge by bringing in Donald Ross to add bunkers in May 1915.
   
For starters, let’s discuss the notion that Mr. Edwin K. Bispham and/or Ben Nicholls were, or should be credited with some design role.   Clarence Geist was President of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club and a member of Philadelphia Country Club.   The article in question makes clear that he brought down both men to get them interested in the club, and among other errors, the article erroneously reports that “this trio form the prime movers in the establishment of this new golf club.”   The fact is, Clarence Geist may have originally thought about creating other controlling partners in the club but quickly established himself as the sole driving force, and paid for it all himself, and one early article points out Geist’s intention to make Seaview “a monument to himself”.

Mr. Bispham was the chairman of the Green Committee at Philadelphia Country Club, and had been for a number of years during the time their course was in Bala.  He was most assuredly NOT the founder of that club, and in the club’s earliest years was not on any of the important committees.   He was a much respected Green Committee chair, however, who apparently had some superb greens-conditioning and shaped some very good bunkers at the Philadelphia CC course, from plans either developed by the committee, or by Walter Travis, whose reconstruction plans for that course I’m still trying to date.   In any case, Mr. Bispham to my knowledge never created a golf hole in his life.

Like many of the folks involved in the early Seaview course, Ben Nicholls had direct Whitemarsh Valley ties, and was their brand new professional who had come from England at that time.   I have no knowledge of his role in any golf course architectural efforts either in the US or abroad.   His brother Gil was professional at Wilmington (DE) CC and was not involved with Seaview,  nor does the article imply that he was.

Even William Robinson, former professional at Atlantic City CC until 1911 had a Whitemarsh Valley connection.   He went from there to the course at Spring Lake, NJ, which was purportedly designed by Whitemarsh members Samuel Heebner and George Thomas, and was there until Geist brought him down to Seaview.   Perhaps he had some construction role there prior?

My guess is that Geist had these men down at a time he was still looking at prospective venture capitalists and possibly was looking to their advice on the suitability of the land for golf ,or who knows.

At this juncture, this is the first and last time either Bispham or Nicholls was ever mentioned in conjunction with the Seaview project.    

The rest of the articles follow in chronological order, and should be self explanatory in telling the story, which is why at this point, without other evidence, I think what makes sense is to assign design credit for the Seaview Golf Club course that opened in 1914/15 to Hugh Wilson and William Robinson, even though Robinson is given very little additional mention or credit as the course rolls out.

June 1913



Aug 1913



October 1913 – William Evans   



June 1914 – Philadelphia Inquirer



July 1914 – Philadelphia Record



October 1914 – “Joe Bunker”



December 1914 – “Joe Bunker” - Interestingly, this article describes the original four holes lost to the hurricane the following month.   I'll have to figure out where they start/end, but it seems to early be on the back nine and by the 12th (a par five) things seem to be much different than the course that opened.




December 1914 – “Joe Bunker”




Jan 1915 – “Joe Bunker”



Jan 1915 – “Joe Bunker”



Jan 1915 – Chicago Tribune



April 1915 – “Joe Bunker”



July 1915 – “Joe Bunker”



Jan 1917 – “Billy Bunker”



Jan 1917 –  “Billy Bunker”



1917 – “Peter Putter”

[Tom MacWood]

An interesting compilation, I'm still trying to figure out if you are trying to make a case for Wilson or trying to uncover what really happened. Why did you find it necessary to dissect arguably the most important article and the one that seems to lean toward Robinson. Why did you do that?

[TEPaul]

"Here is an interesting article I found in the Philadelphia Inquirer 12/21/1912. I wonder if Pickering was involved. For a guy who Wayne and TEP portrait as a drunken degenerate, he sure got a lot of work."


First of all, it was Wayne Morrison who first gave Fred Pickering the credit he was apparently due for what he did on the early construction of Merion East and West. My recollection is he did that via a comprehensive article by Alex Findlay on Merion and Pickering. This was before anyone on here had even heard of Fred Pickering, and most certainly before you'd ever heard of him Tom MacWood.

So, for that reason alone you should've realized that neither Wayne nor I only portrayed him only as an alcholic---again, he was protrayed by us as talented and productive if his excessive drinking did not affect his performance as it clearly did on some projects as reflected in that 1924 letter from Fred Kortebien (Hugh Wilson's secretary) to Piper that has been posted on this website and happens to be the only mention of Pickering directly by the Wilsons in those agronomy letters.

