I can't even begin to keep up with all this speculation and back and forth, not to mention Mike's continuing arguments against himself (he agrees with patrick that much was done on horseback, and then continues arguing that little or nothing could have been done because of the "impenetrable" land? How does that work? Oh well.) Rather than engage in the banter, I am going to continue try and a few specific points at a time, in detail, in the hopes of getting past some of the false rhetoric. I will use a quote of Mike's from earlier as a jumping off point.
I think the major area of disagreement I have with David is that I believe the agreement to buy 205 undetermined acres referred to on page 187 of CBMs book is the same event he later refers to as "securing" the property.
Mike needs to quit providing false quotes from the book and the articles. CBM doesn't later refer to "'securing'" the property. He wrote "we obtained an option on the land in November . . . " Obtaining an option obligating the seller to convey of real property upon exercise of the option is an entirely different animal than a landowner simply indicating that he was willing to sell 200 out of his 450 acres. I haven't sold my house by putting it on the market, and I haven't sold it if you and I discuss a price for it, and I am not even obligated to sell it if you are willing to give me the list price. Transactions involving real property involve a hell of a lot more than the seller agreeing that he is willing to sell some undefined portion of his property.
I say this because the events described in the Dec 1906 articles talking about the boundaries being undetermined line up exactly with CBMs own description in his book.
1.
Do the articles "line up exactly with CBM's own description in his book"?
Not even close. At least not with Mike's reading of the book.
For the articles to "line up exactly" with Mike's reading of the book, then the articles would say that all that had happened so far was that
CBM and Whigham had ridden the property for a few days and determined what they wanted, and then optioned the property. Except for the horseback ride, they hadn't even earnestly studied contours.
But according to the articles, a hell of a lot more happened before they optioned the property. Some examples . . .
-- According to the articles, by mid-December they had been working on the project for months, and had studied the contours and routed the course at least to the extent that they could accurately describe the property and highlight the locations of CBM's version of the three most famous holes in the world along with an original hole bound for fame (and mention that there were other possibilities.)
-- Not only that but according to the October articles, by mid-October they had already created detailed maps showing the elevation changes to five feet have been drawn up and other provided to experts around the world for discussion! a
-- Not only that but the others reportedly involved - Travis, and Emmett - had already been over the property, along with Watson, Chauncey, and others!
So for Mike to say the articles "line up exactly" with his tenuous reading of CBM's book is ridiculous. They don't line up at all.
But the articles do line up with a linear, chronological reading of the book. A linear, chronological reading tells us that before the option, they had not only ridden the property for two or three days, but they had
"again [] studied the contours earnestly; selecting those that would fit in naturally with the various classical holes [CBM] had in mind, after which [they] staked out the land we wanted."- This chronological reading of Scotland's Gift lines up with the articles which describe the land they had chosen and highlight how "various classical holes" fit in the contours they had had studied and chosen.
- This chronological reading of Scotland's Gift also lines up with the articles that indicate that by the time of the option they were well into the project. Recall that in the October article only CBM and HJW are mentioned as having seen it, and the article states that Travis had not yet seen it. By the time of the option, not only had Travis been over the land, but Emmett, Chauncey, Watson, and others had been over it as well.
- This chronological reading of Scotland's Gift also lines up with the reports from October that they were very far along in studying the contours.
- And the description of the "the land we wanted" in Scotland's Gift lines up with the land described in those December articles.
So it sure looks like those articles line up with a linear, chronological reading of Scotland's Gift, doesn't it?
Mike Cirba, given that you put so much value on these articles, which reading of Scotland's Gift will you go with? Mine, which is consistent with the articles. Or yours, which is not?
And, Mike, if all that had happened was that CBM and HJW had ridden the property, then how come the articles say that Emmett, Travis, Watson, Chauncey, and others had been over the property? Was it a mini-calvary? Was it a Posse, perhaps? Were they planning on trampling the bushes and brambles into oblivion? ___________________________________________________________
2.
Do the articles say that the land and boundaries were "undetermined?"
According to Mike, CBM signed an option to choose any "205 acres out of the 450 acre plot." That is what he has consistently claimed the articles say. Here are just a few more of dozens of examples of Mike stating the same thing:
-- "It's very clear that he's talking about the property he had just secured at Sebonac Neck...205 'undetermined' acres out of 450 available."
-- CBM optioned "an undetermined 205 acres out of a much larger available plot."
-- "I'm sure the contract said something about the undeveloped, unsurveyed Sebonac Neck property in the original agreement securing 205 undetermined acres of the 450 available."
-- "CBM tells us that the specifics of the land he secured is still undetermined."
-- "How does his securing 205 'undetermined' acres out of a 450 acre tract 'box himself in?'"
As you can see, Mike is using the term "undetermined" to argue that, at the time of the option, CBM had not yet gotten around to choosing the land he needed for the golf course. As Jim Sullivan pointed out pages ago, Mike is presenting a situation where CBM optioned the property without even contemplating the location of the course within the 450 acres.
Trouble is, Mike has repeatedly and dishonestly quoted the articles as stating the property was "'undetermined'" at the time of the option. This is false. The articles don't use the term "undetermined" and they certainly don't describe a scenario like Mike would have us believe-- that the location of the land had not yet been chosen. In fact, contrary to Mike's claims, the articles not only describe the location of the 205 acres and shape of the 205, they highlight a number of details about the routing itself, including three famous models, another hole destined to be famous, and the location of the first and last tee. So this notion that the location of the course had not yet been determined at the time of the option is nonsense.
So what do the articles say that has lead to Mike's fixation on the term "'undetermined?'"
During the detailed description of the property and many of its features, the articles add that "the exact lines will not be staked out" until the the committee has finished its plans. That's it.
-- Nothing about the location of the course being as yet "undetermined" or even the boundaries being as yet "undetermined."
-- Nothing about waiting to find a location for the course until later, during the option period.
-- Nothing that would even suggest that the routing process had not yet begun.
-- Nothing to suggest that working borders were not already in place.
The articles say is that the "exact lines" will wait until the plan is finished. Big deal. CBM reportedly left himself some wiggle room to adjust part of the boundary (he couldn't move Peconic Bay or Bullshead or the Inn) in case he needed to. This was an astute good move on his part, given that with this elongated strangely shaped property even a change on the western boundary would be enough to substantially impact the acreage. He was covering all his options.
Even the term "exact lines" strongly suggests that there are already lines drawn, although they may have been "inexact." But
inexact is a far cry from the "undetermined" Mike has pretended is in the article.
So the articles DO NOT say or even imply that the land and boundaries were "undetermined." In fact the describe the property. How can you describe an "undetermined" property? The leap Mike makes from CBM having the option to adjust the boundaries later to Mike's conclusion that the course had not yet been routed is untenable, at best, especially given the ample evidence that the location and many of the holes were already in place.
I do agree that articles indicate that the planning was not yet complete, but we've known that that all along.
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Also, you East Coast guys can correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that by mid-December and for a few months after New York sometimes experienced something called 'Winter.' You guys ever hear of that?
Accordingly, some of the articles indicate that work would not begin on the course until spring. Are we really to believe that CBM was traipsing around out there all Winter through the brambles and bushes (because mike insists they would not have been cleared yet,) freezing his ass off while trying to study the contours and route the course?
Give us a break.