Patrick,
From "The Evangelist of Golf", pages 62-64;
"Undaunted, Macdonald uncovered a 45-acre tract adjacent to the Shinnecock Hills course. The property had been looked upon as wholly ill-suited for any development - a worthless mess of brambles, swampy areas, and murky bogs. In fact, so little of the land could be explored on foot it was necessary to use ponies."
"It was here that Macdonald, who had no background in surveying or construction, first hired a local surveyor/engineer named Seth Raynor to produce a detailed map of the property. To say the least, the land was by no means perfect, but it was almost entirely sand based. Macdonald envisioned that once the swamps were drained and the underbrush cleared, they would find a site with natural undulations perfect for building his ideal course..."
"...From the survey, Macdonald made a rough sketch of the holes he planned to build, and with Raynor, located potential sites and elevations for greens, tees, and turning points in the fairway. Macdonald tinkered endlessly with the routing plan. Finally, after months of planning, he was ready to move to the next step..."
"...C.B. next asked Henry Whigham and Walter Travis, each golf champions and course architects in their own right, to assist him in implementing his plan. Though Travis soon bowed out of the project, C.B. and Whigham continued on with the assistance of Joseph P. Knapp. Also closely involved were banker James Stillman, Devereux Emmett....and a few others"
"Using Raynor's survey maps and Macdonald's personal drawings as a guide, they forged ahead."
"Once cleared, the site was visually stirking. Knolls, hills, and basins furnished the topography. They also found natural ponds and uncovered a portion of Sebonac Creek which could be used for water hazards."
"Macdonald and company located fairly natural sites for a Redan and Eden, as well as a site for an Alps, requiring only a slight modification. The location for a Sahara hole was selected, as well as spots for a few original Macdonald creations suggested by the terrain. The routing of the course was beginning to take form, and although Macdonald later claimed the majority of the holes were on natural sites, in reality he manipulated a huge amount of soil."
"A number of strategic and aesthetic innovations took place at National, yet often overlooked is the seminal influence Macdonald and Raynor had on early course construction. Macdonald was not afraid to move massive amounts of earth in order to achieve a desired artistic effect, and Raynor had the engineering skills to blend it all together."
"Macdonald eventually admitted to importing 10,000 truckloads of soil to recontour and sculpt areas to fit his diagrams. A meticulous planner, Macdonald knew precisely what he was trying to achieve, and if he could not find an appropriate site, one would just have to be created! It is true that natural sites were located for his Redan and Eden, but to build other replications to his exacting specifications required extensive movement and importing of soil. Heavily influenced by this philosophy, Seth Raynor - and later Charles Banks - would later take earthmoving to new dimensions."
David,
In 1906, before CBM purchased the Sebonac property, he made an offer on another property closer to Shinnecock.
It was 120 acres. I'm assuming that was for a golf course, no?
Earlier that year, HJ Whigham also repeated the supposed 1904 mantra of purchasing over 200 acres, presumably because of the need for building lots for the Founders.
By 1912, CBM again referred to the "Surplus Land" they had purchased, referring to the original Founders agreement, but again stating that no decision had been made on what to do with the land.