As to who is being referred to in that article as a crew who worked on that Camden course who had also worked on the Merion courses, it may've been Pickering but it is more likely Johnson & Co contractors who Hugh Wilson mentioned in his report to the MCC board of directors on April 19, 1911 that the club was going to hire about 2-3 months before hiring a construction superintendent or foreman who was very likely Fred Pickering.

[Jeff_Brauer]

An interesting compilation, I'm still trying to figure out if you are trying to make a case for Wilson or trying to uncover what really happened. Why did you find it necessary to dissect arguably the most important article and the one that seems to lean toward Robinson. Why did you do that?

I am staying out of this one, but have to wonder how it is you decide that one article out of many is the most important?  We know that old articles seemingly conflict, so it seems we should take the totality of them to decide, absent any other fool proof method.  (and based on these ongoing arguments, we do have some fools present and contributing, including yours truly now)

It seems that most say Wilson did it. You seem to want to pick out the one that says Robinson did it.  So, the question is, what makes you so sure that your article is THE one? 

And IMHO, that article sort of describes him as what we would now call a project manager, who brought in the experts.  And by today's standards, we wouldn't credit him for design.  So, again, from my perspective only, I am wondering how you interpret that article as saying he designed the course, because he was in charge of the whole project?

[Mike Cirba]

An interesting compilation, I'm still trying to figure out if you are trying to make a case for Wilson or trying to uncover what really happened. Why did you find it necessary to dissect arguably the most important article and the one that seems to lean toward Robinson. Why did you do that?

Tom MacWood,

Although I thought the meaning of most of the article were self-evident, rendering additional commentary redundant, I thought the first article needed some dissection because I don't think most observers here would know who Bispham and Nicholls were, and because I believed that your reading of that article was in error, although I can understand that as there are a number of factual errors in the article itself, among them;

1) I don't believe the club was ever known as "Seaside"

2) Bispham was not the founder of Philadelphia Country Club and his name is misspelled

3) The article almost reads like a advertisement or prospectus.  I've never seen any indication that this was anyone's idea but Geist's, but yet it says he "heads a group of golf enthusiasts", and "is being supported by men equally as well known."

4) No other reports concur that "efforts will be made to make it (the course) one of the most difficult in the country."   Quite the opposite in fact.

5) The article shifts from talking about Bispham and Nicholls and Geist being "the prime movers in the establishment of the club" to William Robinson being charged with laying out the course and states Robinson "has invited opinions of other experts (note the past tense) in his work...". so I can see where it's easy to mix the two ideas.




But, for discussion purposes,let's take the article as 100% factual and at face value.   I think Jeff Brauer's comment about the "Project Manager" is the way it reads to me.   Robinson was from the area, Geist certainly knew him well from Atlantic City CC as well as from Spring Lake.   Most of the "experts" Geist knew well at the time were in Philly, or New York, and not able to be onsite every day so it certainly made sense to put Robinson in that role of onsite coordinator of activities and Geist's "eyes and ears", so to speak, especially given Geist's plans to reclaim usable land from the swamps.

In any case, I have a question of my own.   Is it more relevant to be cited as the architect of record in an article prior to a course being built or after?

Did Tom Fazio design Stonewall or did Tom Doak?   Was Gil Hanse the architect of record at Odessa National (DE), or was it Joel Weiman?   How about at the Prairie Club...will future historians find early evidence that Hanse and Shackelford did the course and argue that Lehman and Marsh were being given undue credit??  

In all of those cases there was someone different involved at the start of a project than who we know today the architect of record, or person we'd give most credit to today based on knowing the facts.    Today we know these things because they happened in our lifetimes, and because our documentation processes are probably more current and complete, but what is a historian/golf archeologist 100 years from today going to do when he comes across a Fazio routing for Stonewall and thinks he's made some new discovery that willl upset all of those romanticists of that future time protecting their valued "Doak Myth"?  

Probably the best example of this is Pine Valley.

In March 1913, the following article appeared, written by Tillinghast;





Based on this article, are we now to assume that Harry Colt gets no credit for the golf course, or had nothing to do with the routing or hole internals?   (p.s....Careful readers will note that Crump's group who was out there routing the course was called the "Construction Committee", exactly as Hugh Wilson's had been called at Merion)

Colt wouldn't even be at PV until some months later, and from the sounds of the article, a heckuva lot of work had already been done and a routing devised.    By what you seem to be arguing about Robinson, should we simply make George Crump the sole designer of Pine Valley?    

Of course not.   In the following article, two months after that initial Seaview article, it's clear that Robinson did indeed get the help he was  looking for and indeed, experts with prior experience did in fact lay out the course.   Do you think it was Robinson who saw the need to create lots of width to adequately separate the holes, or Robinson who created such wild, undulating, large greens that virtually everyone saw them as somewhat unique and even surpassing what Travis had done at Garden City or Robinson who created tees 60-70 yards long to create lots of flexibility in the course on a windy site with many beginning vacationing golfer, or imported the grass seed from abroad?

Using your terminology, Robinson was a "complete novice", having never done any work of this type before.   Why would you suddenly shift your philosophy and suddenly believe that a rich guy with expensive tastes like Clarence Geist would have his "monument to himself" designed by someone with no experience in the art?  

Wouldn't he have turned to an "expert", particularly one who was a close personal friend, and who had just designed and built what was acclaimed as the best course in Philadelphia and who had studied both architecture and agronomy in the words of Max Behr, "like no one before him (them)"?




Of course he would.   All of the subsequent articles, including this detailed one that followed two months later, tell us who the "experts" were, and Wilson himself tells us he used Fred Pickering for construction at Seaview.  





I think I'm being fair in saying that the course that opened at Seaview was a "Wilson/Robinson" course, because I'm definitely a believer in giving credit to the person put in charge of projects, whether they are simply providing high-level oversight, or detailed assistance.   But, we don't know for sure who did what, do we?   Which is why we have to look at these things comprehensively, and weigh all the evidence at hand, and give our best judgments, and see what others think.

I certainly think I'm being more fair than all of those early writers who quickly cited Wilson and quickly forgot whatever Robinson's contributions were to Seaview.


Finally, I think it's interesting to note how the different papers in those articles treated their subjects.   Hugh Wilson in 1913 would have been well-known among golf cognescenti in Philadelphia, but not far beyond view of William Penn's hat.   E.K. Bispham was a familiar socialite at the shore, vacationing and playing out of Cape May Golf Club with his wife in many of the mixed tournaments.   Geist was from Chicago and would have been known well in both Philly and Atlantic City.

The mention of Hugh Wilson only seems to be in the Philadelphia papers.   In the Atlantic City article the reference was to "experts", and in the Chicago Tribune article is simply says "one of the best golf architects", which gave some credence to Geist's project without having the local readership rubbing their temples saying, "Hugh WHO"?  

[Tom MacWood]

In an attempt to wrap this thread up based on what we know to date;

May/June 1913 - Course building starts - Articles indicate that former Atlantic City pro William Robinson has been put in charge of the project and he is soliciting expert opinions on the layout.   An August article indicates that the course has been laid out by experts who have prior experience.   The Evans article in October 1913 indicates Hugh Wilson was Geist's right hand man and laid out the course.   Later articles reiterate that attribution.

January 1914 - A hurricane eliminates four low-lying holes near the bay and forces that purchase of additional land and the subsequent creation of four new holes.

Summer 1914 - Course open to membership play

December 1914 - Hugh Wilson resigns as chairman of the Merion Green Committee citing the need to devote more time to his business.   He has just designed and built Merion East, Merion West, and probably Seaview as a hobby over the previous 3 years, and become heavily involved with significant redesigns at North Hills and Philmont.

January 1915 - Official Grand Opening Tournament with celebrities Chick Evans and Jerry Travers in a four-ball and AW Tillinghast serving as referee.   William Connellan is mentioned as being the superintendent.

April 1915 - Club hires Wilfred Reid as pro.

April 1915 - Francis Ouimet partners with Hugh Wilson to defeat Clarence Geist and Wilfred Reid in a publicized match and also sets the new club record of 73

May 1915 - Club hires Donald Ross to "stiffen" the course by adding bunkers.  American Golfer reports that

"Seaview has called in Donald Ross
to build traps, and his ideas, together
with those of Wilfrid Reid, should
stiffen the Absecon course considerably."

After designing and building what was intended and anticipated to be Philadelphia's first post-guttie "Championship Course" with Merion East, Hugh Wilson probably never intended to do anything further but go back to playing golf at his club and attending to his business and expanding family.

By September 1912, his daughter Louise would have been approaching her 6th birthday, and his daughter Nancy would have just been turning 2.

Once Merion East opened, so did the floodgates.   Within a few short months, popularity of golf at the club exploded and the club had to restrict memberships to combat the huge demand for play.   Hugh Wilson was called back into service by club officials to build them another course, which was ready to be seeded by Fall 1913.

Merion Cricket Club minutes from the fall of 1913 reportedly had the following entry;

"With the opening of the then new East Course in September of 1912, the number of players at Merion increased so largely as to make the facilities afforded – which it was expected would be sufficient for all time to come - so insufficient for the enjoyment and pleasure of the members that complaints were made with such seriousness as to require attention from your Board..."

"Merion now becomes the only golf club in America to possess two full eighteen-hole championship courses...When it (the West Course) is opened in the spring with the bus facilities that will connect it up to the East Course, it is fully expected that the golf members of Merion will have all the facilities that they could possibly desire...Our position in golf in this country will be second to none and unique in golf history, enabling us to hold tournaments, national, state or city upon our course without interference with the game of our own members."

The Merion West course opened May 1914.

Also please note that this timing was concurrent with Wilson’s activities at Seaview.

We also know from the Piper/Oakley letters that Seaview was hardly a "paper job" and that Wilson was involved in helping to solve unique and probably frustrating, time-consuming construction problems.

What's more, and probably to the chagrin of Hugh Wilson at that time, a SECOND COURSE is already in Geist's plans!

The Seaview course was also originally supposed to open in early 1914, around the same time as Merion West.   In fact, in December 1913 Tillinghast reported;

"The new Sea View course,at Absecon is coming on beautifully. The fall seeding has been blessed with fortunate weather condition and greens and fairways already are beautifully green. Here is another course that I must inspect carefully before attempting a critical review.”

However, exactly one year later, due to the January 1914 hurricane and the autumn illness of Clarence Geist, Tilinghast again reported;

"The new course at Sea View Club is coming along beautifully and Mr. C.H. Geist announces that there will be a formal opening sometime soon after the holidays and without doubt the occasion will be a memorable one.  Mr. Geist was seriously indisposed for nearly five weeks but as soon as his physician permitted him to leave the house he went immediately to the club and began preparations for this opening."

We also know for certain that Hugh Wilson had other things going on by 1913/14.   Specifically, he had been asked by Ellis Gimbel to work on revamping Philmont with greens chairman Henry Strouse.   He was on a committee appointed by Robert Lesley, Ellis Gimbel, and Clarence Geist (and two others) to locate appropriate sites for Philadelphia's first and long anticipated public course.  He was also working with Ab Smith and J.Franklin Meehan on the new 18 hole course for North Hills.  

But, Hugh Wilson and his friends had not only located the site for the Cobb's Creek course at that time, but had already designed it in 1914, prior to the approval by the city of Philadelphia

This January 1915 article already describes the course that had already been designed.   That is the same month the project got approval from the city.

This was confirmed in another January 1915 article which states;

"Robert W. Lesley, president, stated on behalf of the Committee on the Park Golf Course, that he had seen plans for an eighteen hole public golf course prepared as the result of many consultations with himself and other golf experts laid out at the northwestern end of Cobb's Creek Park..." He added further that he is assured that work on the preparation of the course will be begun as soon as the weather permits in the spring.   The new links will be of championship length and character and will give Philadelphia a public course second to none in the United States."

Construction began at Cobb’s Creek in April 1915, not coincidentally the same timeline as Ross being called into add bunkers to Seaview.    Having been part of the team that selected the site, and the committee who drew up the architectural plans, Wilson evidently took the job close to his home very seriously and was apparently onsite for what appears to be inception to grow-in that fall.

The genesis of this thread was an article from July 1915 stating that Merion had very little in the way of bunkering as of that date, but that the course could be toughened quickly if Merion was selected for a US Amateur tournament.   Despite his ongoing work in that regard, Wilson saw the Cobb’s Creek project through to the end, as seen in this article from May 1916, before opening day.

With the announcement of the US Amateur coming to Merion in the fall of 1916, the following articles detail some of the changes Wilson made to the course, likely working closely with William Flynn.

Sadly, about halfway between the triumphs of the opening of Cobb’s Creek in late May 1916, and the unveiling of the new revamped Merion in the September of that year, Wilson suffers a personal tragedy with the death of his six-year old youngest daughter Nancy.  

After what had to be a difficult winter for Wilson, the United States entered World War I and golf course design and construction came to a necessary halt.

Finally, Some speculation on why Ross's suggested changes at Seaview were largely never accomplished... (as detailed on this thread from last year;

Ross was brought in April/May 1915, shortly after Geist hired both Wilfred Reid as professional and Wiliam Connellan as superintendent.  Tillinghast speculated that the combination of Ross and Reid's ideas would be used to "stiffen" the course, as many in PHiladelphia were all about making tough golf courses at that time (although that was never the original intent at Seaview).

Geist had already spent way over budget on this project, which was to originally open in 1914, but due to problems with fill in the swampy areas, as well as a hurricane, as well as Geist's illness, was officially delayed until winter 1915.   Even a man with his deep pockets had some limitations.  

I think Hugh Wilson probably believed he could do this for Robert Lesley's friend Clarence Geist in his spare time, but when the project was already running two years, with Geist's originally announced grandiose plans now including a second eighteen holes, I think he gladly backed away from any further involvement, especially since Geist seemed to have hired quality "professional help" in the form of Ross, Reid, and Connellan.

Ross's plans were certainly intriguing and some of the suggestions would have created some bolder holes, but it would be interesting to understand what happened that first year.

Here's what we do know...

By October of 1915, William Connellan resigned.

By 1916, Wilfred Reid had left Seaview and moved to Wilmington CC in Delaware, where he would stay until the early 20s.

And as noted above, some of the most pressing things on Ross's list (like a new, probably safer green for 16) were probably actually done at this time.

However, we also know that probably 80% of what Ross suggested was never done.

By 1916, the world was on fire and it wasn't long before the United States became embroiled in WWI, which brought all frivolous expenditures in the US to a halt.  

It's interesting to note that there is very little reported on Geist or Seaview til the middle 20s when a prominent women's tournament took place there.   He then became heavily involved with William Flynn building his Boca Raton courses, and it seems Seaview never really was "toughened", or "stiffened" as originally desired.  

Today, it seems to be much as it was built for originally;  a very pleasant place to play golf requiring intesting and thoughtful shot-placement.

Given that someone probably found the Ross drawings at Seaview, and the fact that just looking at them without much study they do seem to appear much as today's holes, is probably what generated the idea that Seaview was originally a Donald Ross course.

However, I can't imagine that others haven't looked at them over the years seeing notations such as "Present Sand Pit" and not have wondered who built the course originally.

Still, I’m hopeful that some of our research this past year or so has provided much more information about the origins of this historically significant course.

Thanks for your time and feedback.

I have a slightly different timeline.

Spring to Autumn 1912 - Pickering and Wilson involved in the construction of the East course at Merion. The course formally open 9/12/1912.

November/December 1912 - The Merion crew (likely led by Pickering) constructs the new Haddon CC design by Alex Findlay.

December 16, 1912 - Wilson writes Oakley mentioning they are planning on building a second Merion golf course.

February 22, 1913 - It is announced Geist is organizing a new golf club in Atlantic City. Several site are under consideration (AC newspaper).

April 1913 - American Golfer reports a new course will be constructed at Absecon, NJ.
 
April 18, 1913 - Travis wins the Lakewood tournament.

May 1913 - Work begins on the new Seaview course.

May 13, 1913 - Wilson writes Oakley that he has just laid seed for the second Merion course.

June 1913 - An Atlantic City newspaper reports on the new course began in May. EK Bisphman and Bernard Nichols were recently in town and gave advice on they layout. Geist, Bisphman and Nichols are the prime movers in the establishment of the club. [Bisphman had recently redesigned Philadelphia CC with the help of Travis. Geist was a member of PCC. Nichols was the pro at Whitemarsh Valley, where Geist was president. Nichols was involved in the redesign of Whitemarsh.] Will Robinson was in charge of laying out Seaview and he sought the opinion of experts.  

June 7, 1913 - HS Colt spends one week in Philadelphia and reportedly visits Seaview.

August 1913 - Atlantic City newspaper reports the new Seaview will not have any parallel holes and the site is blessed with good sandy black loam. The site was formerly a truck garden. A number of experts have laid out the golf course and Will Robinson is in charge. Selected grass will be sown (Carters?).

September 1913 - The course is being rushed to completion with the help of corp of workmen. The greens are sown and the course should be ready May 30, 1914.

October 1913 - Carters advertises that Seaview as one of their projects.

October 1913 - Piper & Oakley visit Philadlephia as guest of Wilson - there is no mention of the Seaview project.

October/November 1913 - The second Merion course opens for play.

October 1913 - William Evans reports the property was purchased in the Spring and that 50 to 100 men (and 20 team of horses) have busy building the course. The grass seed is imported (Carters?). All the greens are piped and the greens are already turfed. Hugh Wilson is Geist's right hand man and he has laid out the new Seaview course. This is the first mention of Wilson being associated with Seaview.

November 21, 1913 - Wilson writes Oakley and mentions Seaview for the first time, although not be name. He uses the term 'they' to describe who is actively involved. Four greens on the East course at Merion have to be rebuilt.

November 25, 1913 - Oakley recommends the Division of Irrigation.

January 1914 - A hurricane damages the the four or five holes on the lowest point on the property. Reportedly work is taking place to repair the damage and engineers are called in to address the flooding problem.

February 14, 1914 - 54 acres on higher ground are purchased and four new holes are laid out to replace the four holes damaged by the storm.

February 28, 1914 - The four new holes are being constructed. A big force of experts in seeding and preparing the ground will arive early next week (Carters?)

March 16, 1914 - Wilson writes Oakley. Geist wants to reclaim 30 to 50 acres of marshland which he wished to use for the course. He had tried to get local advice but it had been a dismal failure.

March 20, 1914 - Oakley suggests Mr. Fortier of the Division of Irrigation.

April 28, 1914 - A newspaper reports the course will be in play this season.

June 28, 1914 - The course will open July 1. Robinson will take charge of the course. The course is in perfect condition; Robinson & Wilson have been complimented for their choice for the greens. The first foursome is Geist, Robinson, McDermott and Risely.

July 1914 - A newspaper report very similar to William Evans article from October the year before (old truck garden, gently undulating, sandy loam, watering system, etc). Hugh Wilson built the course.

August 2, 1914 - Washington Post article repeats the fact from previous articles.

August 1914 - The Greenkeepers Association of America hold their meeting at Seaview. William Connelan is the president.

October 18, 1914 - A big article in the Philadelphia Inquirer goes into great detail about the golf course and Geist's thoughts on the project. There is no mention of a golf architect.

November 1914 - It is announced the formal opening of the course will be in January. Robinson eagles the 4th hole.

December 6, 1914 - Joe Bunker announces Hugh Wilson has stepped down as chairman of the green committee at Merion. Bunker says the Wilson constructed the two Merion courses, and before the first course was built Wilson visited all the great courses in Great Britain and America. He has the same mistaken information as William Evans. Bunker also claims Wilson laid out the new Seaview course.

January 1915 - Pickering constructing Altwold CC (Findlay design). It is mentioned he constructed Seaview.

January 3, 1915 - Verdant Greene writes about the upcoming grand opening of Seaview. The quality and condition of the turf has been a major emphasis of this course. The greens are compared to GCGC. The holes in the marshland have been abandoned. Greene emphasizes Geist in this article. There is no mention of a designer or designers.

January 9, 1915 - Seaview GC formally opens. The following month the course is featured in four major American golf magazines. None of the articles mentions an architect or architects.

[Tom MacWood]

Here are a few things that standout to me. Based on the articles produced from Atlantic City newspapers there was never a mention of Wilson's involvement at any point. In Philadelphia the first mention is October 1913 or six months after the project began. The most logical reason for this is the fact that Wilson was preoccupied with Merion-West, which opened Oct/Nov 1913, and did not become involved until October. Another thing that stands out is the confusion both William Evans and Joe Bunker have regarding Wilson's involvement at Merion, and the timing of his trip abroad. It is as if they are attempting to blow up his reputation, so Philadelphia could boast of someone along the lines of Leeds or CBM. I'm beginning wonder if Phildalephia's golfing inferiority complex at the time had an affect on their reporting.

[Mike Cirba]

Wow, Tom.   That is profoundly incredible.  

I'm not sure where to start, much less why...

For starters, although Hugh Wilson, Griscom, and Hugh Willoughby gave Tillinghast a sneak peak of Merion West in Nov/Dec 1913, it didn't open to the membership until May 31, 1914.  

The land was purchased in December 1912 due to the popularity of the east course and the burst of new members, construction started in spring 1913, and the course opened to the members in May of 1914.  

But, you already knew that and frankly, it's getting tough not to mention ridiculously time-consuming to keep up with correcting both your misinterpretations as well as your misrepresentations.  

For the guy who argued that HH Barker designed Merion East during a train layover on his way to Atlanta, or the Macdonald must have done it prior to then during a couple hour visit before they even purchased the land for the course, are you sure you want to argue that Hugh Wilson was too busy during the first six or so months of 1913 to have designed 18 holes for his friend Clarence Geist on the flat, open Seaview property?  

[Tom MacWood]

Here is the article from American Golfer (December 1913) - those reports were typically one or two months behind the actual date. The report seems pretty straightforward - the course is open for play. There is no mention of a special opening for the author. Where did you get that information?

[Mike Cirba]

"Work was begun in the spring of 1913 and the
new course was opened to the members on Decoration
Day of this year, when Merion players were afforded
an opportunity of playing thirty-six different and
varying holes upon two full championship eighteenhole
courses."

Robert Lesley, "The Merion Courses" as printed in Golf Illustrated, December 1914.

[Tom MacWood]

You are correct Merion-West was formally opened May 1914...and Seaview was formally opened January 1915. A formal opening does not preclude golf being played over the course prior to the formal opening.

[Mike Cirba]

You are correct Merion-West was formally opened May 1914...and Seaview was formally opened January 1915. A formal opening does not preclude golf being played over the course prior to the formal opening.

Seaview was planned to be formally opened in June 1914, then August, and so on, but was delayed because Clarence Geist took very ill and was laid up for months.

On the other hand there was indeed a rush to open Merion West as soon as possible, due to the overflow of member requests that required Merion to put a moratorium on golf memberships.

They are two vastly different situations.

In either case, it's meaningless unless you're now telling us that it's impossible for a golf course architect to route a course 2 hours away from a project he has going on at home during a six-month time period.   

[Tom MacWood]

You said Tilly got a special sneak preview of Merion-West, I don't know if you invented that or have evidence, but it really doesn't matter. The bigger point is Merion-West was basically finished in the Autumn of 1914 allowing Wilson to devote time to the new Seaview.

[Mike Cirba]

By the way, Tom...you will note that Tillinghast said the purpose of his visit was for him to review it for American Golfer, which was six months before opening during what had to be grow-in  I'd call that a special sneak preview, wouldn't you?

You'll also note that he still refers to Hugh Wilson and the "Construction Committee", exactly as they were called during the creation of Merion East, and exactly what George Crump and friends were called as they were routing Pine Valley.

Unless perhaps you think someone else designed Merion West for them, which I'm willing to bet you a nickel you do!  

[Tom MacWood]

I believe Wayne has tried to argue Flynn deserves the credit.

[Mike Cirba]

I believe Wayne has tried to argue Flynn deserves the credit.

Who do you think designed Merion West?

[Tom MacWood]

Flynn's daughter and David Gordon (son of William) independently related that they believed the West Course was designed by Flynn.  My guess is that Flynn oversaw the construction of the West (after Fred Pickering was fired) and had a lot to do with the course details and may have collaborated with Wilson on the general design concepts.  Hugh Wilson and his committee oversaw the project, as they did with Pickering building the East.

Wilson designed the West.

[Mike Cirba]

Man...you're full of surprises Tom.   I owe you a nickel.  

I do hope one day you come to Philadelphia and see the Merion archives for yourself.  

In the meantime, I'd only ask you to read the following summer 1917 article and ask yourself how these men allowed this stuff to be written about them if it wasn't true.   This article makes very clear what "laid out" meant to the readership (hint...it wasn't just about purely construction and agronomics), and what a golf architect was, and why some men chose to become pros at it and why some wished to remain amateurs.

Wilson and the others here weren't into it for the money, Tom, and it surprises me not in the least that the Atlantic City papers in 1913 didn't report Wilson by name as they wouldn't have known who he was and he frankly could have cared less that they didn't.

They just wanted to build great golf courses because they loved the game and because it had to be a helluva lot of fun, however frustrating, to do so.